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08/06/2026 4:01 pm
TL;DR: One enterprise used cloud-based MFA, PKI smart cards, YubiKeys, self-service authenticators, and device lifecycle management to reduce help desk friction while improving compliance and authentication hygiene, according to Axiad. The real lesson is that passwordless programmes fail when identity proofing, authenticator issuance, and lifecycle control are treated as separate projects instead of one governed system.
NHIMG editorial — based on content published by Axiad: Achieving Cohesive Identity Security for an Entire Organization
By the numbers:
- 92% of organisations expose NHIs to third parties, raising concerns about supply chain security.
- Only 20% have formal processes for offboarding and revoking API keys, and even fewer have procedures for rotating them.
- 30.9% of organisations store long-term credentials directly in code.
Questions worth separating out
Q: How should teams govern passwordless authentication in enterprise environments?
A: Teams should govern passwordless authentication as a lifecycle programme, not a login feature.
Q: Why do hardware authenticators and smart cards still need lifecycle controls?
A: Hardware authenticators still need lifecycle controls because the device can outlive the user, role, or business need that justified it.
Q: What breaks when recovery workflows are too easy in passwordless programmes?
A: When recovery is too easy, it becomes the weakest route into the system.
Practitioner guidance
- Map passwordless enrolment to joiner-mover-leaver workflows Require every authenticator issuance, replacement, and revocation event to align with employee status, device status, and access policy.
- Treat recovery as a privileged access path Apply stronger proofing to lockout recovery, lost-device replacement, and trusted-colleague verification than you use for standard login.
- Bind certificate and key revocation to offboarding Automate revocation when a user leaves, changes role, or loses a managed authenticator.
What's in the full article
Axiad's full blog post covers the operational detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:
- PeerSpot review context from a retailer security architect on why the platform was selected for rollout
- Specific rollout examples for MFA, PKI smart cards, and YubiKey authentication across workstation, VPN, and cloud access
- Hands-on detail on self-issue, Airlock setup, and trusted-colleague recovery workflows
- Integration notes for PingFederate and Venafi that matter when you are mapping identity controls into an existing stack
👉 Read Axiad's customer story on passwordless authentication and PKI lifecycle management →
Passwordless authentication and PKI lifecycle management: what teams need?
Explore further
08/06/2026 5:23 pm
Passwordless programmes fail when organisations separate authentication from lifecycle governance. The article shows that a working rollout is not just about better login factors, but about issuance, renewal, replacement, and support workflows that keep the credential trustworthy over time. That is the real governance boundary for human identity programmes, and practitioners should treat it as one control plane rather than disconnected tasks.
A few things that frame the scale:
- 92% of organisations expose NHIs to third parties, raising concerns about supply chain security, according to Ultimate Guide to NHIs.
- Only 20% have formal processes for offboarding and revoking API keys, and even fewer have procedures for rotating them.
A question worth separating out:
Q: How do security teams know whether passwordless is actually reducing risk?
A: They know it is working when credential phishing, help desk resets, and stale authenticator exposure all decline while auditability improves. The key signal is not just adoption volume, but whether enrolment, replacement, and revocation events are tracked cleanly enough to support compliance and incident response without manual reconstruction.
👉 Read our full editorial: Passwordless authentication and lifecycle control for enterprise identities
