Identity management software provider Okta Inc. said today it’s doing away with passwords with a new feature that will be rolled into its cloud platform.

Okta FastPass uses the built-in security of connected devices to eliminate the need for users to enter passwords. It’s based on Okta Verify, a lightweight application that was previously used primarily for multifactor authentication, combined with services provided by Okta Devices, Directories and Identity Engine.

Upon registering an Okta account via the Verify app, a persistent session is established that eliminates the need to enter a password when accessing an Okta-managed application in a browser or a desktop or mobile application.

“We integrated across every single platform: Windows, Mac OS, Android and IoS,” said Joe Diamond, vice president of product marketing at Okta. “Once you go through the authentication process on Windows 10, for example, you’re automatically authenticated into Okta as well. That eliminates the need for passwords for every single application.”

Passwords have long been the bane of a security administrator’s existence. Despite years of warnings about vulnerabilities caused by easily guessed passwords, surveys repeatedly show that many people use sequential numbers, names of pets and birth dates to guard critical information. Although enterprises are stepping up their use of multifactor authentication, which uses a second means of validation to complement a password, security administrators wrestle with the risk that too much complexity can lead to flooded help desks.

“People tend to work around whatever restrictions are in place,” Diamond said. “Whenever you introduce friction you create reasons for people to work around it.”

Okta’s approach installs an agent on each client device that works with the device’s native biometric security protections. In addition to enabling single sign-on, the agents provide administrators with information about the device, such as the operating system version, other installed agents and applications. Administrators can create fine-grained policies that combine Okta Device Trust, Endpoint Security Integrations and other adaptive policies.

The company is also partnering with endpoint security software providers Crowdstrike Inc. and Tanium Inc. as well as virtualization giant VMware Inc. on product integrations. More are planned in the future, Diamond said. “We built in a standardized way so it’s easy to integrate with other players as well,” he said.

Okta FastPass will soon be available on an early access basis will become part of the company’s core identity and access management platform.

Photo: Okta