Passkeys in Workforce Authentication

1. Introduction: Workforce Passkeys#

While passkey adoption has gained significant traction in Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM), a significant opportunity remains for their application within the internal workforce. As organizations scale, the number of systems, applications, and tools employees require to do their jobs continues to increase. In this environment, ensuring that the right individuals have secure, seamless access to the right resources is a fundamental requirement for both security and operations.

In the consumer space, passkeys are often marketed as a convenience. Within the workforce, however, they serve a more strategic purpose: they bridge the gap between high-level security and employee productivity. By replacing legacy credentials with cryptographic keys, organizations can secure their expanding digital footprint without slowing down the people who power the business.

Discussions at with workforce identity experts revealed a key insight: the hardest parts of workforce passkey deployment aren't cryptographic—they're human. Communication and education are make-or-break. Most friction comes from user confidence, unclear terminology and inconsistent platform behaviors. Once enrollment is complete and systems are configured, passkeys generally run smoothly. The challenge is getting there.

In this article, we cover the following key questions regarding passkeys in the workforce:

1. Why are passwords no longer enough to protect a modern workforce?
2. How do passkeys actually work within existing enterprise systems like SSO?
3. What are the practical differences between using mobile passkeys and physical hardware keys?
4. What do early adopters say about real-world deployment challenges?
5. What practical strategies have proven effective for workforce rollouts?
6. What do early adopters say about real-world deployment challenges?
7. What practical strategies have proven effective for workforce rollouts?

2. The Evolution of Single Sign-On: From Passwords to Keys#

In a standard legacy setup, an employee enters their username and password at a central Identity Provider (IdP). The IdP verifies this identity, often supplemented by a secondary MFA factor like an SMS code, and issues a token (such as a SAML assertion or JWT). This token acts as a digital passport, proving to other apps that the user is authenticated. While this improves the user experience by reducing the number of passwords to remember, the "shared secret" (the password) remains a significant vulnerability.

SSO with passkeys replace vulnerable secrets with a public/private key pair stored locally on the user's device.

The workflow is streamlined into three phases:

1. One-time Registration: The employee creates a passkey at the IdP. A private key is stored locally on the device, and the public key is stored at the IdP.

2. Authentication via Challenge: When logging in, the app/browser sends a challenge (random string) to the device. The device signs the challenge with the private key.

3. Assertion: The IdP verifies the signature using the public key, if correct, the user is authenticated and the usual SSO token is issued.

The transition to passkeys is driven by clear operational and security advantages. When we look at the workforce, these benefits translate directly into ROI and risk reduction.

The data supports this transition. According to the Verizon 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report, 74% of all breaches involve a human element, primarily through social engineering or stolen credentials. Furthermore, research from the FIDO Alliance indicates that passkeys can reduce sign-in times by as much as 50%, allowing IT teams to stop "fighting fires" and focus on high-value projects.

3. Role of Device-Bound Passkeys#

In the realm of employee identity management, device-bound passkeys stand out as a premier deployment strategy. By anchoring a passkey to a specific, often corporate-owned device, organizations ensure that credentials cannot be duplicated or synchronized with unauthorized personal hardware.

This approach aligns with security frameworks established by CISA and ENISA, which advocate for hardware-level trust and a move away from portable credentials. The strategic advantages include:

• Verified Access: Ensure authentications only originate from authorized, pre-registered hardware.

• Shadow IT Prevention: Effectively block the use of unmanaged personal devices within the corporate network.

• Rapid De-provisioning: Maintain the ability to instantly disable access in the event of hardware loss or employee offboarding.

3.1 Synced vs Device-Bound: Defining Your Policy#

One of the most frequently asked questions for someone who is new to passkeys for employees is: "How should we treat synced vs. device-bound passkeys? What are the real security trade-offs vs. the UX benefits?"

The answer depends on your risk profile:

The key is to decide storage and risk policy upfront. Document where you allow platform vs. roaming credentials, when synced is acceptable and when device-bound is mandatory. Ambiguity here creates confusion for IT support and opens policy gaps.

4. Real-World Challenges in Workforce Passkey Deployments#

Discussions with early adopters revealed consistent patterns in what teams struggle with when deploying passkeys to the workforce. Understanding these challenges upfront can prevent costly missteps.

4.1 Security & Risk Modeling Gaps#

Many organizations underestimate the complexity of defining a clear security stance for passkeys:

• Synced passkey risk perception: Security teams often lack clear guidance on when synchronized passkeys (e.g. via iCloud Keychain / Google Password Manager) are acceptable vs. when device-bound credentials are mandatory. Without a documented policy, decisions become ad-hoc.
• Attestation and metadata gaps: iOS passkey implementations and some third-party authenticator apps provide limited attestation data, complicating device trust decisions. Organizations need to document their attestation stance and how they'll handle gaps on Apple, Windows and Android.
• Edge-case modeling: Scenarios like Windows Hello on shared workstations, Mac users with external displays or Linux developers with hardware keys often remain unresolved until they cause production issues.

