A Passwordless Future Begins with Credential Management

The document tackles the persistent issue of password-based authentication in enterprise security, highlighting how password misuse and vulnerabilities present a significant security risk. It advocates a shift towards passwordless authentication, which encompasses several secure methods like biometric authentication, device signals, PINs, PKI, certificates, and hardware tokens, aligning with the Zero Trust philosophy of "never trust, always verify." This transition is complex due to diverse authentication use cases across physical and virtual access points. Unified credential management platforms, such as Axiad Cloud, are proposed to streamline and secure this shift. Axiad Cloud integrates diverse credential types under a single management system, providing centralized oversight and robust security features. The platform supports multiple authentication methods and ensures adherence to passwordless initiatives. Credential management simplifies deployment, enforces the use of secure authenticators, and includes user-friendly self-service components and peer-to-peer support for credential issues. This holistic approach is posited as a way to seamlessly transition from passwords while maintaining strong security posture and supporting organizational goals tied to digital transformation and Zero Trust initiatives.

• Passwords are often reused across different accounts by employees, which is a security risk.
• A significant amount of password-related breaches occur due to interception and misuse of non-random passwords.
• A Unified Credential Management platform can enforce the use of approved authenticators organization-wide.
• Axiad Cloud includes modules for User Authentication, Enterprise PKI, and Passwordless/MFA.
• Axiad Cloud integrates with major identity providers like Azure Active Directory and Okta.
• Passwordless systems convey identity, secure authentication, and risk information.
• Multifactor authentication apps, biometric authentication, and PINs are centralized passwordless methods.
• Verifiable Credentials and decentralized PKI are decentralized passwordless methods.
• Axiad was founded in 2010 and is based in Santa Clara, CA, with offices in Canada and India.
• Axiad Cloud supports both modern methods like FIDO2 and traditional methods like hardware tokens.

• "Passwords themselves – and the customer, employee, and organizational information that they protect – are frequently a target for attackers."
• "Passwordless initiatives support zero trust initiatives because they enable authentication with higher confidence, helping to fulfill the goal of 'never trust, always verify'."
• "A shift to passwordless can increase security on several fronts."
• "Removing the critically weak passwords that are often mishandled by well-intending employees helps to reduce and avoid phishing attacks."
• "Credential management can enable the organization to manage the various passwordless solutions that meet each of their authentication use cases."
• "A unified credential management system provides a single pane of glass to view and manage the many credential types in use across the organization."
• "Passwordless systems can convey identity, secure authentication, and risk information to support a more secure IT management."
• "A centralized point for credential management addresses user needs for usability."
• "Organizations should consider adding credential management into the passwordless journey."
• "Enforcement of only approved authenticators improves the Zero Trust security posture, while still enabling self-service maintenance by employees."