Revolutionizing security: Imprivata joins the FIDO Alliance to advance passwordless authentication

By the Imprivata editorial team

Today’s digital world demands strong, yet streamlined cybersecurity, and Imprivata and the FIDO Alliance are leading the charge towards a passwordless future. Learn how this non-profit organization promotes passwordless authentication methods that enhance security, reduce user fatigue, and streamline workflows. 

In our digital age, having strong, yet streamlined cybersecurity is essential. That’s why the movement towards passwordless authentication is gaining momentum. Leading this charge is the FIDO Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing global reliance on passwords. Imprivata recently became a member of the FIDO Alliance, which means that, among other things, we’re helping to establish and develop best practices and global policy for a passwordless future.

How does the FIDO Alliance promote a passwordless future?

The more we rely on passwords, the more cybersecurity risks we face. And it’s widely known that passwords create significant fatigue, frustration, and workflow barriers for users. The FIDO Alliance is at the forefront of developing open standards for simpler and stronger authentication methods that don't rely on passwords.

Passwordless FIDO (which stands for Fast Identity Online) protocols are designed to be phishing-resistant, scalable and can be used for websites and applications to replace passwords with secure and fast login experiences. This approach significantly improves security and sign-in success rates, reduces sign-in times, and decreases password reset and abandonment rates. FIDO authentication thwarts phishing attempts by creating cryptographic key pairs, called passkeys, which effectively block man in the middle (MiTM) attacks.

Passwordless authentication methods are simpler for users, and more secure. They’re also easier for service providers to deploy and manage. These methods include “something you have,” and “something you are” factors, such as:

What’s so bad about passwords?

Passwords served their purpose well for many years, but technology continues to evolve — as does cybercrime. Considering that 90% of end users have over 90 online accounts, and credential phishing has risen 967% since the last quarter of 2022, it’s no shock that this aging form of cybersecurity no longer offers the protection it once did.

Not only are passwords a frustration for end users, but they’re also a costly burden on IT departments. For example, the average labor cost for just one password reset is $70. Of course, the highest costs would be seen with a data breach, and in 2024, the average cost of a data breach in the U.S. was $9.36 million.

Passwordless is about more than getting rid of passwords

Passwordless, as a goal, isn’t just about eliminating passwords. It’s also about making sure that access management solutions are practical, cost-effective, and seamlessly integrate into daily workflows. No security solution can make a real difference unless it makes the lives of users easier instead of harder.

Top-tier passwordless solutions not only lower the risk of security breaches, but also address common issues such as password fatigue, and the inefficiencies associated with password resets. For organizations, this means enhanced productivity and a reduced risk profile, with employees swiftly and securely accessing the tools they need whenever they need them.

By adopting user-friendly technologies like single sign-on (SSO), multifactor authentication (MFA), and facial recognition, organizations can protect their digital environments more effectively, ensuring operations are both secure and streamlined. The shift to passwordless authentication not only bolsters security, but also sets a new standard for how we access and interact with digital systems in a connected world.

Learn more about the benefits of passwordless authentication by downloading our whitepaper, "The journey to passwordless for healthcare."