Passkeys explained: the end of passwords for your team

Understanding passkeys and how they work

For years, we have been told to make our passwords longer and more complex. We have added symbols, numbers, and capital letters, only to have them stolen anyway. Passkeys are a completely different approach. Instead of you remembering a secret word, your device (like your phone or laptop) creates a unique digital key for every website you visit. To log in, you simply use your fingerprint, your face scan, or your device PIN. Behind the scenes, your device proves your identity to the website using advanced math. You never have to type a password, and a hacker can't steal what you don't have.

This new technology is based on a global standard called FIDO. It is designed to be both easier and more secure. Because each passkey is unique to a specific website, a breach at one company cannot affect your accounts at another. Even better, because there is no 'password' to type, there is nothing for a hacker to trick you into entering on a fake phishing website. Passkeys represent the most significant improvement in online security in the last twenty years.

Why passkeys are the ultimate defense against phishing

Phishing is the number one way businesses are hacked. A criminal sends a fake email that looks like a login page for Microsoft 365. An employee enters their password, and the hacker takes over the account. Even Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) can sometimes be bypassed by clever hackers. Passkeys solve this because they are 'tied' to the real website. If an employee visits a fake site, their device simply won't offer to use the passkey. There is no code for the employee to read over the phone and no link for them to click that can give away their credentials. It removes the human error that hackers rely on.

• No More Phishing: Passkeys only work on the specific, legitimate website they were created for.
• Biometric Security: Login is tied to a physical person's fingerprint or face.
• No Password Reset Hassle: Employees can't 'forget' a passkey like they do a password.
• Faster Logins: Logging in with a face scan takes a fraction of the time of typing a complex password.

Is your business ready for passkeys?

You might be surprised to learn that you are likely already using passkeys in your personal life. Google, Apple, and Amazon have all started encouraging users to switch. For your business, the transition will happen gradually. Most modern cloud services now support passkeys as an alternative to passwords. As a business owner, you don't need to change everything at once. You can start by allowing your team to use passkeys for their most important accounts, like their company email and their password manager.

One thing to consider is device compatibility. Passkeys work best on modern hardware with built-in biometric sensors. If your team is using very old laptops or phones, they might not be able to use the full features of passkeys yet. However, most devices made in the last three to four years are fully compatible. As you refresh your company technology, ensuring biometric support should be a high priority.

How to manage passkeys in a professional environment

In a business setting, you need a way to manage these digital keys. Modern password managers for business are evolving into 'identity managers' that can store and synchronize passkeys across all an employee's devices. This ensures that if an employee loses their phone, they can still access their accounts from their laptop. It also gives the business the ability to manage access, just like they do with passwords today. The goal is to move toward a 'password-less' environment where the only thing an employee needs to remember is the one biometric check to open their secure vault.

1. Inventory your primary cloud applications to see which ones currently support passkeys.
2. Update your company laptops to the latest operating system to ensure full support.
3. Ensure your business password manager is capable of storing and managing passkeys.
4. Choose a 'champion' in your company to test passkeys on their main accounts first.
5. Update your security policy to include passkeys as an approved and preferred login method.

The future of the password-less office

We are entering an era where the word 'password' will eventually become obsolete. This is a good thing for both security and productivity. Employees will no longer spend time resetting forgotten credentials, and business owners will have significantly less risk of a headline-making breach. By starting the transition to passkeys now, you are positioning your business at the forefront of modern security standards. It is one of the rare cases where the most secure option is also the easiest one to use.

• Do your company laptops have fingerprint or face scan capability?
• Have you enabled passkey support in your Google or Microsoft admin console?
• Is your team aware of what passkeys are and how they differ from passwords?
• Do you have a plan for recovering accounts if an employee loses their main device?
• Are you prioritizing biometric sensors when purchasing new hardware for your team?