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Summary – Password vulnerabilities heighten the risks of phishing, brute-force attacks and credential stuffing, causing downtime, IT costs and compliance challenges. Going passwordless removes these attack vectors with biometrics, FIDO2 keys and mobile authentication, while cutting support tickets by up to 80% and streamlining onboarding via AD/SAML integration.
Solution: start with an application audit, prioritize open FIDO2/WebAuthn standards, launch a pilot with training, then transition gradually.
The proliferation of password-related vulnerabilities compromises corporate security and hinders operational efficiency. Each year, thousands of incidents arise from stolen, reused, or guessed credentials, causing service disruptions and high remediation costs. In the face of these challenges, passwordless authentication offers a radical shift: eliminating all password management and relying on non-transferable authentication factors such as biometrics, FIDO2 hardware keys, or mobile authentication.
This approach enhances cybersecurity by removing classic attack vectors while simplifying the user experience and drastically reducing the IT support burden. For IT departments, passwordless is above all a strategic lever for digital transformation with high ROI.
Securing Access by Eliminating Password-Related Vulnerabilities
Passwordless authentication removes classic attack vectors such as phishing, brute force attacks, and credential stuffing. It relies on strong, unique, and hard-to-falsify authentication factors.
Eradicating Phishing and Credential Stuffing
By eliminating passwords, phishing attempts aimed solely at stealing credentials are neutralized. Credential stuffing attacks, where lists of compromised credentials are tested across multiple services, also become obsolete.
Using a hardware security key or a biometric sensor anchors the user’s identity in a physical or biological element. This method makes account takeover impossible without physical access to the device or the user’s biometric data.
A subsidiary of a major banking group deployed FIDO2 keys to its front-office teams. This initiative demonstrated the ability to block 100 % of internal phishing attempts, thereby ensuring customer data confidentiality and the continuity of sensitive transactions.
Biometry-Enhanced Multi-Factor Authentication
Biometrics (fingerprint, facial recognition) rely on characteristics unique to each individual and cannot be shared. Combined with a digital certificate stored on a smartphone or hardware key, it provides security equivalent to multi-factor authentication (MFA) without passwords.
Unlike passwords, facial and fingerprint recognition do not produce lists of credentials to protect. Biometric data is encrypted locally and does not transit through centralized servers, thus reducing the risk of mass data leaks.
Optimizing the User Experience and Reducing Support Costs
Passwordless removes friction related to credential management and significantly decreases the volume of IT support calls. Employees gain autonomy and faster access.
Reducing Reset and Support Costs
Password reset requests account for approximately 20 % of IT ticket volume. Eliminating these tickets frees up support teams to focus on higher-value projects.
Direct savings from password-related support interventions can reach tens of thousands of dollars per year for a mid-sized company. Indirect costs related to lost productivity while employees wait for resets should also be considered. These gains provide teams with the flexibility needed for meeting IT deadlines and budgets.
An industrial group piloted mobile authentication and saw password tickets drop by 80 % within three months. This reduction allowed its IT department to deploy an advanced monitoring portal using the hours thus freed.
Smooth Onboarding and Increased Adoption
When new employees or contractors join, account creation and distribution can be automated through a passwordless infrastructure integrated with the enterprise directory (AD, LDAP). Access is granted immediately without a cumbersome setup phase.
Users appreciate the simplicity of a tap on a sensor or a facial scan, rather than memorizing complex passwords. This convenience encourages the adoption of new business applications and accelerates digital transformation.
A logistics services SME linked its SAML directory with USB security keys. New technicians authenticated within seconds across all internal portals, reducing onboarding time from two days to a few hours.
Edana: strategic digital partner in Switzerland
We support companies and organizations in their digital transformation
Deploying Passwordless: Key Steps and Best Practices
The success of a passwordless project relies on precise auditing, selecting open and modular technologies, and gradually guiding users. A pilot phase limits risks and facilitates scaling.
Inventory of Applications and Compatibility
The first step is to take stock of all applications and information systems used within the organization. It is essential to verify their native compatibility with standards such as FIDO2, WebAuthn, or OAuth 2.0 without passwords.
For proprietary ERPs or CRMs, integration may require an authentication proxy or an external open-source module to maintain scalability without vendor lock-in.
Technology Selection and Avoiding Vendor Lock-In
There are several types of factors: USB keys (FIDO2), smartphones (push OTP), and local biometrics. The choice should be based on open-source components or modular solutions that allow changing providers without a complete overhaul.
Favoring standard protocols ensures interoperability and the longevity of the solution in a hybrid ecosystem combining public cloud, private cloud, or on-premises.
Passwordless as a Strategic Lever for Digital Transformation
Beyond security and experience, passwordless fits into a modern, hybrid, and modular IT vision aligned with business objectives. It strengthens cybersecurity posture while preparing the enterprise for future challenges.
Integration into a Hybrid Ecosystem
Passwordless naturally fits into a microservices architecture where each service manages its own authentication flow using open standards. Coupling it with an open-source API gateway integration ensures optimal coherence and scalability.
By combining open-source components for authentication, directory, and access management, a resilient foundation is built without risk of vendor lock-in.
Scalable Architecture and AI Readiness
A standardized passwordless infrastructure simplifies future integration of artificial intelligence for behavior-based detection and real-time risk analysis.
Rich in metadata, authentication logs feed machine learning algorithms designed to detect anomalies and anticipate cyberattacks.
Go Passwordless: Security and Agility for Your Access
Passwordless eliminates the weaknesses of passwords, strengthens security through strong, non-transferable authentication mechanisms, and streamlines the user experience. It reduces support costs, accelerates onboarding, and integrates seamlessly into a modular, open-source architecture.
Adopted as a strategic lever, it aligns digital transformation with business needs, prepares the ecosystem for AI innovations, and builds an evolving foundation without vendor lock-in. Our experts are ready to help you design and deploy a contextualized passwordless solution that maximizes security, performance, and ROI.
