Why Active Directory password resets are surging in hybrid work

"The interaction was quick, the fix was immediate, and life went on. But hybrid work changed that. Now, when employees can't access their accounts, they're sitting at home or in a coffee shop, unable to work until IT gets around to their ticket. The helpdesk can't just walk over to troubleshoot; they're fielding calls from people scattered across cities, time zones, and home networks with varying levels of connectivity."

"Since 2022, work location patterns have remained remarkably stable. Today, 51% of remote-capable US employees work in a hybrid model, with hybrid workers spending an average of 2.3 days per week in the office. This is the new normal, and the operational challenges that came with this shift caught many IT teams off guard. Password resets, which Gartner found already accounted for 40% of helpdesk calls, have gotten worse in distributed work environments."

Hybrid and remote work patterns are stable: 51% of remote-capable US employees work hybrid, averaging 2.3 office days per week. Password resets represent a large share of helpdesk workload and have worsened with distributed work; cached credentials on laptops become outdated when not consistently connected, creating lockouts. Stolen credentials are involved in many breaches (44.7%), increasing security and productivity risks. Helpdesks face higher volume and remote troubleshooting complexity, turning minor interruptions into significant productivity and operational costs. Gartner found password resets already accounted for 40% of helpdesk calls, amplifying support burden and the need for better tooling and processes.

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