• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
Compliance, IT Infrastructure, Network Security, News

Password Managers Still Have A Place Despite Passwordless Push

With more and more passwords to manage and a business world slow to adapt, password managers can help move towards a passwordless life.

May 5, 2022 Zachary Comeau Leave a Comment

Password Manager, login stress, passwordless authentication
Patdanai/Shutterstock.com

Technology has helped organizations adapt to rapidly changing economic and political situations over the last few years, including when the COVID-19 pandemic forced offices to close. While IT professionals are thankful for new and emerging technologies that help their businesses meet those challenges head on, they come with another set of issues: more passwords to manage.

While companies like Microsoft and Google are using World Password Day to encourage organizations to move toward more passwordless solutions and different forms of authentication, passwords are still very much a part of the IT infrastructure at most organizations.

According to a recent IDC study commissioned by password manager LastPass, 83% of security breaches leveraged an identity-related compromise, such as phishing, suggesting a clear need for better identity and access management solutions.

The study found that balancing security requirements and user experience for employees is the top identity challenge for IT professionals, followed closely by employees struggling with too many passwords at 32%.

“This really speaks to the prevalence and just how pervasive password problems really are in organization,” says Katie Petrillo, director of product marketing at LastPass, in an interview with TechDecisions.

According to Petrillo, the study indicates that these password and identity challenges are not new at all, but have been heightened due to the pandemic and rise of cyberattacks targeting user credentials.

While acknowledging that passwords are “one of the oldest aspects of the internet and super outdated,” the fact is that they remain the center of attention when it comes to account security.

“They seem mundane and antiquated, but we’re having so much conversation around them still, and needing to solve for them,” Petrillo says.

IT giants such as Google, Microsoft, Apple and others have been pushing passwordless solutions, and Petrillo acknowledges that day may indeed come some point down the road, but not overnight due to the sheer number of passwords and the massive overhaul of IT architecture that would be involved in such a drastic shift, Petrillo says.

Another study, this one from password manager provider Bitwarden, finds that 85% of Americans reuse passwords across multiple sites, and about half rely on their memory alone to manage passwords.

Even more alarming is the study’s finding that just 32% of Americans are required to use a password at work.

According to Gary Orenstein, chief customer officer at Bitwarden, the proliferation of the cloud, software-as-a-service (SaaS) and single sign-on (SSO) are all key reasons. However, passwords have still not gone away, and they won’t for a while.

“But sort of in the midst of all that, there was a little bit of forgetting that we have to start from square one, which is how do we help people with generating a strong and unique password? There’s still a wide range of things beyond the world of SSO—everything from the office Wi-Fi password to some service that may not be SSO enabled,” Orenstein says.

While tech giants are paving the way for more passwordless experiences, Orenstein says password managers can still play a part.

“I live a virtually passwordless life today with how I use Bitwarden,” Orenstein says. “I log in with biometrics if I need to go to a new website and log in Bitwarden and have it generate a strong and unique password for me. I’m auto-filling my passwords, not typing them in anywhere because Bitwarden does all the auto-filling.”

Orenstein points to emerging standards such as FIDO2, which Bitwarden actually supports as a passwordless authentication capability.

Other methods such as security keys and biometrics can be integrated with existing identity solutions from SSO providers to become part of the solution that gets organizations to a passwordless environment, he says.

“I think there is a merging,” Orenstein says.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Tagged With: Bitwarden, LastPass, Password, Password manager

Related Content:

  • Cloud, SASE, Aryaka How the Cloud is Redefining Media Production and…
  • Singlewire Software mass notification interview Singlewire Software on Mass Notification Solutions
  • URI catchbox 1 Catchbox Plus: The Mic Solution That Finally Gave…
  • Engaging virtual meeting with diverse participants discussing creative ideas in a bright office space during daylight hours Diversified Survey: Workplace AV Tech is Falling Short,…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Practical Design Guide for Office SpacesPractical Design Guide for Office Spaces

    Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-face time with co-workers. When designing the office spaces — and meeting spaces in particular — enabling that connection between co-workers is crucial. But introducing the right collaboration technology in meeting spaces can […]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.