Personal security and privacy, while always an issue in people’s minds, took a huge leap in focus just after 9/11, from both a physical and intellectual property perspective. In the almost decade since that horrific event other events have occurred that have acted as accelerants in the awareness and acceptance of biometrics, including a significant increase in identity theft and numerous news reports of the theft or loss of laptops containing reams of sensitive government and personal consumer data.

Investigation into the use of biometric devices as an added layer of security has grown exponentially, and for good reason. A biometric identifier, such as a fingerprint, a person’s voice, iris or retinal pattern is something everyone carries with them. There is no cost to provide it and there is nothing to lose. This paper focuses on one such biometric application; voice authentication, as an easy and cost effective way of enhancing security of consumer and enterprise applications. It discusses what voice authentication is, what its uses are, vertical markets that are embracing its use, and business drivers for using it as part of an enhanced multi-factor authentication enterprise strategy across channels of communication.