4.2 Enrollment as the primary Barrier#

Early adopters consistently reported that enrollment is the hardest part of workforce passkey deployment. The technology itself works well once configured. The challenge is getting credentials onto devices reliably.

Key friction points include:

• Lack of standardized enterprise deployment processes: Many teams had to build internal toolkits because vendor documentation assumes consumer-style self-enrollment.
• Special cases: Contractors, shared/kiosk devices, SSH access, remote workstations and recovery flows each require distinct enrollment paths that aren't always well-documented.
• Admin-driven provisioning trade-offs: Enterprise credential enrollment often bypasses the browser/WebAuthn flow entirely (e.g. pre-provisioning via MDM), which brings its own UX and policy trade-offs.
• Significant internal work for iframes: Organizations with authentication flows embedded in iframes faced substantial development effort to update services.

4.3 UX Fragmentation across Platforms#

Platform and browser inconsistencies create avoidable complexity:

• Different browser/OS behaviors: Chrome, Safari and Edge handle passkey prompts differently. Windows Hello can confuse users who expect a security key flow.
• Too many storage options: Platform authenticators, roaming authenticators, mobile cross-device flows make users to be forced to "choose a tech path" without understanding the implications.
• WebViews are painful: Native app wrappers with embedded WebViews frequently break passkey flows. Early adopters recommend preferring system browser flows (e.g. ASWebAuthenticationSession on iOS, Custom Tabs on Android) or documenting specific workarounds.
• UI/platform limitations: Edge cases like Android + NFC security keys created friction that required workarounds or explicit user guidance.

4.4 Education Gap#

Perhaps the most underestimated challenge is user comprehension:

• No mental model: Many users, including executives, lack a simple understanding of "what a passkey is." This leads to confusion during enrollment and resistance to the new login flow.
• Terminology matters: Clearer language helps. Early adopters found success with simple framings like: "A password is a secret you remember. A passkey is a private key your device keeps and unlocks with biometrics."
• Unmanaged authenticator populations: Poor communication with users who have personal or unmanaged devices leads to lockouts and negative sentiment that poisons the rollout.

5. Lifecycle Management: Passkeys at Enterprise Scale#

Passkeys are most effective when managed as a dynamic identity asset rather than a one-time enrollment. In a workforce setting, the operational details like recovery, de-provisioning, and policy enforcement, are what determine the long-term success of the rollout.

5.1 Orchestrated Onboarding#

To avoid "self-enrollment chaos," enrollment must be policy-driven and treated as a change-management program, not just a technical rollout. A standard enterprise flow involves:

• Identity Proofing: Use HR-verified credentials to establish trust before any credential is issued.

• Device Trust Check: Ensure the hardware is managed and compliant before allowing passkey registration.

• Policy Assignment: Define conditional access rules that specify which resources the passkey can access based on metadata and risk levels.

Early adopters recommend choosing between pre-enrollment (IT provisions credentials before day one) or just-in-time enrollment (guided flow on first login) based on persona. Plan contractors and shared devices separately. They require distinct enrollment paths.

Offer a "happy path" default. Don't make users choose between platform authenticator, roaming key or mobile cross-device flow. Present a recommended option and hide complexity behind an "advanced" toggle. Provide a supported fallback for edge cases, but don't make it the primary path.

5.2 Maintaining Access Reliability#

Operational failure often happens when employees lose devices or face biometric lockouts. A best-practice recovery strategy uses two layers:

• Primary: Registering a second authenticator (e.g., a backup hardware security key).

• Administrative: A helpdesk-assisted flow with strict verification, such as manager approval. Critically, avoid falling back to insecure methods like SMS, which reintroduce the vulnerabilities passkeys were meant to solve.

When a device is lost, the response should be immediate and automated. This involves using MDM to wipe the device, revoking associated passkeys at the IdP, and invalidating all active sessions. With device-bound passkeys, a lost phone becomes a routine IT process rather than a security crisis.

Have a clear recovery policy that covers: second factor of assurance, re-binding procedures, device replacement flows and an escalation runbook for edge cases.

5.3 Continuous Compliance and Role Management#

Workforce access is dynamic, and passkeys should be integrated into your governance system:

• Role Transitions: Higher-risk roles should trigger "step-up" authentication or mandatory hardware-key requirements.

