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How a major U.S. telecom eliminated passwords for 75,000+ employees — advancing Zero Trust with hardware-backed authentication.
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A major U.S. telecommunications company partnered with Nortal to implement password-less authentication across its entire workforce. As part of a broader Zero Trust strategy, the initiative aimed to eliminate traditional credentials and enforce hardware-based authentication using security keys and mobile authenticators.
The project was driven by a growing volume of credential-based threats, including phishing and unauthorized access attempts targeting the company’s distributed workforce.
The organization needed to retire legacy login mechanisms and enforce new authentication policies at scale, without disrupting day-to-day operations. With tens of thousands of employees across corporate, retail, and field environments, the solution had to integrate with a range of systems — including Slack, Okta, and Microsoft Active Directory.
The key requirements were to:
Revoke outdated credentials safely and efficiently
Apply new authentication methods with minimal user friction
Avoid operational disruptions during the transition
Reduce exposure to phishing and account compromise
Nortal delivered a lightweight, custom solution in under 30 days.
Building a Java application with an Angular front end to integrate with the client’s existing platforms via API. This enabled automated credential revocation and policy enforcement for password-less authentication using physical security keys and mobile-based multi-factor authentication.
The streamlined team structure allowed for rapid development, minimal overhead, and direct alignment with internal security goals.
The rollout delivered measurable impact across security, scale and usability without disrupting daily operations.
Full workforce coverage: More than 75,000 employees and contractors transitioned to password-less authentication, including retail, corporate, and executive staff
On-time delivery: Solution launched within 30 days
Improved security posture: Eliminated password-based vulnerabilities and reduced phishing risk by linking credentials to physical devices
Simplified access management: Consolidated multiple authentication systems into a unified, automated credential framework
This effort supported a significant shift toward Zero Trust architecture at one of the nation’s largest telecom providers. By removing passwords from the authentication process and enforcing hardware-backed access, the company strengthened its security baseline while maintaining productivity for its workforce.
The project demonstrates how targeted, efficient solutions can drive enterprise-scale security improvements — even in complex, high-risk environments.
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