A Hundred thousand dollars question- Build Vs Buy your Passkey Implementation

Passkeys are a revolutionary concept within the field of online authentication. For decades, companies and organizations have been struggling with issues such as poor data security and unsatisfactory user experience, owing to passwords. Passwords are a hassle to create and remember, meaning most users completely neglect password hygiene and end up reusing the same password across multiple accounts. Even with the introduction of multi-factor authentication, the situation didn’t improve much. 2FA protocols amounted to become an additional friction for the user and a source of frustration. 

With the emergence and launch of FIDO Passkeys at the end of 2022, users can now enjoy a seamless login experience along with impenetrable security for the first time in the history of online authentication. While some of the majorly recognized global corporations such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, eBay, and Paypal have already adopted Passkeys as the main authentication method, many companies are determined to follow suit and integrate passkey-based login into their websites/mobile applications in 2023. 

The Problems With In-house Passkey Integration

Several big tech companies have already adopted passkeys as a revolutionary concept, and it is likely that many more companies will follow suit. However, most companies would want to integrate passkeys on their own without any help from a third-party service provider. Many entrepreneurs prefer having complete control over every business front and not involving any third-party company to overlook a business aspect. However, companies that would prefer passkey integration on their own are likely to face several challenges throughout the integration procedure. Here are a few challenges that we think small and medium-scale companies are extremely likely to face:

1. It’s not easy to integrate passkeys

The concept of Passkey technology was first introduced in 2021 by the FIDO Alliance, supported by tech giants such as Google, Paypal, eBay, and Apple. Despite the backing of these industry leaders, the open standard of Passkeys is not well documented, causing difficulties in the integration process.

Developers face challenges when incorporating Passkeys into a company's website or mobile application due to the lack of thorough documentation. They must create a user flow from scratch and allocate significant time and resources to fill in the gaps in the documentation. The implementation process can take several days to months to complete.

The integration of Passkeys becomes even more challenging when companies have customers who use multiple OS-based devices such as iOS and Android or multiple devices to access their website or mobile application. Additionally, many devices still do not have parameters that support Passkey login, making it difficult for developers to make Passkeys a preferred mode of login for users. Overcoming all these challenges to find an easy integration solution can keep a developer team working overtime for months.

2. Integrating passkeys can be an expensive affair

Although the integration of passkeys can seem to be inherently free of cost, there are multiple hidden costs associated with implementing passkeys into a website/mobile application. Integrating passkeys into a website is a complex process and it requires a sophisticated and easily comprehensible UX and UI to achieve ease of use for users. Companies have to hire UI designers and product managers to aid the implementation procedure along with frontend and backend developers. 

Additionally, integrating passkeys will also involve upgrading the architecture of the website to accommodate multiple infrastructural changes, ensuring the compatibility of websites with passkeys. These would require additional server and database space to store the passkeys of users, adding up to an additional recurring expense.

Passkeys also have to be regularly updated to reflect the ongoing technological advancements. Since passkeys are critical to the security of the website, companies integrating passkeys on their own will have to hire security experts with complete knowledge of advanced cybersecurity threats to monitor the logins and make necessary tweaks along the way. Regular maintenance of the passkeys also requires technical support from the developers’ end, resulting in several additional expenses for the company.

A simple analysis can clearly demonstrate that if a company is willing to build an in-house Passkeys solution from the scratch, it may cumulate to 4 months of dedicated effort with the involvement of at least 3 developers and 1 product manager. The entire cost of development and implementation can easily go north of $80,000. Additionally building passkeys solution has a higher opportunity cost since this is not the component of their core product. 

A good analogy will be any company that processes a good volume of payments through their website/ mobile application may think that they can build an in-house payment gateway and save third-party service charges. However, we know that it is not a smart choice. Oftentimes, relying on a third-party service provider for a single aspect of business helps companies to keep the focus on their product and benefit them in the long run.  

3. Passkeys cannot be integrated with existing login flows   

Passkeys cannot be integrated within the existing login flows of the website. In order to integrate passkeys, developers have to redesign the architecture of the website and reconstruct the user flow from scratch. Once an upgraded user login flow is established, it has to be tried and tested keeping the user’s ease of use in mind before implementing passkeys with them. The entire process is tedious and developers may face several hurdles during the implementation.

Why Are Passkey Service Providers the Most Suitable Option?

While implementing passkeys on your own may seem like an easy job, here are a few reasons why companies should consider taking help from Passkeys service providers like SoundAuth :

1. Passkey Integration Within Days

Passkey Service Providers have a tried and tested framework for implementing passkeys. Along with their highly experienced and dedicated testing team, they have devised a procedure that ensures passkeys get implemented with maximum accuracy and minimal time. Through their implementation service, companies can successfully complete passkey integration within a day. Additionally, passkey service providers also focus on mitigating the risk of security breaches during implementation, ensuring the company's database is in safe hands throughout the entire integration process.

2. Reduced Workload On Employees

Instead of taking the entire burden of implementation on the development team, companies can consider taking high-quality implementation services from third-party companies to ensure a seamless and secure integration of passkeys into their business. Implementing passkeys can be tedious, time-consuming and drain a company of its resources. Moreover, the continuous cycle of trial and error can be frustrating for the tech team and the business managers alike. Third-party companies provide high-quality implementation services and lift the load from entire the development team, allowing them to focus on more important aspects of company growth.

3. Expertise for the job

When it comes to sophisticated technology like passkeys, it is better to rely on experts! Passkey Service Providers are well-equipped with all the know-how and expertise to provide you with the most effective solution to a company's authentication needs. Passkey solution providers can utilize their expertise and extensive industry experience to help companies in implementing passkey for authentication within a day. Their ready-made authentication solutions benefit companies as it reduces the overall cost of implementation and also save time and effort.

4) Can hold third party company liable in case of any trouble

In case of any technical emergency or when the passkey-based authentication fails to work, companies can rely on third-party service providers to fix the bug instantly. In case of mishaps, companies can hold their service providers accountable and make them pay the damages caused. This protects the companies from any liability arising from the failure of the passkey, resulting in a risk-free operation and more productivity.

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Interested to know how you can avail SoundAuth’s Passkey authentication solution for your business? Sign up with us at SoundAuth.com and join our waitlist for the upcoming beta launch.