• Offboarding: De-provisioning must be instant. Disabling the identity at the IdP should simultaneously revoke all passkeys, invalidate tokens, and remove device trust to prevent "access leakage."

6. Passkeys in Workforce IAM: Key Vendors and their Approaches#

Passkeys in the workforce are rarely deployed as a standalone "feature." In practice, they're delivered through Workforce IAM platforms (Identity Providers and access layers) that control enrollment, authentication policies and access to apps via Passkeys in the workforce are rarely deployed as a standalone "feature." In practice, they're delivered through Workforce IAM platforms (Identity Providers and access layers) that control enrollment, authentication policies and access to apps via SSO. While most modern vendors build on the same underlying standards (FIDO2/WebAuthn), they differ in how they operationalize passkeys: device strategy (device-bound vs synced), policy controls, recovery patterns, and how well they fit hybrid (on-prem + cloud) realities.

A common question is: "Will common workforce solutions (e.g. Okta FastPass) be fully FIDO-compliant for every scenario?" The answer is nuanced. Most vendors are FIDO-compliant for core flows, but edge cases (e.g. cross-device, legacy app bridging, specific attestation requirements) may require additional configuration or workarounds.

6.1 Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)#

Microsoft is the most pervasive workforce identity player and has heavily leaned into Entra ID to push passkey adoption.

• Implementation: Microsoft supports both device-bound passkeys (tied to a specific device or security key) and synced passkeys.

• Differentiator: Deep integration with Windows Hello for Business and the Microsoft Authenticator app enables employees to use biometrics and even their phone as a FIDO2-capable authenticator for workstation and cloud access.

• Key feature: "Authentication Strengths" policies allow admins to require phishing-resistant methods (including passkeys) for specific apps, groups, or higher-risk scenarios.

• Watch out: Windows Hello confusion is common. Users sometimes expect a security key flow but get a PIN prompt. Clear documentation and user training help.

See also our dedicated article on challenges and solutions for Entra passkeys.

6.2 Okta (Workforce Identity Cloud)#

Okta is the leading independent identity provider and has positioned passkeys as a cornerstone of its passwordless strategy (e.g., FastPass).

• Implementation: Okta supports passkeys across its Workforce Identity Cloud, including biometric passkeys (Touch ID/Face ID) and hardware keys (e.g., YubiKeys).

• Differentiator: Okta's Identity Engine supports "progressive" rollout patterns, users can start with existing factors and be guided to upgrade to passkeys over time, reducing change friction.

• Key Feature: Okta emphasizes ecosystem neutrality, aiming for consistent passkey experiences across Apple, Google, and Microsoft environments.

6.3 Ping Identity (including ForgeRock)#

Following the merger, Ping and ForgeRock form a strong option for large enterprises with complex, hybrid environments.

• Implementation: PingOne and ForgeRock Identity Cloud offer robust WebAuthn support (the foundation for passkeys).

• Differentiator: Strong identity orchestration capabilities, especially through Ping's DaVinci, make it easier to design and evolve Ping's DaVinci, make it easier to design and evolve passkey enrollment and login flows via visual, policy-driven workflows.

• Key Feature: Best suited for large-scale enterprises migrating legacy systems toward passwordless without breaking existing infrastructure.

7. Practical Playbook: What Actually Works#

Based on discussions with early adopters, these are the practical strategies that have proven effective for workforce passkey deployments.

7.1 Decide Policy before Technology#

Before writing a single line of configuration, document your credential policy:

• Storage policy: Where do you allow platform authenticators (e.g. Windows Hello, Touch ID) vs. roaming credentials (e.g. YubiKeys)?
• Sync policy: When are synced passkeys (e.g. via iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager) acceptable and when is device-bound mandatory?
• Risk tiers: Map roles to authentication requirements. Standard employees might use synced passkeys, while admins require hardware security keys.

This prevents ad-hoc decisions that create security gaps and support confusion.

7.2 Build and publish a Compatibility Matrix#

One of the most requested resources is "an official 'what works where' compatibility table you can trust and keep current." A good starting point can be found at this passkey info page. We recommend to take this as basis and extend it by:

• Documenting supported OS/browser/authenticator combinations for your specific IdP and apps
• Including app wrappers and WebViews that require special handling
• Publishing this to IT support and update it as platforms evolve
• Testing edge cases: Linux users, Android + NFC security keys, Mac external displays

This matrix becomes your primary troubleshooting reference and reduces ticket resolution time.

