{"id":90277,"date":"2019-12-11T16:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T00:00:56","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-06-27T04:01:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T11:01:56","slug":"go-passwordless-strengthen-security-reduce-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/2019\/12\/11\/go-passwordless-strengthen-security-reduce-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"Go passwordless to strengthen security and reduce costs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We all know passwords are inherently unsecure. They\u2019re also expensive to manage. Users struggle to remember them. It\u2019s why we\u2019re so passionate about eliminating passwords entirely. Passwordless solutions, such as Windows Hello, FIDO2 security keys, and the Microsoft Authenticator app, provide more secure and convenient sign-in methods. But transitioning your organization to passwordless authentication takes time and careful planning. You may wonder where to start and how long it will take to realize benefits. Today, we examine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">How biometrics improve security while safeguarding user privacy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">The cost reductions Microsoft realized from passwordless migration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Steps you can take to better secure your organization and prepare for passwordless.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1597\" height=\"553\" src=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-1.png\" alt=\"Image of three devices, one showing Windows Hello, another Microsoft Authenticator, and finally FIDO2 Security Keys.\" class=\"wp-image-90278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-1.png 1597w, https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-1-300x104.png 300w, https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-1-768x266.png 768w, https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-1-1024x355.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1597px) 100vw, 1597px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Microsoft passwordless solutions include Windows Hello, the Microsoft Authenticator app, and FIDO2 security keys.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"biometric-technology-improves-security-and-safeguards-user-privacy\">Biometric technology improves security and safeguards user privacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal of user authentication protocols, including passwords, is to verify user identity. But just because a user knows a password doesn\u2019t mean they are the person they claim to be. In fact, 81 percent of breaches leverage stolen or compromised passwords.<sup>1<\/sup> Passwords are not unique identifiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To improve security, we need a better way to uniquely identify users. This is where biometrics come in. Your iris, fingerprint, and face are unique to you\u2014nobody else has the same fingerprint, for example. Passwordless solutions, like Windows Hello, rely on biometrics instead of passwords because biometrics are better at accurately identifying a user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biometrics, like other personal identifying information (PII), may raise privacy concerns. Some people worry that technology companies will collect PII and make it available to other entities. Or that their biometric image might get stolen. That\u2019s why Microsoft and other security companies in the Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) Alliance developed the FIDO2 standard to raise the bar for securing credentials. Rest assured, Microsoft uses FIDO2-compliant technology that does <strong>NOT<\/strong> view, store, or transfer <strong>ANY<\/strong> biometric images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">When a user creates a biometric sign-in, Windows Hello uses an algorithm to create a unique identifier that is stored locally on the device, encrypted and secured, and never shared with Microsoft.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Each time a user signs in, the biometric is compared against the unique identifier.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">If there is a match, the user is authenticated to the device.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Technologies like Windows Hello are secure, convenient, and safeguard user privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" src=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-2.jpg\" alt=\"Image of a PC screen showing Windows Hello.\" class=\"wp-image-90279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-2.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-2-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-2-687x385.jpg 687w, https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-2-539x303.jpg 539w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Users can sign in to Windows Hello with a fingerprint scan. The fingerprint image is turned into a unique identifier stored on the device. It does not get stored by Microsoft.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"improve-security-reduce-costs-and-increase-productivity\">Improve security, reduce costs, and increase productivity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help you think about the costs associated with passwords, we\u2019ll share some numbers from Microsoft\u2019s own experience rolling out passwordless to its users. After about a year since Microsoft began this journey, most users don\u2019t use a password to authenticate to corporate systems, resources, and applications. The company is better protected, but it has also reduced costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Passwords are expensive because users frequently forget them. For every password reset Microsoft incurs, soft costs are associated with the productivity lost while a user can\u2019t sign in. The company also incurs hard costs for every hour a Helpdesk administrator spends helping a Microsoft user reset their password.