Dubai, UAE, April 25, 2018 – HID Global®, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, today announced the next step in its collaboration with Microsoft to deliver solutions that allow users to use smart cards to log into Microsoft Windows, devices and cloud-based apps, eliminating the sole reliance on username and password.  A new FIDO 2.0-based authentication solution combines HID’s expertise in authentication with Microsoft’s expertise to add an extra layer of security to protect against more severe, emerging threats.

FIDO 2.0 is an open standard-based, user authentication framework that replaces passwords with advanced FIDO credentials that are designed to more effectively resist and fight off cyberattacks, including phishing and data breach attacks.  Users can have the convenience of using an HID smart card that contains a FIDO 2.0 credential without doing proprietary work.  Microsoft is building the FIDO 2.0 support into web browsers, cloud applications and Windows itself, broadening the possibilities for more secure authentication at Internet scale. 

“Working with Microsoft on advancing open standards for identity and access management will put FIDO credentials into different form factors that HID delivers, including a smart card, an app on a phone, a USB dongle or other things,” said Brad Jarvis, Vice President and Managing Director of Identity & Access Management (IAM) Solutions with HID Global.  “By being open, FIDO 2.0 can be leveraged to authenticate a wide range of applications that implement the standard and ensure interoperability, which is scalable and the vital ingredient for trusted identities everywhere.” 

FIDO represents an attractive authentication model that requires cryptographic proof of the nature of the credential while, at the same time, improving usability for users who, prior to this FIDO solution, have had to accept a fragmented experience, logging in multiple times into different things online, such as a bank account or email.  It also preserves privacy in a more reliable way that builds trust.

Powering trusted identities, HID Global has one of the broadest portfolios of identity and access management products and services, ranging across multi-factor authentication, physical identity and access management, credential management, digital signing and digital encryption.