7.3 Instrument everything#

You can't improve what you don't measure. Implement passkey and authentication telemetry for:

• Enrollment funnel: Start → device check → biometric prompt → completion. Where do users drop off?
• Login success rates: Allow to segment by device type, OS version, browser and authenticator type
• Fallback usage: How often are users falling back to passwords or SMS? This reveals passkey friction points.
• Error codes and flows: Which specific errors occur and on which device/OS/browser combinations?

This data informs where to focus UX improvements and support documentation.

7.4 Ship Micro-Copy and Training#

User education doesn't require elaborate training programs. Early adopters found success with:

• One-liner definition: "A passkey is a private key your device keeps and unlocks with biometrics—no password to remember or type."
• 30-second video: A quick screen recording showing the enrollment flow on the most common device type
• Exec briefings: Prevent VIP lockouts by briefing leadership before rollout. They're often the loudest complainers and set the tone for adoption
• Support runbook: Document common issues and resolutions for the helpdesk

7.5 Avoid WebView Traps#

A recurring pain point: "Why do passkeys break in WebViews and what's the recommended workaround?"

Native app wrappers with embedded web views frequently break passkey flows due to security restrictions. Please see our guide on WebView passkeys for details

8. Workforce Passkey Readiness Checklist#

Use this checklist to identify technical gaps, operational requirements and governance policies necessary for a successful workforce passkey deployment.

8.1 Strategy & Scope Definition#

• Which use cases are in scope? Have you identified whether passkeys will be used for standard cloud SSO, VPN/VDI access, privileged admin consoles, or shared workstations?
• What is the required assurance level? Where is "passwordless" convenience sufficient, and where does the security policy require strict, phishing-resistant MFA?
• How do passkeys align with your compliance? Does the choice between synced and device-bound passkeys satisfy industry-specific standards like NIST 800-63B, SOC2, or NIS2?

8.2 Infrastructure & IdP Integration#

• Is the IdP fully compatible? Does your Identity Provider (Entra ID, Okta, Ping, etc.) support WebAuthn end-to-end for all required user flows?
• Can insecure fallbacks be eliminated? Are you able to enforce passkeys without leaving "backdoors" like SMS or weak passwords available for attackers?
• Are policies granular enough? Can you create Conditional Access rules that specifically require a FIDO2 credential for high-risk applications or groups?
• What's the realistic UX roadmap? Have you mapped when Google, Apple and Microsoft are expected to unify passkey behaviors, or are you planning around current fragmentation?
• What's the realistic UX roadmap? Have you mapped when Google, Apple and Microsoft are expected to unify passkey behaviors, or are you planning around current fragmentation?

8.3 Device & Authenticator Governance#

• Will "synced" credentials be permitted? Will you allow employees to use synced passkeys (iCloud/Google) for general access, or must all credentials be device-bound to managed hardware?
• Where will the keys live? Will you utilize the OS-level platform (Windows Hello/FaceID) or a managed enterprise password vault?
• Are MDM policies prepared? Does the mobile device management (Intune/Jamf) allow the necessary permissions for browsers and security keys to function correctly?
• Is your attestation stance documented? How will you handle attestation gaps on Apple, Windows, and Android?
• Is your attestation stance documented? How will you handle attestation gaps on Apple, Windows, and Android?

8.4 Enrollment & Identity Proofing#

• How is the "First Day" trust problem solved? How will the organization verify an employee's identity and issue their first passkey without ever relying on a password? employee's identity and issue their first passkey without ever relying on a password?
• Is the enrollment flow orchestrated? Is there a guided "wizard" to help users register their biometrics, or is the process dependent on self-service documentation?
• Can the enrollment device be verified? Are you able to restrict passkey registration so it only occurs on trusted, compliant, and managed hardware?
• Are special cases planned? Do you have distinct enrollment paths for contractors, shared/kiosk devices, SSH access, and remote workstations?
• Are special cases planned? Do you have distinct enrollment paths for contractors, shared/kiosk devices, SSH access, and remote workstations?

8.5 Lifecycle & Recovery#

• What is the "Device Lost" protocol? Is there a secure recovery path—such as a secondary hardware key or a high-assurance helpdesk flow—that avoids falling back to insecure SMS?
• Is offboarding instant and automated? Does disabling a user in the IdP immediately revoke all associated passkeys and terminate all active sessions across the ecosystem?
• Are events being logged for security signals? Are all enrollment and authentication events being fed into a SIEM for real-time threat detection?
• Is identity re-binding documented? What's the process when a user needs to bind a new passkey after device replacement?
• Is identity re-binding documented? What's the process when a user needs to bind a new passkey after device replacement?

