IAM firms plot a TSA ‘fast pass’ for frictionless logins

Identity systems were supposed to make security smarter and access easier—but somewhere along the way, they became the digital equivalent of airport security: slow, frustrating, and oddly inconsistent.

Now, identity and access management (IAM) providers are trying to fix what their own systems broke—by finally making authentication as seamless as promised. In fact, it might just be the weakest link in your security chain—one corporate-standard password like 'Company123' or 'Quarterly2023!' away from disaster.

As cyberattacks increasingly target human error and outdated credentials—a trend confirmed by Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, which found that over 38% of breaches involved stolen credentials or phishing.

Roll Call at Gate IAM: Cisco, Saviynt, Radiant, Cubeless, IDM Board the Frictionless Flight

In response, a growing number of identity and access management (IAM) providers are revisiting their long-standing focus on security-first design, acknowledging that user experience had been an afterthought for years. These vendors are now turning to authentication models that not only secure accounts but also streamline the login process to reduce user frustration and prevent risky workarounds

Earlier this week, we caught up with a bevy of firms gathered at Identiverse 2025, including Cisco Duo, Radiant Logic, Saviynt, Cubeless, and IDM Express—each showcasing new approaches to solving authentication friction. This shift—from clunky, high-friction multi-factor authentication and password dependencies to seamless, often invisible login experiences—was on full display as these vendors unveiled tools and strategies aimed at modernizing authentication workflows without compromising security.

From FIDO to Fast Lane: How IAM Got Tired of Making Us Wait

The drive toward frictionless authentication reflects a broader industry shift in how IAM success is measured. In earlier eras, IAM efforts were centered on enforcing stronger passwords, rolling out MFA, and complying with FIDO standards—efforts that often increased complexity and left users juggling token apps, codes, or SMS messages.

While technically more secure, these measures introduced friction that drove employees to unsafe workarounds like storing passwords in unsecured documents or using personal devices to bypass login headaches. Shadow IT and lost productivity became unintended side effects.

Frictionless authentication aims to reverse that trend. By reducing the number of manual steps—such as entering credentials, responding to push prompts, or remembering device-specific passkeys—IAM providers can keep users secure without slowing them down. It's a necessary evolution in a world where phishing remains rampant and even well-meaning employees bypass security when the login experience becomes a bottleneck.

Now Boarding: MFA Adoption and the Billion-Dollar Passwordless Boom

Matt Caulfield, VP of Identity at Cisco Duo, and John Pritchard, CEO of Radiant Logic, are among the voices helping to define this next phase of IAM. Their insights—shared during Identiverse 2025—reflect a consensus that authentication must evolve to keep pace with modern workflows and user expectations.

Recent industry research supports this momentum.

According to Okta's 2024 report, 66% of workforce users and over 91% of administrators have adopted multi-factor authentication (MFA), with a growing preference for phishing-resistant methods. Microsoft echoed similar adoption rates, reporting that 92% of employee productivity accounts are now secured by phishing-resistant MFA.

Meanwhile, Dashlane has observed a 400% increase in passkey adoption in 2024, suggesting that user appetite for passwordless authentication is not only growing but accelerating.

The global passwordless authentication market itself is projected to grow from $19 billion in 2024 to $82.5 billion by 2034, according to Precedence Research.

Matt Caulfield, VP of Identity at Cisco Duo,

Click to watch the Identiverse 2025 live interview

Matt Caulfield, VP of Identity at Cisco Duo, introduced the company's new IAM platform, Duo IAM, which features Proximity Verification technology using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

"You walk into your office, you put your phone on the table, you open your laptop, and you're logged in. You're ready to go," Caulfield said.

He emphasized the critical shift toward end-to-end phishing-resistant authentication, asserting that Cisco Duo aims for a user experience where "you don't need to put in a username, a password... It's just like no passwords anywhere."

Caulfield further pointed out that while passkeys offer significant potential, they still present user experience challenges, noting instances where users are unsure of their passkey's location or status. As a result, Cisco Duo offers alternative secure authentication methods that maintain ease of use and enterprise readiness.

John Pritchard, CEO of Radiant Logic, complemented this perspective by emphasizing the importance of automation and advanced AI integrations in identity security. Radiant Logic’s RadiantOne platform, including its AI Data Assistant (AIDA), leverages generative AI to analyze identity relationships, recommend corrective actions, and support collaborative remediation with line managers and resource owners.

