It’s an age old problem: how do you prove your identity? It’s the reason governments started issuing id cards. Since the advent of the Internet, identification has gotten even harder. To a website, you are a stream of electrons. Before you can transact business, the website needs to associate that stream of electrons with a person--a piece of meat. 80% of the Internet's security breaches have been traced back to bad passwords, but until recently, anything better than passwords meant expensive hardware tokens, or complex digital certificates. Luckily, authentication is experiencing a renaissance. New technologies have made it easier, more secure, and even less expensive to authenticate a person. Authentication is the front door to your network service. What device does the person have in their hands? Is your website or mobile app for customers or employees? This talk will help you understand your options, and how to use authentication for competitive advantage.