Passwordless authentication is a common IT concept. If you work in the field, you likely know it very well. You might decide you want to use it for a business entity, but just as many companies don’t feel like it’s the best policy.
When you talk about hacking, the term “attack vector” often comes up. An attack vector is a scenario, path, or method a hacker or bad actor uses to get inside and sabotage your system. Once they’re inside, they can steal your trade secrets, steal someone’s identity, or cause a costly data leak.
IBM lists compromised credentials as one of the main attack vectors that hackers use to ply their trade. Compromised credentials cause breaches 20% of the time. Passwordless authentication is one way a company might try to get around this issue.
We’ll talk about some passwordless authentication challenges and benefits in this article. When we finish, maybe you will better understand the concept and whether it makes sense for your business entity.
The Potential Cost
We’ll start by talking about some of the inherent challenges. Like so many other parts of IT, the cost might prohibit some company heads from wanting to invest in passwordless authentication.
To be blunt about it, you need money to install this system. Often, you need lots of it. The process through which your IT team puts this setup in place might take new software or hardware. You also must train your employees once the system is up and running.
Let’s say you want to set up passwordless authentication. You will need to spend money on cards, devices, or tokens for each worker. You will need money in reserve for any device or token they lose or damage.
You can go the strictly software route, but that comes with hidden costs. You will need the initial outlay for maintenance, migration, and administration.
End-User Issues
Ultimately, you implement passwordless authentication for your workers. You want them to use it without grumbling too much.
People like to use passwords. If you go to a different system, you might get worker pushback. You can suppress the uprising, but the transition might not go as smoothly as you would like.
If you go with this system, you will have to program biometric authentication factors. You must set up new devices, and your staff needs to learn all about new technology.
Maybe they’re okay with that, but if you have some individuals who don’t like to change their day-to-day routine, the transition might not be as easy as you would prefer. Still, if you press them on the issue, they will have little choice but to comply. After all, they work for you.
Better Productivity
Now, on to some potential passwordless authentication benefits. Most employers feel that increased productivity is a key selling point.
If you don’t implement this system, a worker might have to memorize hundreds of unique passwords to use your resources every day. They probably can’t do that, so they’ll need to write them all down. Someone outside the company might get their hands on that master list.
If you set up passwordless authentication, workers don’t have to waste time putting in new passwords every time they want to use a different resource the company controls. The time saved means they will get more work done during their days. That’s a tempting system aspect for most companies.
Lower Costs
We talked about how a passwordless authentication system will cost you more when you set it up. That may be true, but it can also save you some cash once it is fully functional.
The money-saving comes into play when you realize you no longer have to spend on password storage and management. That’s part of many companies’ operational budgets, and you can erase that expense once you’ve instituted passwordless authentication.
In other words, you’re spending more at the beginning but saving on the back end. Giant companies can spend millions of dollars on password storage and management. That’s off the books if you go with passwordless authentication.
You must think about whether this system makes the most sense for you. If you have a startup and don’t have a ton of money in the beginning, you might elect to use a password-based system. Maybe if your company takes off and you start dominating your industry, you can eliminate passwords in the future.
Talk to your IT department if you’re unsure whether this is the right move for you.
The post 4 Passwordless Authentication Challenges and Benefits first appeared on Don Diva Magazine.