If you’re betting your company on “strong passwords + annual training,” you’re playing defence like it’s 2015. This guide gives you a practical, Canadian-friendly rollout plan to replace passwords with passkeys (phishing‑resistant, cryptographic sign-in) without turning your helpdesk into a crime scene.
You’ll get the what, the why, the how, and the “gotchas” most SMBs miss: recovery, device trust, and visibility.
What passkeys really are (and why attackers hate them)
A passkey replaces a password with a cryptographic key pair. Your service stores a public key; the private key stays on the user’s device (or a hardware security key). There’s no shared secret to phish, reuse, or dump from a breached database. The FIDO Alliance’s passkeys overview explains it clearly, in plain English.
You’ll hear two flavours:
- Synced passkeys (platform keychains / password managers): easier adoption, better user experience, great for most staff.
- Device‑bound passkeys (often hardware security keys): strongest control for high‑risk accounts and admins.
Both beat passwords. But passkeys only deliver “phishing‑resistant” outcomes when you implement them with guardrails
Myth to retire: “We already have MFA, so we’re safe.”
No. MFA is necessary, but a lot of MFA is still phishable. SMS codes, one-time passwords, and “approve this push” can be abused through SIM swaps, push fatigue, and adversary‑in‑the‑middle phishing kits. CISA lays out the threat and the fix in Implementing Phishing‑Resistant MFA.
Here’s the blunt version we tell Canadian leadership teams: if your authentication relies on a shared secret, assume it can be stolen. That’s why we keep saying the modern perimeter is identity and why our article “Hackers Don’t Break In, They Log In” keeps hitting home.
The 30‑day passkey rollout plan for Canadian SMBs
This plan is realistic. It protects the accounts that actually move money and data, and it aligns with Canadian guidance like the Cyber Centre’s Baseline Cyber Security Controls for Small and Medium Organizations a pragmatic 80/20 approach that SMBs can execute.
Days 1–3: Pick the right target (not “everyone, everywhere, instantly”)
Start with accounts that create an immediate “call legal” moment if compromised:
- Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace admins
- Finance (AP/AR), payroll, and anyone who can change vendor banking details
- Executives and assistants (BEC magnets)
- Remote access, device management, and backup consoles
Why this order? Because the fastest real-world losses aren’t Hollywood hacks, they’re fraud and account takeover. If you want a brutal example, read “One Email. One Wire. You’re Done.” and then tell us you still want banking changes approved “over email.”
Days 4–10: Fix the foundations that make passkeys succeed
Passkeys fail when device posture and recovery are an afterthought. Do these first:
- Kill legacy authentication. If old protocols are still allowed, attackers will bypass your shiny new control.
- Require managed devices for enrolment. If any random BYOD laptop can register a passkey for a finance user, you’re building a new attack path.
- Harden privileged access. Admin accounts should use device‑bound passkeys or hardware keys, with just‑in‑time elevation and tight audit trails.
- Write the recovery rules. Passwordless doesn’t remove resets it changes them. Most rollouts get defeated by a social‑engineered helpdesk reset.
If you’re a Microsoft shop, review Microsoft’s guidance on passkeys (FIDO2) in Entra ID. If you’re on Google, Google’s security team explains why passkeys crush phishing in “So long passwords, thanks for all the phish”.
Where 010grp fits: we design the identity stack (IAM + MFA + PAM) so passkeys are enforced where they matter, enrolment is device‑trusted, and recovery is audited. Then we back it with 24/7 monitoring, an identity‑first SIEM/SOC workflow, and cyber threat intelligence so a weird token event at 2 a.m. isn’t your first clue, it’s a contained incident.
Days 11–20: Pilot with the people who get attacked first
Run a pilot with finance + IT admins (10–30 users). Your goal is to remove passwords from their daily workflow while increasing certainty that “the person logging in is the real person.”
Minimum success criteria we recommend:
- Two passkeys per high‑risk user (primary + backup) to avoid lost‑device chaos
- Recovery that requires strong proof (not “answer these two easy questions”) and is logged end‑to‑end
- Conditional access rules that block risky sign-ins and require compliant devices for finance/admin roles
- Visibility: you can answer “who enrolled a passkey, from what device, and when” in minutes
Also: train for modern impersonation. Deepfakes and executive fraud are making approvals messy. If you approve payments or access, read “Deepfakes in the Boardroom” and update your verification steps accordingly.
Days 21–30: Scale, monitor, and make it “stick”
Now expand to everyone, but keep passkeys mandatory for high‑risk roles first. The biggest mistake is flipping a company-wide switch without monitoring.
Do these in parallel:
- Turn on identity-first detection. Passkeys reduce phishing, but they don’t eliminate token theft, malicious OAuth apps, or insider abuse. Your SIEM has to understand identity timelines. Start with our 7 SIEM moves for Canadian SMBs.
- Add 24/7 eyes. Most hands-on attacks escalate after hours. If no one is watching, you’re flying blind, and attackers know it. Read this 010grp breakdown.
- Lock down shadow tools. Passwordless doesn’t fix data leakage from unsanctioned apps and AI tools. Pair identity controls with cloud governance. Our playbook: Shadow AI: lock it down in 30 days.
- Make backups boring (and unstoppable). Account takeover often ends in ransomware. Build a recovery path that survives identity compromise with immutable backups and restore drills. See our service overview: Backup & Disaster Recovery (BDR) solutions.
One more Canadian-specific point: if you’re outsourcing security operations, ask where logs and telemetry live. At 010grp, Canadian data residency and sovereignty aren’t “nice-to-haves” we operate with SOC2‑certified datacentres in Canada so your security data stays where it belongs.
Canadian compliance reality check: PIPEDA + Québec Law 25
Passwordless isn’t just an “IT improvement.” It’s risk reduction and if you handle personal information, it directly affects breach probability and reporting burden.
Under federal rules, organizations need to assess breaches and report when there’s a “real risk of significant harm.” The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada provides a starting point and reporting workflow here: Report a privacy breach at your business.
If you operate in Québec, Law 25 raises the bar on privacy governance and enforcement. The Commission d’accès à l’information has a helpful overview of key changes here: Principaux changements apportés par la Loi 25.
Want the bigger “Canadian baseline” picture? Our tactical guide “Stop Checking Boxes: Make Canada’s Baseline Controls Work in 60 Days” maps identity and detection into real operations.
Do this today (seriously, today)
- Pick 10 high‑risk users (IT admin + finance) and commit to passkeys for them first.
- Block legacy authentication and tighten conditional access for those roles.
- Write a one-page recovery policy: “Who can reset what, with what proof, and how do we log it?”
- Decide who watches identity alerts after 5 p.m. (If the answer is “no one,” fix that.)
If you want a calm, no-pressure assessment, 010grp can sanity-check your identity stack, your recovery workflow, and your monitoring coverage, then help you roll out passwordless without breaking productivity. Start at cyber protection services or reach us via contact.