THOUSANDS of employees could wave goodbye to the frustration of logging in to Apps this year as Microsoft declares open war on passwords.
Instead, people could be using biometrics, such as their fingerprint, to access data on their computers. The tech giant has set out a bold ambition to kill passwords this year.
“This is something that 100% will affect businesses round here, if not this year then next,” said IT support and data security expert Tony Capewell, managing director of Milton Keynes-based company Your Cloud Works.
“When Microsoft decides it wants to change something, it is ultimately going to affect all businesses at some point. Microsoft hates passwords and would much rather you logged into Apps via your fingerprint.
“I believe this will actually be more convenient for most people as well as much more secure. Anyone who uses Face ID or Touch ID on their iPhone will know how easy it is to just access data without having to remember anything.”
Microsoft has released stats showing how passwords are the weak link in the security chain:
- 80% of cyber-crime attacks are aimed at passwords;
- Up to 50% of help desk calls are for password resets;
- More than 150 million people already use password-less sign-in on their Windows computer every month.
“Sometimes Microsoft insists on changes that people fight back against – such as the end of old favourite operating systems or software versions,” said Mr Capewell.
“I believe the end of passwords is liberating and something every business owner and manager round here should embrace.”
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