Your team locks everything down with passwords. Some are strong. Some are weak. Many have been reused across tools over the years.
Every month, IT handles password reset requests. Every year, breach reports point back to the same problem: stolen credentials remain one of the biggest causes of security incidents.
There is now a better path. It does not require users to memorize anything new. It does not depend on shared secrets. And it is already supported by many of the platforms small and mid-sized businesses use every day.
That path is passkey migration.
Passkey migration is the process of moving from traditional passwords to passkeys. A passkey is a phishing-resistant way to sign in. It uses the security built into a user’s device instead of a password that can be stolen, reused, or typed into a fake login page.
This shift is not just a security upgrade. It is also a practical business move. Passkeys can reduce login friction, cut down on failed sign-ins, and help teams move toward stronger authentication without forcing a hard reset across every tool at once.
Why Passwords Are Still the Biggest Risk
Passwords have had sixty years to prove themselves. The data still tells a clear story.
According to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, more than 80% of data breaches involve compromised credentials. That figure has stayed consistent year after year.
The reason is simple. Passwords are shared secrets. A user knows the password. A service stores something tied to that password. That secret has to exist somewhere. And secrets that get stored can eventually get stolen.
Even strong passwords do not solve the full problem. A strong password can still be reused. It can still be entered into a fake login page. It can still be exposed if a user stores it poorly or if another service is breached.
Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, has helped reduce this risk. It remains an important baseline. But not all MFA is equal.
SMS-based codes are still common. They are also weaker than many teams realize. Modern phishing kits can intercept a one-time code in real time. A fake login page can capture both the password and the code, then use them on the real site before the session expires.
That means a user can do what looks like the right thing and still be phished. They enter the correct password. They enter the code. The attacker uses both.
Phishing-resistant authentication closes that gap by design. Passkeys make it technically impossible for a fraudulent page to trigger login on the user’s real device. That is because the credential is tied to the legitimate domain.
What a Passkey Actually Is
A passkey is a cryptographic credential.
That means it does not work like a password. There is no shared secret that the user types and the service checks. Instead, the user’s device creates a matched pair of digital keys when the user registers with a service.
One key is private. It stays on the device and never leaves it. The other key is public. It goes to the service.
When the user logs in, the service sends a challenge. The device uses Face ID, a fingerprint, Windows Hello, or a device PIN to confirm the user. Then the device signs the challenge with the private key. The service checks that signature with the public key.
No password is sent. No password is stored. No password is available for a user to type into the wrong place.
This is why passkeys are so powerful. A passkey cannot be phished in the same way a password can. A fake login page cannot trigger authentication for the real service. A passkey cannot be reused across sites because it is bound to a specific domain. It also cannot be exposed in a server-side breach because the private key never exists on the server.
Passkeys are built on the FIDO2 and WebAuthn open standards. These standards are backed jointly by Apple, Google, and Microsoft.
The FIDO Alliance reported that more than 15 billion online accounts now support passkey sign-in. That is double the figure from the year before. In other words, passkeys are no longer a future idea. They are already part of the modern sign-in landscape.
What Passkey Migration Actually Means
Passkey migration is not a single cutover. It is a gradual move from password-dependent access to passwordless access.
For most businesses, passwords and passkeys will run in parallel for a period of time. That is normal. The goal is not to break old workflows overnight. The goal is to move the most important accounts and platforms toward stronger sign-in in a planned way.
A good migration plan usually answers three questions.
- Which platforms already support passkeys?
- Which users should start first?
- What fallback options exist for tools that are not ready yet?
For many teams using Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, the needed foundation is already in place.
Microsoft enabled passkeys through Entra ID and made them the default sign-in for new accounts in May 2025. Google has supported passkeys for Workspace accounts since 2023.
That matters because many businesses can begin migration without adding major new infrastructure. The first step is often not buying something new. It is mapping what your current environment already supports.
How to Approach Migration Without Disrupting Your Team
A passkey rollout works best when it is phased. The goal is to reduce risk without creating confusion or locking people out of work.
Start with the tools that already support passkeys. Then enroll the users who will give you the clearest feedback. From there, expand the rollout as the process becomes familiar.
Start Where Support Already Exists
Begin with administrators and power users.
These users often have the highest-risk access. They may also reset passwords more often than other users. Starting with them gives the business a useful pilot group. They can test the process, find friction, and help identify where support or training may be needed before a wider rollout.
Before announcing any change, map your current tools against passkey support.
Platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, GitHub, Shopify, and many major identity providers already support passkeys fully. Start with those tools. Leave unsupported platforms for a later phase.
This keeps the migration practical. It also helps users experience the benefit of passkeys in places where the setup is already mature.
Run Passwords and Passkeys in Parallel
The most common migration mistake is treating passkeys like a full cutover.
That approach can create unnecessary disruption. A user may have a passkey set up on one device but not another. A team may still depend on a tool that does not support passkeys yet. A rollout may need more time before every person is enrolled.
Running passwords and passkeys in parallel solves that problem.
Users can sign in with passkeys on enrolled devices. They can still fall back to a password on devices that are not yet enrolled. This gives the business time to build adoption without forcing a sudden change in the middle of active work.
Parallel access should not mean ignoring password risk. It means managing the transition in a way people can follow. As passkey coverage grows, password use can shrink over time.
Plan for Platforms That Are Not Ready Yet
Not every tool supports passkeys today.
For those platforms, a password manager that generates unique credentials is the right bridge. It reduces password reuse now. It also prepares the team for a cleaner migration later.
When those platforms add passkey support, the move becomes a simple enrollment step. Users are not being asked to change a long-standing password habit all at once. They are moving from a managed bridge to a stronger sign-in method.
This is an important part of a realistic migration plan. Passkeys do not have to be available everywhere before the business starts. Start where support exists. Use strong, unique passwords where it does not. Then keep moving as more tools become ready.
The Business Case Beyond Security
Security is the main reason to move toward passkeys. But it is not the only reason.
Password-based login creates daily friction. Users mistype passwords. They forget which version they used. They wait for SMS codes. They trigger lockouts by trying an old credential. Each of those small moments can turn into a helpdesk request or a work delay.
Passkeys remove much of that friction.
Google reports that passkey sign-ins are four times more successful than password-based logins. Google also reports that sign-in speeds are about 20% faster.
Authentication research published by Google points to a clear reason for that improvement. Passkeys remove common failure points. Users no longer have to type a password, wait for an SMS code, or remember which credential is current.
Fewer failed logins can mean fewer helpdesk calls. It can also mean fewer interruptions for employees who just need to get into the tools they use every day.
There is also a compliance angle. NIST’s 2025 update to SP 800-63-4 now requires phishing-resistant authentication as a mandatory option for high-assurance access. For teams working toward those standards, passkey migration is not only a security improvement. It is also a step toward meeting stronger authentication expectations.
From Password-Dependent to Passwordless
Passkey migration does not need to be dramatic. It needs to be deliberate.
Start by identifying which platforms already support passkeys. Enroll administrators and power users first. Run passwords and passkeys in parallel while users adopt the new method. Use a password manager as a bridge for tools that are not ready yet. Then expand the rollout in phases.
This approach helps the business reduce credential risk without creating unnecessary friction. It also gives users a better sign-in experience and gives IT a path away from endless password resets.
Passwords have been the default for decades. But they are no longer the strongest or most practical option for many business systems. Passkeys offer a better model because they remove the shared secret from the login process.
Ready to start your passkey migration? Contact Caldera Cybersecurity or schedule a consultation to map which platforms in your environment support passkeys today and build a migration plan that works for your team.
