The FIDO Alliance already has support from heavyweights like Google and Lenovo in its quest to eliminate password-based sign-ins, and it’s now bringing Microsoft into the fold. The software pioneer is taking a seat at the Alliance’s board of directors, where it will help shape open authentication standards.
Microsoft has joined the FIDO Alliance, an industry group attempting to craft industry standards that reduce reliance on passwords, long regarded as a weak point in Web security. Launched in July 2012, FIDO, which stands for Fast IDentity Online, is hoping its specifications for security devices and browser plugins will be widely adopted across the technology industry.