# The Benefits of FIDO2 and Passkeys for the Workforce

> FIDO2 and passkeys give the workforce phishing-resistant sign-in that is also faster and easier than passwords. The security, productivity and cost benefits, and how to realise them.

Source: https://playciso.com/blog/fido2-passkeys-for-workforce-benefits · Published: 2026-09-26 · Publisher: PlayCISO (https://playciso.com)

---

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 →](/blog/fido2-passkeys-benefits-options-assessment), compliance angles in [FIDO2 for NIS2](/blog/fido2-nis2-compliance), and quantify identity exposure with the [Identity Risk tool](/tools/identity-risk). ## 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.