November 16, 2023 at 11:45AM
Passwords are still relevant in the workplace, despite the security risks they pose. A survey by Delinea found that 53% of respondents acknowledged the slow transition towards passwordless technology. The majority of organizations are still years away from eliminating passwords entirely. Weak password hygiene continues to expose enterprise systems to cyber threats. While new authentication technologies like biometrics and multifactor authentication are gaining traction, passwords are likely to coexist with these solutions in a hybrid environment. Password management solutions, such as encrypted password managers, can help improve security in the meantime.
The meeting notes discuss the current state of password usage in the workplace and the slow transition towards passwordless authentication. The notes highlight that passwords are still relevant, with 53% of organizations acknowledging the slow transition to passwordless technology. However, most organizations are still years away from completely doing away with passwords.
The need to move away from passwords is emphasized due to the security risks associated with them and the lazy approach to password hygiene. The notes mention surveys that found IT administrators using weak passwords such as “admin” and people relying on simple numerical sequences like “123456”. This lax approach to passwords has led to an increased number of cyberattacks, which intensifies the need for a better solution.
The notes also discuss the obstacles to implementing passwordless authentication, including employee resistance, legacy applications, and the need for consistent authentication methods. In the short term, a hybrid environment that incorporates familiar technologies like multifactor authentication, biometrics, one-time passwords, and passkeys based on encryption technology may be more feasible than completely doing away with passwords.
To manage passwords in the meantime, organizations are adopting password management solutions and privileged access management (PAM) solutions. These solutions provide better password management, role-based access control, and session monitoring. It is important to ensure the safe storage and use of passkeys and traditional passwords, potentially utilizing encrypted password managers.
While a true passwordless future might still be far off, passwords will continue to have a role in certain applications and websites. Passwordless technologies can improve user experience, but they are not a complete replacement for passwords, similar to the coexistence of cash and digital payment methods.