Though random number generators (RNGs) might seem small, they are mighty. The use of RNGs in business processes can have a huge impact on security, fairness, and safety. So, let’s take a look at just a few applications.
Random Selection
RNGs have long since been utilized by online casinos, as they digitize the element of luck that you’ll see from rolling a dice, dealing cards, or spinning a wheel. Although online casinos have extended into live stream gaming, RNGs can still be used alongside physical elements to ensure fairness of gameplay. Take Plinko Go game for example – this game is hosted by a live croupier who spins two physical wheels in real time. The game also has virtual races to add another element to the gameplay. The results of the virtual races are determined by RNGs to ensure that the results cannot be predetermined, making sure the gameplay is fair, authentic, and immersive.
This same logic, then, can be applied to businesses. There are many scenarios where the selection must be chosen at random in order to maintain fairness, whether this is for the chore wheel, anonymous employee surveys, or even market research. Here, RNGs can select a random person from a specific set of data – no one will be able to guess beforehand who will be chosen. In doing so, this removes the risk of bias or skewed results, ensuring that jobs are fairly distributed, and feedback surveys are reflective of employees or consumers as a whole.
Password Creation
Most businesses deal with sensitive data, which TechTarget defines as personal, business, and classified information. Whether it is the personal data of yourself, the business, employees, stakeholders, or consumers, it is paramount that businesses have a strong cybersecurity process that does its best to protect this sensitive data. Though much of cybersecurity is constantly seeing new innovations, one of the best ways to protect your business is one of the simplest – a strong password.
Whilst passwords often come with requirements to increase complexity, they’ll still be memorable to the user, and therefore predictable. But, that’s where RNGs come in. RNGs can generate a string of characters, numbers, and symbols without any discernible order or predetermination. As it is unlikely to have any recognizable words, this makes the passwords harder to crack. It is also an easy way to generate unique, complex passwords for multiple platforms without any pattern.
Tokenize Payment Data
If you take payments online or in person, it is likely you have already come across tokenized payment data already, even if you didn’t know it. Tokenization is already used by payment applications and digital wallets like Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay – so, if you’ve had someone pay using a tap of their phone, your business is already encountering this encryption.
Put simply, a user puts their actual card details into an application, which is then verified via online banking. The app then generates new, unique values using RNGs. Consumers then use the tokenized payment details to make purchases. Your point of sale (POS) system checks the tokenized data with the merchant acquirer, who then checks with the remote token service server. It is only then that the card details are matched with the tokenized data, which is transmitted to the bank.
And there you have it – just a few ways in which RNGs can revolutionize the safety, fairness, and security of business processes. You never know, you might already be using it!