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It’s safe to say that no one is crazy about passwords. For chief information security officers, there’s the nightmare of employees leaving lists of passwords on their desks or putting them on Post-it notes on their computers. For workers, there’s the inconvenience of having to enter multiple passwords to gain access to various devices and resources.
Passwordless authentication technology is designed to address these issues, and use of these tools is on the rise. A recent survey of 200 CISOs by Wakefield Research, sponsored by security vendor Portnox, showed that a significant majority (92%) of the security leaders said their organizations had implemented or were planning to implement passwordless authentication. That’s up from 70% in 2024. CISOs cited improved employee productivity and enhanced user experience as the top benefits.
Passwordless authentication verifies user identity without the need for traditional passwords, through alternative methods such as hardware tokens, biometrics, or mobile push notifications. It offers potential benefits such as enhanced security and improved user experience.
Training services provider Universal Technical Institute has begun using a passwordless platform from Microsoft, “and as we expand adoption, the benefits show up quickly, with fewer password resets, fewer service desk tickets, and a faster start to the day,” said Adrienne DeTray, senior vice president and CIO at the company.
