What Are Passkeys and Should Your Business Use Them?

Passwords have been a weak point in security for years. They’re often reused, guessed, or stolen through phishing attacks.

Passkeys are a newer approach designed to replace passwords entirely with something more secure and easier to use.

What is a passkey?

A passkey is a secure login method that uses your device instead of a password.

Instead of typing a password, you sign in using:

• fingerprint

• face recognition

• device PIN

Behind the scenes, passkeys use strong encryption (public/private key pairs), meaning your login credentials are never shared with the website.

Why are passkeys more secure?

Passkeys solve several common problems with passwords:

✔ No passwords to steal

There’s nothing to reuse or leak in a data breach.

✔ Phishing-resistant

Passkeys only work with the correct website, so fake login pages won’t work.

✔ No password reuse

Each passkey is unique to the service you’re logging into.

Where are passkeys supported?

Passkeys are already supported by major platforms, including:

• Microsoft accounts

• Google accounts

• Apple ID

• Many modern websites and services

Support is growing quickly and will likely become standard over time.

Are passkeys ready for business use?

Passkeys are a strong security improvement, but they’re not a complete replacement for everything yet.

For most small businesses:

• They’re great for individual accounts (email, cloud services, etc.)

• They work well alongside existing security measures like MFA

• Some systems may still require passwords for compatibility

What should your business do now?

You don’t need to switch everything overnight, but it’s worth:

• enabling passkeys where available

• keeping multi-factor authentication (MFA) enabled

• ensuring staff understand secure login practices

Passkeys are best seen as part of a broader security strategy, not a standalone solution.

Final thoughts

Passkeys are likely to become the future of authentication, replacing traditional passwords over time.

For now, they’re a simple way to improve security without adding complexity for users.

Need help improving account security?

If you’re looking to improve how your business handles logins, security and user access, we can help review your setup and recommend practical improvements.

We support small businesses across Dandenong and Melbourne’s south-east with secure, reliable IT systems