8.6 User Experience & Change Management#

• Have user personas been mapped? Has the authentication journey been tested for different roles, such as developers on Linux versus field staff on mobile devices?
• What is the bridge for legacy apps? How will the organization handle legacy on-prem systems or SSH/RDP flows that do not natively support WebAuthn?
• Is there a plan to communicate the "Why"? Is there a clear internal campaign to explain the security benefits of passkeys and reduce resistance to the new login flow?
• How will you make passkeys accessible to users without a mental model? What training materials, micro-copy, and support resources are ready before rollout?
• How will you make passkeys accessible to users without a mental model? What training materials, micro-copy, and support resources are ready before rollout?

9. Hardware Security Keys: Specialized Authentication for the Enterprise#

Hardware security keys are physical devices (USB, NFC, or Bluetooth) that perform cryptographic authentication. They rely on public/private key pairs, similar to passkeys, but the private key resides on the hardware security key rather than on a smartphone or laptop. Common examples include the YubiKey, Feitian, HyperFIDO, and the Google Titan Key. These devices support industry protocols like FIDO2/WebAuthn and U2F.

How They're Used in the Workforce:

• MFA and SSO Integration: Hardware security keys can act as a second factor or replace passwords entirely when logging in via an IdP (e.g., Okta, Azure AD, Ping Identity).
• Shared Environments: In hospitals or call centers where devices are shared, employees can plug in their individual key to ensure secure, personal authentication.
• Compliance: They help meet rigorous standards like NIST SP 800-63B.

9.1 Challenges and Considerations#

While powerful, hardware security keys come with specific management overhead:

• Costs: Each key represents a physical investment that adds up in large organizations.

• Lost Keys: Organizations must develop backup and recovery flows for misplaced hardware.

• User Training: Some employees require guidance on physical interactions like tapping NFC or plugging in USB devices.

• Managed Environment Conflicts: Enterprise MDM policies often restrict personal cloud syncing (like iCloud Keychain). This means passkeys may not move between devices as easily as they do for consumers, requiring IT-led provisioning to bridge the gap.

• Platform-Specific Issues: Early adopters noted friction with Android + NFC keys in particular—test your specific hardware/OS combinations before broad rollout.

9.2 Comparison: Hardware Security Keys vs. Passkeys#

10. How Corbado Can Help#

Corbado helps organizations introduce passkeys into workforce environments in a controlled, enterprise-friendly way. We cover enrollment, recovery, and lifecycle management so rollouts stay secure and reliable at scale.

Whether you're prioritizing device-bound passkeys on managed endpoints or navigating the synced vs device-bound decision for different user populations, Corbado supports a consistent implementation that reduces password-related support overhead while strengthening phishing-resistant access across the workforce.

11. Conclusion#

Workforce authentication is no longer just an SSO UX detail. It's a security and productivity decision. SSO reduced password sprawl, but it still relies on shared secrets that can be phished, stolen, or reused.

Passkeys replace passwords with device-based public-key cryptography, delivering phishing-resistant MFA that fits into existing IdP/SSO flows while reducing reset tickets and speeding up logins. For most organizations, device-bound passkeys are the best default because they enforce managed-device access, reduce Shadow IT, and enable fast offboarding. Hardware security keys remain ideal for shared-device environments and strict compliance cases.

The biggest lesson from early adopters: Once configured, passkeys work smoothly. Enrollment is the primary barrier. Success depends on treating the rollout as a change-management program—not just a technical deployment—with clear policies, user education, and instrumented feedback loops.

In this article we covered: The biggest lesson from early adopters: Once configured, passkeys work smoothly. Enrollment is the primary barrier. Success depends on treating the rollout as a change-management program—not just a technical deployment—with clear policies, user education, and instrumented feedback loops.

In this article we covered:

• Why passwords no longer protect a modern workforce: As organizations scale and "tool sprawl" increases, traditional passwords have become a critical vulnerability, accounting for 74% of human-centric breaches and creating a significant productivity drain through constant resets.
• How passkeys work within existing enterprise systems like SSO: Passkeys replace vulnerable shared secrets with a public/private key-based workflow, where the user's device signs a cryptographic challenge from the Identity Provider (IdP) to grant access to all connected apps without ever transmitting a password.
• Practical differences between mobile passkeys and hardware security keys: Mobile-bound passkeys offer a cost-effective and seamless experience utilizing an employee's existing device, while physical security keys provide a more robust solution for high-security or shared-workstation environments despite higher procurement and management overhead.
• Real-world deployment challenges from Authenticate 2025: Security/risk modeling gaps, enrollment friction, UX fragmentation across platforms, and the critical need for user education are the primary obstacles teams face.
• Practical strategies that work: Decide policy before technology, build a compatibility matrix, instrument everything, ship micro-copy and training, and avoid web view traps.