Every year at Identiverse, one of the premier events for cybersecurity professionals, the rf IDEAS team engages with over 3,000 industry experts to explore the evolving landscape of digital identity solutions. The 2024 show not only underscored the urgency of securing digital identities but also showcased rf IDEAS' innovative ConvergeID™ solution. While the conference is over, the insights gained continue to shape our approach to cybersecurity and how the industry evolves to address a more secure approach to authentication.

 

Navigating the Future of Identity Security

 

Securing digital identities has surged to a top priority for IT professionals, with 76% emphasizing its criticality, and 22% ranking it as their number one concern. Another trend that is top of mind for many industries but especially security is AI. The integration of AI in verification processes poses both opportunities and risks as it can be appropriate in high-security moments like passkey registration but the technology is not necessarily immune to AI impersonation for lower-quality implementations. Additionally, the shift from traditional passwords to digital passkeys represents a critical evolution in cybersecurity. Governments, including the U.S., increasingly endorse FIDO authentication as a preferred method, reflecting its global adoption in 13 countries.

Diving deeper into the popular topic of passkeys, adopting them within enterprise use cases along with new IAM technologies has brought about a few key learnings that have taught security professionals that balancing effort with impact is critical. Addressing user behaviors, cost and complexity of identity environments are all elements that can impact this balancing act. To increase user adoption of passkeys, which are now supported by 20% of the world’s top 100 websites and 12% of the top 250 websites, FIDO explains that design guidelines and patterns should be considered to help facilitate a user-friendly experience.

As security professionals continue to consider solutions to increasing adoption rates of new tech, let’s discuss the importance of coordinated education in furthering this effort.

 

Coordinated Education to Improve User Adoption of New Tech

 

Insights from industry experts like Matt Caulfield, VP of Product for Identity at Cisco and former CEO of Oort, showcase why consistent education matters when it comes to deploying new tech. In an Identiverse session titled “The IAM Evolution - Forging A Path to Idealized Identity Security,” Caulfield emphasizes that a data-driven approach that leverages identity data engineering can help inform the prioritization of security efforts and allow more insight into vulnerabilities¹. He advocates for a scientific approach to building identity programs, with the right people, processes, and technology guided by data.

Google also described the importance of a coordinated education campaign for user adoption and comprehension of passkey technology. By treating passkeys as an additional option rather than a replacement, Google ensures users do not feel forced into the new system. Over 62% of users report passkeys as simpler and more secure, having been used over 1 billion times by more than 400 million accounts.² Key learnings from their deployment include leading with the value proposition of simpler and faster sign-ins and promoting local passkey creation and use.

Other best practices to facilitate user adoption that organizations should consider are addressing user skepticism through effective change management and clear communication. Showcasing successful implementations can provide a roadmap for adoption while understanding the psychology of habit formation and designing solutions accordingly can enhance user acceptance. Ensuring solutions are compatible with existing systems and providing backup authentication options are also essential steps. Consistency in the passkey experience across different points, such as account recovery, will build user trust.

 

FIDO Alliance UX Guidelines for Passkeys

 

As previously mentioned, guidelines help create consistency in user experience which is necessary when working to increase user acceptance and adoption. In a session with FIDO Alliance CMO Megan Shamas, along with passkey enablement program lead Kevin Goldman, the benefits of optimized passkey UX were highlighted. Benefits include reducing fraud costs, achieving faster sign-ins, and increasing first-try sign-in success. The UX guidelines, available on the FIDO Alliance website, offer ten core UX principles, three content principles, and multiple design patterns. They also address the transition from SMS OTP to passkeys, highlighting potential cost savings and enhanced user experience.³

Passkeys offer several advantages for end users, including protecting their identities and assets, saving time and money, and reducing the friction associated with traditional password frameworks. End users aren’t the only stakeholder benefiting from this technology, IT teams are also able to streamline their workflows and boost productivity. Additionally, with the rf IDEAS ConvergeID™ software solution, which converts existing credentials into FIDO2 security keys, IT Administrators can remotely assign or remove user keys, create and designate security policies, and audit usage with the included administrative panel. By continuing to prioritize and innovate in digital identity solutions, we can create a more secure and user-friendly digital landscape.

 

Protecting Users through Digital Identity Solutions

 

The focus on digital identity security is paramount as the industry moves away from passwords. While anything can be hacked, passkeys are phishing-resistant, keep access consistent and simplified and are a highly secure cryptography-based authentication. To meet enterprises where they are in terms of updating their digital security infrastructure, branding passkeys as a higher level of security within existing environments provides a middle ground solution. rf IDEAS readers fit into key adoption workflow moments, as they can be interoperable with existing enterprise technology and numerous software solutions.

Trust in new tech takes time, but with consistent advocacy and education, the adoption of hugely beneficial authentication technologies like passkeys can increase. By continuing to prioritize and innovate in digital identity solutions, we can create a more secure and user-friendly digital landscape. If you are interested in enhancing the security of your existing credentials, you may want to explore our ConvergeID™ Passwordless platform that does just that. Schedule a demo today to see how our solution works.

Schedule a Demo

 

 

Sources 

  • ¹Caulfield, Matt. (2024). The IAM Evolution - Forging A Path to Idealized Identity Security. Identiverse 2024, Las Vegas, NV.
  • ²Brand, Christiaan. (2024). Passkeys: Google's Journey from Conception To Implementation. Identiverse 2024, Las Vegas, NV.
  • ³Goldman, Kevin. Shamas, Megan. (2024). 2024 Design Guidelines for Passkeys. Identiverse 2024, Las Vegas, NV.

Contact us Today

0