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Microsoft estimated the following costs before rolling out passwordless to its employees:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">$3 million a year in hard costs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">$6 million a year in lost productivity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of today, Microsoft has achieved the following benefits from its passwordless rollout:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Reduced hard and soft costs by 87 percent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">As Microsoft costs go down, attackers\u2019 costs go up, so the company is less of a target.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"going-passwordless-starts-with-multi-factor-authentication\">Going passwordless starts with Multi-Factor Authentication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you\u2019re ready to roll out a passwordless authentication strategy today or in a few years, these steps will help get your organization ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Step 1: Define your passwordless and biometrics strategy<\/strong>\u2014At Microsoft, we allow more than one biometric factor to choose from for authentication, which gives people options and helps us meet accessibility needs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Step 2: Move your identities to the cloud<\/strong>\u2014Leverage Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) user behavior analytics and security intelligence to help protect your identities, uncover breach patterns, and recover if there is a breach.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Step 3:<\/strong> <strong>Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)<\/strong>\u2014MFA increases security by requiring more than one factor of verification, usually in addition to a password. By enabling MFA, you can reduce the odds of account compromise by 99.9 percent.<sup>2<\/sup> But passwords don\u2019t have to be a factor. With passwordless authentication, the biometric identifier is one factor of verification and the device possession is another, removing the risk of passwords from the equation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Step 4: Pilot passwordless<\/strong>\u2014Start a pilot test with your riskiest users or groups.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"501\" height=\"548\" src=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-3.png\" alt=\"Image of the Microsoft Authenticator app being used.\" class=\"wp-image-90280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-3.png 501w, https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Go-passwordless-to-strengthen-security-and-reduce-costs-3-274x300.png 274w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The Microsoft Authenticator app can be used to augment a password as a second factor or to replace a password with biometrics or a device PIN for authentication.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you aren\u2019t ready to go passwordless, enable MFA to reduce your odds of a breach. We also recommend that you ban the most easily guessable passwords. Azure AD processes 60 billion authentications in a month and uses the telemetry to automatically block commonly used, weak, or compromised passwords for all Azure AD accounts, but you can add your own custom banned passwords, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"learn-more\">Learn more<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Microsoft passwordless solutions include Windows Hello, the Microsoft Authenticator app, and FIDO2 security keys from select partners. Each can help you accomplish the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Stronger security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Reduced costs over time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Increased attacker costs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">More productive users.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/technology\/identity-access-management\/passwordless\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Microsoft passwordless solutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Watch the CISO Spotlight Series: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/ciso-cybersecurity-strategy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Passwordless: What\u2019s it worth?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><sup>1<\/sup>2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations report<\/em><br><em><sup>2<\/sup>2018 Microsoft Security Research<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joy Chik, Microsoft CVP, Identity, explains how passwordless works and provides steps to begin preparing your organization to eliminate passwords.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":90316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ms_queue_id":[],"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_classifai_error":"","_classifai_text_to_speech_error":"","_alt_title":"","ms-ems-related-posts":[],"footnotes":""},"post_tag":[3809],"threat-intelligence":[],"content-type":[3662],"job-role":[],"product":[3702],"topic":[3684],"coauthors":[2093],"class_list":["post-90277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-security-strategies","content-type-news","product-microsoft-entra","topic-security-operations","review-flag-1694638271-781","review-flag-1-1694638265-354","review-flag-2-1694638266-864","review-flag-3-1694638266-241","review-flag-4-1694638266-512","review-flag-6-1694638266-691","review-flag-9-1694638266-118","review-flag-lever-1694638263-909","review-flag-never-1694638263-791","review-flag-percent"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Go passwordless to strengthen security and reduce costs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Joy Chik, Microsoft CVP, Identity, explains how passwordless works and provides steps to begin preparing your organization to eliminate passwords.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/2019\/12\/11\/go-passwordless-strengthen-security-reduce-costs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Go passwordless to strengthen security and reduce costs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Joy Chik, Microsoft CVP, Identity, explains how passwordless works and provides steps to begin 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