MobileIron report shows 84 percent of organizations plan new authentication methods

Within the next two years, 84 percent of organizations are planning to adopt new authentication solutions, and low-friction access technologies like biometrics present a particular opportunity to do so effectively, according to a new report from MobileIron.

The report “Passwordless Authentication: Bridging the Gap Between High-Security and Low-Friction Identity Management” was authored for MobileIron by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), and shows a direct correlation between the number of times a user authenticates, and the number of user access problems that typically need to be addressed. Organizations are already onside with change, with half saying passwordless approaches are more secure than passwords. Solutions for authenticating with mobile devices are considered the easiest identity management technologies to deploy, while one-time passwords (OTP) are considered the most challenging.

Enabling mobile device authentication with biometrics-based access gives enterprises the “best of both worlds,” with ease of use and security meeting IT department requirements for improved user productivity.

“If platforms are adopted that utilize low-friction access technologies (such as biometrics), organizations will be able to implement a solution that leverages existing resources without incurring substantial deployment efforts or related costs,” the report notes. “Once authenticated, the mobile device (most likely a smartphone) becomes the primary user identifier for the vast majority of access transactions. Should a reauthentication be required—for instance, as part of a step-up multifactor authentication processes—biometric authentication technologies will require little, if any, effort on the part of the users. Additionally, the management of access policies governing mobile device authentication solutions will be centrally controlled by the organizations. Thus, businesses maintain control over access processes without burdening users with high-friction authentication requirements.”

In a blog post on the findings, MobileIron notes that IDG has found that 6 in 10 employees find passwords frustrating and say they waste time, and also that 89 percent of security leaders believe mobile devices will be used in the near future as digital ID to access enterprise services and data.

MobileIron was identified as a leader in the market for mobile security in a report last year from Zion Market Research forecasting 33 percent growth to $46.74 billion by 2023.

Article Topics

access management  |  authentication  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  enterprise  |  mobile device