Read the Gartner® Market Guide for Identity Verification

Organizations searching for an identity verification partner in what has become a saturated market can evaluate the features those vendors provide beyond the core process, according to the 2023 Gartner Market Guide for Identity Verification.

Those features, according to the report, include low-code implementation, metrics for document and selfie verification, and connectivity to data-affirmation sources.

“More mature offerings will allow an organization to configure the look and feel of the UI with respect to colors and logos to enable some alignment with corporate branding,” according to the guide. “The most advanced offerings provide drag-and-drop interfaces that enable deeper configuration of the UI and hence UX, such as requested data fields for the user to complete, flexibility for the user to select document types, and also calling out to third-party data affirmation sources that the vendor has integrated.”

An Evolving Identity Verification Market

The report examines document-centric identity verification and the emerging shift toward portable digital identity.

Identity Document Verification

Documents play a crucial role in identity verification, according to the report . Document verification involves analyzing digital images of identity documents, usually captured with a mobile phone camera, to determine if an ID is authentic. The image is then compared with a live selfie for face matching to determine if the ID matches the person presenting it.

An additional layer of external data sources can corroborate information from the identity verification process.

Portable Digital Identity

A number of digital identity programs and technologies are becoming available, including government-run identity initiatives, digital wallets and regulatory frameworks. That likely will lead to “a patchwork of competing and complementary schemes for many years to come,” according to the Gartner report .

“Recognize that for many years you will need to offer both identity verification and accept assertions from portable digital identity solutions,” according to the guide. “There will not be a clean switch from the former to the latter.”

There are multiple factors that go into choosing an identity verification strategy, including the risk environment, legal requirements and ease of implementation. It’s also important to consider:

• Metrics for identity verification, particularly document assessment
  
  
• Availability of low-code implementation tools
  
  
• Connectivity to data-affirmation sources
  
  
• Availability of enhanced fraud detection capabilities

When organizations are assessing identity verification partners, according to the report, they can “differentiate between vendors based on features that augment core identity verification, novel implementation approaches and the ability to handle AI-enabled attack vectors.”

The report recommends security and risk management leaders:

• Maximize the value of the investment by investigating how identity verification can be used for multiple use cases
  
  
• Prepare for a future built on portable digital identity
  
  
• Have confidence the vendor’s solution is appropriate for the organization’s risk tolerance

In an increasingly digital world, identity verification has become fundamental for establishing trust and security

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