John Pritchard, CEO of Radiant Logic,

Click to watch the Identiverse 2025 live interview

"Specialized agents who know how to act on [identity] domains" significantly enhance both user experience and security posture, Pritchard said.

Just-in-Time Boarding: Saviynt Streamlines Identity Approvals

Similarly, David Lee Field, CTO at Saviynt, stressed the value of data-driven insights to continuously improve IAM solutions, underscoring the need for clear metrics to track and demonstrate progress. Saviynt’s Identity Governance & Administration (IGA) platform offers Just-in-Time (JIT) Access, allowing users to request time-bound permissions via self-service portals, as well as native integrations with tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and ServiceNow to reduce friction in access approvals.

David Lee Field, CTO at Saviynt,

Click to watch the Identiverse 2025 live interview

Treb Ryan, General Manager at Cubeless, highlighted the company's mission to democratize advanced security through simplified, accessible identity solutions like free single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA).

The Economy Cabin Upgrade: Cubeless Makes Enterprise IAM SMB-Friendly

"The goal is making sophisticated security tools simple and approachable, ensuring smaller businesses aren't excluded due to resource constraints," Ryan said.

Treb Ryan, General Manager at Cubeless,,

Click to watch the Identiverse 2025 live interview

Reinforcing this sentiment, Amit Masand, CEO at IDM Express, pointed to the value of managed services that make advanced identity security solutions accessible around the clock. Unlike self-managed IAM deployments that often burden end-users with configuration issues and IT bottlenecks, managed services streamline setup, maintenance, and support. This means users face fewer login delays, misconfigured access rights, or lengthy approval chains.

While Cisco Duo’s BLE-based login offers seamless proximity verification for individual devices, IDM Express focuses on reducing friction across entire organizations, particularly those lacking dedicated IT teams, by automating IAM administration and support as a service. In environments with constrained security staffing, that end-to-end support can prevent friction from creeping back into the user experience.

Amit Masand, CEO at IDM Express,

Click to watch the Identiverse 2025 live interview

These market shifts align with broader security imperatives. Fortinet’s 2025 report noted a 42% year-over-year surge in credential-based attacks, while other researchers found that credential phishing rose by 341% between Q4 2023 and Q1 2024.

Why MFA Can Sometimes Still Feels Like Airport Security in 2004

Legacy MFA, while a step up from password-only models, often required users to complete multiple cumbersome steps—such as entering a password, then waiting for an SMS code, or switching apps to approve a push notification. These interruptions added friction, particularly when systems failed or when connectivity lagged. The result? Delayed access, frequent help desk tickets, and frustrated users who either avoided secure channels or leaned into insecure workarounds.

In contrast, today’s emerging frictionless authentication approaches aim to maintain strong security without the hassle. They prioritize passive or near-invisible verification techniques—such as device proximity or biometric signals—reducing effort for users while raising the bar for attackers. Still, as vendors tout these innovations, it's worth asking how widely deployed and accessible these technologies really are. Separating promise from production remains a key challenge as the market matures.

Invisible, but Verified: Frictionless Logins Without the Marketing Fog

These trends underscore the urgency for organizations to adopt authentication technologies that go beyond traditional passwords and legacy MFA.

Both Caulfield and Ryan underscored the increasing necessity for IAM providers to offer seamless, consumer-like experiences within enterprise settings.

This approach addresses the dual challenges of maintaining robust security while preventing user frustration and shadow IT.

As IAM technologies advance, the trend toward frictionless authentication promises not only enhanced security but also a vastly improved user experience, making robust security protocols intuitive and invisible to end-users.

TSA PreCheck for Your Identity: The Future of Authentication Just Works

Ultimately, by transitioning from passwordless concepts to truly frictionless interactions, IAM providers are redefining authentication—making security both invisible and indispensable. Cisco Duo, for instance, now allows users to log in simply by placing their phone near their laptop, eliminating even the need to click a push prompt. Cubeless takes a different route, offering SMBs a no-code policy engine that enables SSO and MFA setup without IT intervention. These are the types of innovations that turn clunky authentication into a background process—removing the Kafkaesque hurdles and delivering on the long-awaited promise of security that 'just works.'

(Editor’s Note: A portion of this content used a large language model to distill a single source of original content, such as a transcript, data, or research report. This content was conceived, crafted and fact-checked by a staff editor, and any sourced intellectual property used is clearly credited and disclosed.)