---
title: "Best Practices: Journey to Passwordless"
description: Learn about how passwordless authentication reduces friction for users.
component: solution-guides
page_id: solution-guides:best_practice_guides:bp_journey_to_passwordless
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/solution-guides/best_practice_guides/bp_journey_to_passwordless.html
revdate: October 13, 2022
---

# Best Practices: Journey to Passwordless

Learn about how passwordless authentication reduces friction for users.

Your enterprise is more than likely taking advantage of using multi-factor authentication (MFA). This enables step-up authentication by providing a second factor with authentication. The second factors have multiple methods an administrator can configure, which include but are not limited to:

* Authenticator applications

* Email

* SMS

* Voice

* One-time passcodes (OTPs)

* Hard tokens

* FIDO

When using PingID, you might have a similar experience using first and second factors together as shown in the following image.

![A diagram with a series of screen captures showing a sign-on page (first factor) to an Authentication window for an OTP (second factor).](_images/fuw1662484655539.png)

The goal is to reduce passwords and to evolve the experience into a frictionless experience, as seen in the following image showing the passwordless experience using Touch ID.

![A diagram with a pair of screen captures showing a sign-on page and options to sign on with an arrow pointing to a Touch ID prompt window for passwordless sign-on.](_images/fmy1662484802718.png)

The number of steps for a passwordless experience decreases compared to the MFA experience:

* Reduce footprint:

  * Single sign-on (SSO) and MFA

  * Authentication authority

  * Standards

  * Risk signals

* Reduce friction:

  * First factor FIDO

  * Continuous AuthN

  * Zero login

You can balance security and experience by managing risk.

* Passwordless has many different definitions, depending on who you ask.

* Passwordless boils down to either reducing passwords or eliminating them altogether.

* People agree that, when done right, passwordless offers a better experience and better security compared to traditional sign-on experiences.