63 enforce as policy. That distinction reinforces a core principle: true privacy means minimising exposure – not just encrypting it – and hardware-bound credentials offer a clean break from the surveillance surface of software-based authentication.” Hardware passkeys also address practical challenges in hybrid work environments. “YubiKeys are ecosystem-agnostic, working seamlessly across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android and hundreds of apps, devices and services your end users access every day,” says Hanlon. “They’re built for hybrid work realities. Whether employees use personal devices, shared kiosks or remote workstations, credentials remain portable and secure. Plus, multi-protocol support – including Fast Identity Online 2 (FIDO2), Smart Card and one-time password – ensures teams can integrate hardware keys with both legacy and modern authentication systems. Additionally, with secure and seamless authentication to Entra ID, apps that are accessible through Security Assertion Markup Language or OpenID Connect access in Entra ID are, by extension, secured with YubiKey access.” From an IT perspective, managing hardware keys at scale is straightforward. “Unlike platform-stored credentials, YubiKeys offer lifecycle control from the ground up: provisioning, revocation, inventory and auditability are all IT-friendly,” says Hanlon. The alignment with Zero Trust architectures is another key consideration. “Zero Trust depends on explicit verification at every step,” says Hanlon. “YubiKeys contribute by enforcing strong identity proofing, device independence and context-aware authentication. By requiring user presence and cryptographic validation, hardware-bound passkeys support least privilege models, mitigate lateral movement and integrate seamlessly with cloud-native identity stacks like Microsoft Entra ID.” Yubico is making the path to passwordless with hardware-bound passkeys a manageable journey for any organisation. “Hardware-backed credentials will remain essential for anchoring trust, especially as organisations embrace mobility, cloud-first tools and federated identity,” says Hanlon. “Features like FIDO Pre-registration and enterprise-ready fulfilment workflows from Yubico mean organisations can equip users with phishing-resistant keys that are pre-registered, policy-aligned and ready for deployment on day one.” Across verticals of all kinds, hardware-bound passkeys provide a tangible and resilient anchor in an increasingly complex identity landscape. For organisations balancing security, privacy and operational flexibility, the simple act of adding a physical key to the login process can make the difference between compromise and peace of mind.
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