Microsoft has revealed that Windows 10 will soon support technical standards developed by the Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) Alliance, an industry consortium delivering standards for simpler, stronger authentication (including biometrics) during online transactions.

Dustin Ingalls, programme manager of Windows Security and Identity at Microsoft, made the announcement in a blog post on 14 February.

“I’m happy to announce Microsoft has contributed design inputs to the Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) Alliance, to be incorporated within FIDO 2.0 Technical Specifications. Transitioning away from passwords and to a stronger form of identity is one of the great challenges that we face in online computing, and we believe FIDO authentication … is the pathway to success”.

Ingalls said that FIDO authentication had been a “subject of great discussion” at the United States White House Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection Summit held at Stanford University on Friday.

“Interoperability of FIDO products is a hallmark of FIDO authentication and for this reason we’re confident that it will succeed in transforming the industry,” said Ingalls “We’re excited about the prospect of bringing a FIDO solution to market and how it will solve a critical need for both enterprises and consumers alike”.

Last December, FIDO published a final draft of standards that it says will end the era of passwords.

Planet Biometrics reported in December 2013 that FIDO Alliance had announced Microsoft as a new member of their Board of Directors.

"Moving the world away from passwords is an enormous task, and FIDO will succeed where others have failed," said Ingalls. "The need and appetite for change has never been greater, and we're thrilled to be part of this great working group whose members are actively transitioning FIDO solutions from the drawing board to implementations capable of large scale deployment."

Microsoft has said they are enabling a number of enterprise scenarios to showcase integration of FIDO authentication with Windows 10 sign-in, Azure Active Directory, and major SaaS services. Future plans will showcase FIDO authentication in Windows 10 Active Directory integration for on-premise scenarios and Microsoft Account integration for Microsoft consumer services, such as Outlook.com and OneDrive.

"Microsoft's launch of Windows 10 accelerates the broad adoption of FIDO authentication and heralds 2015 as the year of deployments," said Brett McDowell, Executive Director of the FIDO Alliance. "With Microsoft embracing the FIDO vision, we are one step closer to an online experience that is simple, secure and consistent."

Note: Brett McDowell Executive Director, FIDO Alliance, will be a keynote speaker at the connect:ID event in Washington DC on 23rd - 25th March.