Ever had a remote help desk session go sideways because you weren’t sure who was on the other end?
You’re not alone. IT, HR, and CX leaders know that verifying someone’s identity over phone or chat can be a nightmare. In fact, traditional ID checks like personal questions or ID scans just don’t cut it anymore – they frustrate users and leave security gaps that clever fraudsters exploit.1 Let’s start by looking at the real-world pain points in remote support today, and then see how ZealiD + Microsoft Entra Verified ID team up to solve them.
Let’s introduce our heroes in plain language. Microsoft Entra Verified ID is part of Microsoft’s identity platform (formerly Azure AD, now Entra ID) that lets organizations issue and verify digital identity credentials. Think of a Verified ID as a virtual ID card: the company can confirm “Yes, this is Jane, she’s an employee” and the user can securely share that proof when needed. It’s all based on open standards (W3C verifiable credentials) and hardened by cryptography, so it’s trustworthy and tamper-proof. Read More
ZealiD, on the other hand, is a regulated digital ID wallet and Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) provider. In non-tech speak, ZealiD gives each user a smartphone app that’s like a government-grade digital passport + signature tool. It’s been audited and qualified under EU eIDAS regulations (the highest trust standard in Europe), which means when someone uses ZealiD to identify or sign, you can take it to the bank – literally. It’s as legally solid as a physical passport or a notarized signature, but lives on the user’s phone for instant use. The user verifies their identity once with ZealiD (including a selfie biometric check and ID document scan) to set it up here, and then they’re equipped with a personal digital ID that’s recognized EU-wide.
Now combine these two and magic happens. By using ZealiD on top of Microsoft Entra Verified ID, you essentially get a supercharged identity verification for your help desk:
In simpler terms: ZealiD is the secure ID wallet, and Entra is the ID checker. Together, they solve impersonation and UX woes by making verification easy, fast, and phish-proof. No more interrogating users or gambling on guessable info – you get a cryptographically verified yes/no from a high-assurance credential.
So, what does an actual remote help desk interaction look like with ZealiD and Entra Verified ID in play? It’s surprisingly simple and user-friendly:
Behind the scenes, Microsoft Entra and ZealiD did all the heavy lifting. ZealiD’s regulated identity filled the void of providing a real, government-trusted identity remotely, and Entra’s Verified ID service seamlessly relayed that trust from the user’s device to the agent. It’s essentially the equivalent of the user flashing an unforgeable digital driver’s license over the internet, with a process easier than logging into a website. And since every Microsoft Entra ID-based service is already compatible with ZealiD’s wallet by design, enabling this flow is straightforward.
A common concern with new tech solutions is “This sounds great, but how hard will it be to implement?” The answer here: if you’re already on Microsoft Entra (Azure AD), you’re mostly there! Microsoft Entra Verified ID can be enabled in your tenant with configuration, not coding. And ZealiD’s wallet is built to plug and play with Entra – it adheres to the same standards, so any existing Entra setup can start accepting ZealiD’s credentials out-of-the-box. It’s more about policy and activation than integration. In fact, Microsoft’s own deployment of ZealiD for signing HR documents was described as “a matter of instant activation”.
In practice, deploying this might involve: turning on the Verified ID service in your Microsoft 365/Azure portal, choosing ZealiD (or issuing through ZealiD) as an identity verification provider, and training your help desk on the new “verify” button. ZealiD is a Microsoft Verified ID partner, so the groundwork to trust ZealiD-issued credentials is already laid. No need to rip-and-replace systems or build custom code. If your users have the ZealiD app (which they can download and register in minutes), you’re ready to roll.
Bottom line: For organizations already invested in Microsoft’s identity ecosystem, adding ZealiD’s high-assurance IDs is a configuration change, not a major IT project. That means you can start reaping the benefits almost immediately, without a big upfront integration cost.
Related to the certification hurdle is a very practical technical bottleneck: managing keys in secure elements. The core of any digital identity wallet is cryptography – each wallet will hold private keys that are used to prove the user’s identity and sign credentials or authentication requests. For a LoA High wallet, these keys must reside in a secure element or equivalent (a hardened secure chip or enclave) so they can’t be extracted or tampered with2. This poses a few challenges:
In short, the technical plumbing of secure key handling is a bottleneck that requires coordination between many parties. Private wallet providers have to navigate OS-level restrictions, integrate with various national systems, and ensure an ultra-secure yet user-friendly way of storing keys. Any weakness here undermines the whole trust of the wallet. This is why the EU’s reference architecture strongly emphasizes the WSCD (Wallet Secure Cryptographic Device) as a cornerstone. It’s an active area of development and debate. For example, experts are discussing whether current smartphone hardware can even fully meet LoA High out of the box, or if new hardware modules will be needed – some fear that if devices don’t support required cryptography, it could “jeopardize the timeline” for rollout2. That brings us to our next topic: timelines.
