The Benefits of FIDO2 and Passkeys for the Workforce
Deploying FIDO2 and passkeys for the workforce delivers benefits on three axes at once, which is rare in security. Security: origin-bound credentials are phishing-resistant, removing the phished-credential and MFA-relay attacks that cause most account takeovers, and there are no shared secrets to breach. Productivity: passkey sign-in is faster than typing a password plus an OTP, with fewer failed logins and no code-copying. Cost: fewer password resets and account-takeover incidents cut help-desk and IR load, and phishing-resistant MFA can lower cyber-insurance friction. This post lays out the workforce benefits and what it takes to realise them — chiefly removing weaker fallbacks and registering more than one authenticator per user.
Most security controls trade user experience for protection. FIDO2 and passkeys are the unusual case that improves both — which is why rolling them out to the workforce is one of the highest-return identity projects available. The benefits land on three axes at once.
Security
Passkeys and FIDO2 keys are origin-bound, so they are phishing-resistant: a credential cannot be released on a lookalike domain or relayed by an adversary-in-the-middle kit. There is no shared secret sitting in a database to breach. Together that removes the phished-credential and MFA-relay attacks behind most account takeovers.
Productivity
Signing in with a fingerprint, face or device PIN is faster than typing a password plus a one-time code — and there is nothing to forget, no code to copy, and far fewer failed logins. Login time and reset cycles both drop, which is why adoption is usually high once employees try it.
Cost
Password resets are a large share of help-desk tickets, and account-takeover incidents are expensive to investigate. Phishing-resistant, secret-free sign-in reduces both, cutting support and IR load. Phishing-resistant MFA can also ease cyber-insurance requirements.
Realising the benefits
Two steps decide whether you actually get the upside. Register at least two authenticators per user (a platform passkey plus a roaming key) to remove lockout risk, and remove weaker fallbacks (SMS/OTP) on hardened accounts — the security benefit only holds if attackers cannot fall back to the phishable path.
See the full options view in the FIDO2 & passkeys assessment →, compliance angles in FIDO2 for NIS2, and quantify identity exposure with the Identity Risk tool.
Frequently asked questions
Main benefits? Stronger security (phishing-resistant, no shared secret), better productivity (faster sign-in, fewer resets), lower cost (less help-desk/IR load).
Easier for employees? Generally yes — biometric/PIN sign-in beats password-plus-OTP and cuts failed logins.
Reduce support cost? Yes — fewer password resets and takeovers; can ease insurance friction.
What's required? Two authenticators per user and removing phishable fallbacks on hardened accounts.
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