Trust (or not) but verify: Infosys uses Hyperledger Indy and ACA-Py

Understanding the hidden costs of unvalidated verification

If an Infosys manager required more verifiable proof than a screenshot of a Lex Badge, there was no easy process. They’d need to coordinate with HR and Lex platform admins. This took time, resulting in lost production. It also meant employees weren’t in control over who was seeing what, which meant the company was at risk of violating privacy. 

But at least they would ultimately receive confirmation they could rely on. 

That’s not always the case. 

In August 2023, ResumeLab, a service provider for job seekers, surveyed US-based workers about their job application behaviors. Seven of ten respondents admitted to lying during a job search. Specifically, 11% admitted to lying about their education credentials. 

The sample size was small. And self-reported data can’t be verified…though in these surveys, undesirable activities are usually underreported, not overreported. 

There’s no information on how many people who fabricated their credentials get hired. But some undoubtedly do. 

Imagine you found out even just 1%-2% of your talent didn’t have the experience they claimed.

Filling any position costs about 150% of an employee's salary to recruit, hire, and train their replacement. 

Replacing someone because of fraud has other potential impacts as well:

• Loss of production
• Loss of a customer or client, if a specific account was affected
• Loss of reputation, if they share their story
• Loss of trust between employees and their colleagues and managers, which decreases morale and could cause more workers to leave, further increasing replacement costs. 
• Loss of potential employees, if they hear that working conditions aren’t great

But revenue loss from unverifiable information doesn’t happen only if there’s fraud. It can come from missed opportunities.

Picture this scenario: You’re about to win an impressive project with a prestigious client. All you need is an IT specialist with a particular certification. Fortunately, you have the perfect person on your team. 

Unfortunately, the client won’t accept unverifiable proof, and you only have a copy of the completion certificate. You tried contacting the issuing organization, but the ownership has changed, and no one has responded to your calls. 

If you can’t verify the credential, you’ll miss out on this project and the future opportunities it could’ve opened up for you. 

Quantifying those losses is difficult, though it’s easy to see they’re significant. 

Easy, trusted verification is the solution. But creating trusted verification isn’t easy.