Passwordless Authentication for Japan’s GIGA School Initiative
Background
The Japanese government adhered to the GIGA School Program to bridge the digital gap across municipalities and ensure “one device per student” in compulsory education by 2023.
Lenovo has been a key technology provider in the GIGA School initiative, delivering affordable, education-focused PCs and cloud-ready solutions. These devices empower students and teachers to:
Participate in remote classes through web conferencing.
Access digital teaching materials and submit assignments online.
Communicate and collaborate effectively in real-time.
Develop IT literacy and digital skills essential for the modern world.
To support these new learning models, Sateraito Office provided a Single Sign-On (SSO) platform to unify access to multiple cloud services such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 — simplifying identity management across thousands of students and teachers.
Challenges
Many educational institutions in Japan lack dedicated IT administrators. As online services multiplied every year, several challenges emerged:
Password Management Overload
Each student and teacher needed to remember multiple passwords for different web services, leading to frequent resets and login delays that disrupted classroom flow.Security Risks from Centralized Passwords
Using a single ID and password for all services through SSO improved usability but raised security concerns — one compromised credential could expose multiple systems.Limited IT Resources for Large User Groups
With the growth of online services and portals, each school IT department became stretched thin when not overwhelmed.Device and Location Control
Schools needed a way to restrict access by device and location, ensuring logins were valid only from authorized Lenovo PCs or within approved environments (school, home, or remote).
Solution
To enhance both security and convenience, Sateraito Office integrated its Single Sign-On platform with AuthenTrend’s AT.AuthFi (on-demand FIDO2 cloud) and ATKey.Pro (fingerprint-enabled FIDO2 USB key) — deployed on Lenovo’s educational PCs across GIGA School environments.
Passwordless Biometric Authentication
Students and teachers authenticate simply by touching the ATKey.Pro fingerprint sensor, removing the need to remember or type passwords.
FIDO2 standards ensure strong, phishing-resistant login for online and offline applications such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
Secure Single Sign-On Integration
Sateraito Office SSO provides unified access control for all learning platforms with login policy enforcement, Active Directory integration, and client certificate authentication.
Administrators can manage user access based on device ID and location, ensuring logins are restricted to authorized environments.
Simplified IT Operations
No more password recovery or lost credential tickets.
Simple to issue and revoke the authorization for the users.
Results
Passwordless access for students and teachers using biometric USB keys. Simpler workflow with less risks and steps.
Enhanced security protection from phising attacks.
Reduced IT burden fewer password resets, faster user onboarding.
Future-ready identity framework aligned with the GIGA School vision.
Conclusion
The integration of Lenovo’s educational PCs, Sateraito Office SSO, and AuthenTrend’s FIDO2 authentication created a secure and frictionless digital learning environment.
By eliminating passwords and enabling biometric sign-in, GIGA School institutions can now deliver safe, efficient, and inclusive digital education for Japan’s next generation of learners.