BIO-key Survey Shows Many Organizations Still Relying On Passwords – Even When They Know Better

BIO-key has released a pair of surveys that capture the gap between cybersecurity awareness and cybersecurity posture in the modern corporate environment. The surveys were carried out in collaboration with Osterman Research, and reflect the opinions of employees and IT decision makers at mid-to-large-sized enterprises.

The first survey looked at Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and passwordless security. It revealed that while most IT professionals are aware of security best-practices, the organizations they work for have not yet integrated them into their own workflows. In that regard, the vast majority (85 percent) of organizations are still using passwords for employee access control, even though a mere 26 percent of the respondents view passwords as a secure authentication method.

Thankfully, there is some evidence to suggest that that will change in the near future. Most organizations (63 percent) are planning to spend more money on MFA in the next five years, while 40 percent want to introduce passwordless authentication for employees. However, only 23 percent have any plans to do the same for customers.

Some of those investment dollars will likely be earmarked for biometric solutions. Sixty percent of the respondents view biometrics as one of the more secure forms of MFA, though uptake currently remains low for both employees (27 percent) and customers (13 percent) alike.

In the meantime, BIO-key’s second survey looked at Zero Trust security. It found that Zero Trust is a top priority for most (73 percent) IT professionals, many of whom are searching for better ways to protect confidential documents. Just over half (51 percent) of the respondents cited ransomware attacks and the rise of the hybrid workforce as primary motivations for their interest in Zero Trust technology. Fifty-three percent took that a step further and referenced the high-profile attacks against companies like Colonial Pipeline and SolarWinds.

Other motivating concerns include credential theft (45 percent) and digital transformation in the wake of COVID-19 (38 percent). BIO-key itself is perhaps best-known for its PortalGuard solution, which provides organizations with comprehensive Single Sign-on and MFA capabilities.

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December 13, 2021 – by Eric Weiss