Topic starter
08/06/2026 4:08 pm
TL;DR: Passwordless adoption still runs into issuance and lifecycle friction because users must juggle multiple credential types, platforms and workflows, according to Axiad. When enrolling or updating a credential is cumbersome, help desk volume rises and users work around policy, so the security gain of passwordless weakens at the point of issuance.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by Axiad: “Don’t let issuing credentials stand in your way to passwordless”.
By the numbers:
- By 2022, Gartner predicted that 60% of global companies would use passwordless solutions to authenticate users and devices, and 90% of mid-size businesses would.
Key questions
Q: What breaks when passwordless credential issuance is too hard for users?
A: When issuance is too hard, users stop following the approved path and start using workarounds, delayed enrollment or repeated help-desk requests.
Q: Why do passwordless programmes still need strong lifecycle governance?
A: Passwordless shifts risk from passwords to issuance, recovery, and revocation.
Q: How do IAM teams know whether passwordless adoption is actually working?
A: They should look for fewer lockouts, fewer reset requests, shorter time to access, and lower dependence on help desk intervention.
Practitioner guidance
- Standardise credential issuance flows Reduce the number of enrollment paths users must learn by consolidating device and factor onboarding into one governed workflow for the workforce.
- Design self-service recovery paths Make lost, replaced or updated credentials recoverable without a help-desk ticket wherever assurance requirements allow, so access restoration does not become an outage.
- Measure issuance friction as a control metric Track failed enrollments, assisted enrollments, credential replacement delays and recurring lockouts as signals that the authentication programme is too hard to operate.
Bottom line: Passwordless does not fail at the login screen so much as at the issuance and recovery journey that precedes it.
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This topic was modified 4 days ago by NHI Mgmt Group
08/06/2026 5:35 pm
Credential issuance is the real adoption gate for passwordless: Authentication strategy is only as strong as the user’s ability to obtain and replace the factor in a controlled way. When organisations treat issuance as a side function, they create friction that looks like a usability issue but behaves like an access-control failure. The practitioner conclusion is that passwordless programmes must be judged on issuance success, not just login strength.
A question worth separating out:
Q: How should IAM teams reduce friction without weakening MFA controls?
A: Start by removing unnecessary steps, clarifying enrollment and recovery, and making the secure path the easiest path for each user population. Good MFA design reduces effort without reducing assurance. Teams should also measure support tickets, bypass requests, and fallback usage because those signals show whether the control is usable enough to survive in production.
👉 Read our full editorial: Passwordless credential issuance still creates identity friction
This post was modified 4 days ago by NHI Mgmt Group