ForgeRock and SwissSign Group Find 56% of Surveyed Swiss IT Decision-Makers will Look for an Alternative to Electronic Identification Services

65% of respondents still rely on username and passwords for login

Over the next 24 months, a third plan to modernize the login process

Munich/Glattbrugg - 14 April 2021 – ForgeRock, a leader in digital identity, and SwissSign Group AG, security specialist for certificates and identity services, together with the market research institute YouGov, surveyed IT decision-makers in Switzerland about their plans for modernizing authentication and electronic identification in the wake of the rejection of the Federal Law on Electronic Identification Services (E-ID) on March 7, 2021.

Large and diverse offering for the future

Just under half (48%) of the IT decision-makers surveyed said that they will not wait for a government E-ID to initiate modernization efforts inside their companies. Nevertheless, 24% believe that the rejection of the referendum will affect their company's current digital transformation plans.

"SwissID is not affected by this referendum. We will continue to serve as a secure digital identification option and will continuously innovate so we can offer our customers a larger and more diverse range of services. In particular, we will do everything in our power to steadily expand the network of online service providers. The survey encourages us in our activities, as around 56% of IT decision-makers for whom the decision has an impact on their planning are now looking for an alternative to E-ID; with SwissID we offer a simple, secure and practical solution," said Markus Naef, CEO SwissSign Group.

Outdated authentication and login procedures still widespread

The study also examined the authentication and login procedures used for customers and partners in Swiss companies. It shows that the majority of the IT decision-makers surveyed (65%) still use a combination of username and password as authentication or login procedures. Even in larger companies with 500 or more employees, 74% of respondents said that this outdated method is still used.

Only 38% use multifactor authentication (MFA), according to the survey. Just under a quarter (23%) use Touch ID, 22% use passwordless authentication via a device, and 20% use Face ID.

"Constantly entering usernames and passwords is a hassle and introduces unnecessary security risk. We know customers are willing to form deeper relationships with companies when processes are simple, transparent and can be trusted," says Adrian Humbel, Director Switzerland & Austria at ForgeRock.

Modernization and consolidation

Many companies are shifting away from usernames and passwords. Over the next 24 months, more than a third (35%) of respondents plan to modernize the login procedures they use. Especially in larger companies with more than 250 employees, a majority (52%) intend to modernize their current procedures. A quarter (25%) of IT decision-makers are also planning consolidation, i.e. a merging of several authentication solutions. Here, too, the larger companies (with more than 250 employees) see a greater need, according to the survey.

About the survey

The data used is based on an online survey conducted by YouGov Deutschland GmbH, on behalf of ForgeRock and SwissSign Group, in which 308 IT decision-makers in Switzerland participated between March 12, 2021 and March 23, 2021.

About SwissSign Group

SwissSign Group has two cornerstones: identity services under the brand SwissID and certificate services under the brand SwissSign. SwissID is the digital identity of Switzerland which enables simple and secure access to the online world. Thanks to electronic certificates, data can be exchanged in encrypted form and therefore protected against unauthorised access. As a Swiss trust service provider (TSP), SwissSign Group protects all data according to the highest security standards while keeping it in Switzerland.

The SwissSign Group is part of a joint venture of state affiliated businesses, financial institutions, insurance and health insurance companies (SBB, Swiss Post, Swisscom, Banque Cantonale de Genève, Credit Suisse, Entris Banking, Luzerner Kantonalbank, Raiffeisen, Six Group, UBS, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Axa, Baloise, CSS, Helvetia, Mobiliar, SWICA, Swiss Life, Vaudoise and Zurich).

Further information is available on swisssign-group.com.

About ForgeRock
ForgeRock®, the leader in digital identity, delivers modern and comprehensive identity and access management solutions for consumers, employees and things to simply and safely access the connected world. Using ForgeRock, more than a thousand global customer organizations orchestrate, manage, and secure the complete lifecycle of identities from dynamic access controls, governance, APIs, and storing authoritative data – consumable in any cloud or hybrid environment. The company is privately held and headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices around the world. For more information and free downloads, visit www.forgerock.com or follow ForgeRock on social media: Facebook ForgeRock | Twitter @ForgeRock | LinkedIn ForgeRock.