1Kosmos puts workforce identity tool on Google Cloud

1Kosmos has made its Workforce identity verification and passwordless authentication product available on Google Cloud Marketplace, giving Google Cloud customers a new way to buy and deploy the service.

The listing places 1Kosmos Workforce in Google Cloud's software marketplace, where customers can procure, bill and deploy applications that run on Google Cloud infrastructure. For 1Kosmos, it targets companies that want to tie workforce access more closely to verified identity rather than rely on usernames, passwords and other credentials alone.

Workforce identity controls have drawn greater attention as employers contend with remote hiring fraud, stolen credentials and attempts to manipulate service desks into resetting accounts. Attackers are also using AI-enabled impersonation and synthetic identities to gain employment or access corporate systems.

According to 1Kosmos, its Workforce platform is designed to cover several stages of the employee identity lifecycle, including onboarding, passwordless access, account recovery and service desk interactions. The aim is to check whether the person requesting access is the legitimate individual.

Marketplace route

Google Cloud Marketplace is a software storefront for tools customers can deploy on Google Cloud. Listing there gives vendors an existing channel for procurement and billing, while allowing customers to add software without a separate purchasing process outside their cloud environment.

That procurement route matters for security products, where deployment can be slowed by internal approval steps and integration reviews. A marketplace listing does not remove the need for those checks, but it can shorten the path for organisations that already standardise purchases through Google Cloud.

In practical terms, 1Kosmos is positioning its offering as a way for security and identity teams to verify workers before granting or restoring access. The platform can be used for employees, contractors, third parties, remote users, shared workstations and restricted environments across cloud and hybrid settings.

Identity checks

The company's approach combines identity proofing with authentication. 1Kosmos says the platform verifies government-issued identity documents and matches them with real-time biometrics, including liveness detection, before allowing organisations to bind an account to a verified person.

It also offers passwordless authentication intended to reduce reliance on credentials that can be stolen, guessed or phished. In service desk settings, the same model can be used for password resets and account recovery, two areas that have become common targets for social engineering.

Another focus is remote onboarding. Employers that hire staff online can face risks from applicants using fake or borrowed identities, and the checks are intended to reduce the chance of unauthorised account creation at the point of hire.

1Kosmos says the product also integrates with existing identity and access management, human resources, IT service management and security tools. That suggests it is intended to fit into established enterprise workflows rather than require customers to replace broader identity systems.

Security pressure

The listing comes as identity remains one of the most contested areas of corporate security. Attackers have increasingly focused on the people and processes around access control, from phishing campaigns and credential theft to impersonation attempts aimed at recruiters, help desks and internal administrators.

Security teams have responded by looking beyond basic login checks and introducing stronger forms of verification at key moments, especially when a user is created, an account is recovered or a privileged request is made. The goal is to confirm not only that the correct credentials have been presented, but that the person behind the request is who they claim to be.

That shift has also given passwordless technology a more prominent place in workforce security strategies. Removing passwords can reduce some common attack paths, though organisations still need a reliable way to establish identity at enrolment and during sensitive account events.

1Kosmos is one of a group of vendors trying to combine those two functions in a single product. It says it handles millions of authentications each day for customers in sectors including banking, telecommunications, healthcare, retail and technology services, and has raised more than USD $72 million in venture funding.

Mike Engle, Chief Strategy Officer at 1Kosmos, outlined the company's position on the Google Cloud listing and the broader threat environment.

"Google Cloud Marketplace provides customers a faster, more convenient path to deploy 1Kosmos Workforce for high-assurance identity verification and passwordless authentication," said Mike Engle, Chief Strategy Officer at 1Kosmos. "Workforce identity has become a frontline security issue, with attackers targeting service desks and posing as legitimate job applicants. 1Kosmos helps prevent AI-enabled impersonation fraud and account compromise by verifying the identity of the user rather than relying solely on authentication mechanisms that can be spoofed."