Now that we’ve covered the what and how, let’s highlight why a ZealiD + Entra Verified ID powered help desk is a game changer. Here are the key benefits your organization can expect:
This isn’t theoretical – major companies are already seeing the value of ZealiD and Microsoft’s identity solutions in action. For instance, Microsoft itself partnered with ZealiD to enhance its remote HR processes. By using ZealiD’s qualified eSignature and ID services (integrated via Adobe Acrobat Sign), Microsoft can now onboard and sign documents with new employees across Europe in minutes, with full legal compliance and high assurance. The result was a state-of-the-art, compliant, remote, and user-friendly experience for their hires2 – exactly what every modern employer aims for. In fact, Microsoft reported that this approach not only improved the experience but also slashed the average agreement signing time from over a week to just minutes, while cutting onboarding costs by €30-40 per employee. That’s a huge win for efficiency and security.
Meanwhile in the automotive industry, Volvo has embraced ZealiD’s digital identity and signature capabilities for HR and legal processes. Volvo’s HR teams can onboard international talent quickly and securely, confident that digital contracts signed via ZealiD are legally valid across borders.3 What used to involve juggling different national ID checks and paperwork is now a streamlined digital flow. Companies like Nike, ABN AMRO, and Adobe have also leveraged ZealiD for cross-border agreements and identity verification, proving that this isn’t just a niche idea – it’s becoming a best practice for global businesses.
And here’s the kicker: Microsoft is doubling down on Verified ID + ZealiD. The partnership’s next step is to allow Microsoft (and other partners’) Verified ID credentials to be exchanged through the ZealiD wallet. This means the exact help desk scenario we’ve been discussing is on the horizon at a big scale – real employees holding a digital Microsoft employee ID in their ZealiD app, ready to prove who they are in one tap. If that’s the direction Microsoft and Volvo are headed, it’s a strong signal that this approach delivers real value.
In highlighting these challenges – from business viability to hardware certification, from onboarding hurdles to UX constraints – our goal is not to throw cold water on the EUDI Wallet initiative. On the contrary, at ZealiD we are deeply invested in the vision of a secure, user-friendly digital identity for Europe. We have firsthand experience navigating eIDAS regulations, remote onboarding, and Qualified Trust Services, so we recognize both the obstacles and the opportunities. The hard truths discussed above should serve as a reality check and a call to action for everyone involved: policymakers, tech companies, and even end-user communities.
The EUDI Wallet ecosystem is too important to get wrong. If only government agencies participate and innovation stagnates, we risk ending up with a solution that people use grudgingly, or worse, ignore. If we rush ahead without solving core issues (security, standards, business models), we might face a backlash or a security incident that erodes trust. The time is now to tackle these foundational challenges head-on, together. Regulators should actively engage with private sector innovators – we need flexible policies that encourage competition (for example, allowing multiple certified wallets per country, not just one) and clear guidance on business models (so companies know how they can sustainably operate wallets or services around them). Industry players, for their part, should share their technical know-how and concerns openly – if there’s a roadblock with secure element access or an unclear certification guideline, bringing it up early can lead to collaborative problem-solving. Initiatives like the Large-Scale Pilots and the open-source reference wallet project are great forums for this, and we applaud those efforts.
At ZealiD, we’re positioning ourselves not just as a wallet provider, but as a partner in this digital identity journey. We’ve chosen a path of building on open standards and integrating with existing platforms (like Microsoft Entra) to ensure real-world usability from day one. Our approach has been to solve current problems (e.g., cross-border digital signing, global onboarding for businesses) in a way that complements the coming EUDI infrastructure. We see the EUDI Wallet not as a threat, but as an evolving opportunity – if we can iron out the foundational wrinkles.
Let’s focus on solving what’s foundational before scaling what’s still undefined. The aggressive timelines for EUDI Wallet rollout should not force us into deploying half-baked solutions; instead, they should galvanize us to prioritize the critical issues now. This blog is an open invitation for dialogue: What are your thoughts on making the EUDI Wallet commercially viable? How can we streamline Common Criteria certifications or make hardware security more accessible to developers? What’s the plan for countries where digital ID is nascent? How do we ensure users actually want to use these wallets? These are the questions we need to answer – and we believe we can only answer them together.
The days of interrogating users and fearing impostors on the other end of a support call can finally be left behind. With ZealiD and Microsoft Entra Verified ID, you can make your remote help desk both ultra-secure and refreshingly easy to use – a win-win for your IT/security team and the people they support. The technology is proven, the integration is painless, and the improvement in assurance and experience is dramatic.
Imagine being able to tell your board that your customer and employee support is not only faster and more convenient, but backed by the same level of identity assurance used by banks and governments. That’s the kind of transformation that elevates IT from a cost center to a trust enabler.
If you’re looking to create this best-in-class support experience in your organization, talk to our sales team to see how you can get started. We’d love to help you stop impostors, delight your users, and turn identity verification from a pain point into a point of pride for your company. Let’s bring your help desk into the future – securely, together.
(All sources cited above are referenced in the text, using the indicated reference codes.)
ZealiD is an EU Qualified Trust Service Provider offering identity wallets and qualified electronic signatures across Europe. We are a certified Microsoft ISV Partner and trusted by financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies, and national governments.
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