Tokenless two-factor authentication solutions can be much more secureand actually cheaper than traditional passwords 
(23/07/2009)
There is a common myth that passwords are both free and secure. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth as the cost of managing password resets, for example when a user has forgotten their password or been away on holiday, can often be extortionate.
Research from META Group and Gartner suggests that for an average organisation there are about 6.3 password-related helpdesk calls per user, per year and Forrester estimates that each call can cost businesses between $25-75 USD. So, based on the lower cost estimate for a typical 1000 user company, they can be spending between $157,500 and $472,500 on maintaining their “free” password system every year! And this is just the part that can be calculated - there are also other significant costs added to this, not least the loss of productivity when staff can’t access their computers.
GrIDsure has spoken to enough IT managers and users across the UK to know that they are fed up with so-called ‘strong passwords’ that require a mixture of numbers and capitals. These passwords usually have to be changed every 60 days and can become impossible to remember, so staff often end up writing them on a Post-it note and sticking it on their monitor or under their keyboard – and how secure is that?
So at a time when cutting costs has never been so important for the IT and security manager, it’s vital they don’t continue to delude themselves by thinking passwords are a low cost and secure option for authenticating individuals on to PCs, smartphones and web-based portals. They must realise that there are much more secure, cheaper and manageable systems available.
Companies are now offering tokenless two-factor authentication alternatives to passwords and PINs, and while there will never be a 100 per cent secure system, solutions such as these can be much more secure, easier to use and actually cheaper than traditional passwords - once the true costs have been considered.
Related topics: Authentication and identity management ID card Smart card
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