The clock is ticking for Snowflake users worldwide. By November 2025, Snowflake will phase out single-factor password authentication to enhance security and safeguard data access. This isn't just another routine security update—it's a fundamental shift that will impact every organisation using Snowflake for their data operations.
As organisations scramble to meet this deadline, many are discovering that authentication migration is far more complex than initially anticipated. The pressure to comply with Snowflake's policy, which will block all password-based sign-in attempts using single-factor authentication, is driving rushed implementations that often lead to costly mistakes. Our Principal Consultant for the UK, Archan Chatterjee, explains the five critical pitfalls that consistently plague authentication migration projects and shares proven strategies to navigate this transformation successfully.
Introduction
Having guided numerous organisations through complex Snowflake authentication migrations as a Principal Consultant at Keyrus, I've witnessed firsthand how seemingly minor oversights can derail entire projects. The shift from traditional authentication methods to modern, secure alternatives, such as key-pair authentication, isn't just a technical upgrade—it's a fundamental transformation that affects every aspect of your data infrastructure.
Through my experience working with enterprise clients, I've identified five critical mistakes that consistently plague authentication migration projects. These pitfalls not only jeopardise security but can also lead to costly delays, operational disruptions, and frustrated stakeholders. Let me share these insights to help you navigate your migration journey more effectively.
The Automation Oversight: Manual Key Rotation's Hidden Dangers
One of the most significant mistakes I encounter is organisations activating key-pair authentication while completely ignoring the automation of key rotation. This oversight creates a ticking time bomb in your security architecture.
Manual key rotation isn't just inefficient—it's fundamentally risky and creates an overwhelming operational burden for your teams. When you rely on human intervention for critical security processes, you're introducing multiple failure points. I've seen organisations where key rotation became a monthly nightmare, with team members scrambling to update credentials across dozens of applications before the old keys expired.
The solution lies in implementing automated key rotation from day one of your migration. This means establishing clear procedures, automated scripts, and monitoring systems that can handle the rotation process without human intervention. Your security team will thank you, and your sleep schedule will remain intact.
The Security Blind Spot: Why Role and Privilege Reviews Are Non-Negotiable
The temptation to pursue a "lift-and-shift" approach with existing service accounts is understandable—it appears to save time and reduce complexity. However, this strategy often preserves old security vulnerabilities and creates new ones in your modernised environment.
During my consulting engagements, I've discovered that many organisations carry forward excessive privileges that were granted years ago under different circumstances. These dormant security holes become active threats when migrated to new authentication systems without proper review.
A comprehensive role and privilege audit should be integral to your migration strategy. This process involves examining every service account, understanding its actual requirements versus its current permissions, and implementing the principle of least privilege. Yes, this adds time to your project timeline, but the alternative—migrating security vulnerabilities into your new system—is far costlier in the long run.
The Communication Gap: Early Engagement Makes All the Difference
Agile development timelines are notoriously tight, and authentication changes require careful coordination across multiple teams. One of the most preventable mistakes I observe is failing to communicate early with all stakeholders about upcoming changes.
Your development teams need adequate time to modify their applications, test new connection methods, and adjust their deployment pipelines. Operations teams require preparation time to update monitoring systems and runbooks. Even your business stakeholders need advance notice to plan for potential service windows.
I recommend initiating these conversations at least two sprint cycles before any planned changes. This early engagement allows teams to incorporate necessary modifications into their planning cycles rather than treating them as urgent, disruptive requests. The result is smoother implementations and fewer last-minute complications.
The One-Size-Fits-All Trap: When Key-Pair Authentication Isn't the Answer
While key-pair authentication offers excellent security benefits, defaulting to this method for every use case represents a significant strategic error. Modern authentication landscapes offer various options, including OAuth, which may be more appropriate for specific scenarios.
Interactive applications, for instance, often benefit more from OAuth implementations that provide better user experience and more granular access control. Service-to-service communications might require different approaches depending on the specific security requirements and operational constraints.
The key is conducting a thorough assessment of your authentication requirements before selecting methods. Consider factors such as user experience, operational complexity, integration capabilities, and long-term maintenance requirements. A hybrid approach often delivers the best results, combining the strengths of different authentication methods where they're most appropriate.
The Rollback Reality: Planning for the Unexpected
Perhaps the most dangerous mistake I encounter is implementing authentication changes without establishing clear rollback procedures. In the complex world of enterprise data systems, things don't always go according to plan, and having a well-defined escape route can mean the difference between a minor hiccup and a major outage.
Effective rollback planning involves more than just keeping old credentials active during the transition period. You need documented procedures for reverting changes, clear decision criteria for when to execute a rollback, and tested communication channels to coordinate the process across all affected teams.
I always recommend conducting rollback drills as part of your testing strategy. These exercises help identify potential issues before they become critical problems and ensure your teams can execute the procedures under pressure.
The Keyrus Methodology: A Proven Path Forward
Throughout my career at Keyrus, I've developed and refined a comprehensive methodology that addresses these common pitfalls through structured planning, thorough testing, and continuous stakeholder engagement. Our approach emphasises early risk identification, automated solutions, and clear communication channels that keep all parties aligned throughout the migration process.
My experience working with Fortune 500 companies has taught me that the foundation of successful authentication migration lies in treating it as a business transformation rather than a purely technical exercise. By avoiding these five critical mistakes and implementing proper planning, automation, and communication strategies, your organisation can achieve a smooth, secure transition that enhances rather than disrupts your operational capabilities.
Remember, authentication migration is not just about implementing new technology—it's about building a more secure, maintainable, and scalable foundation for your data infrastructure. The investment in doing it right the first time pays dividends in improved security, reduced operational burden, and enhanced system reliability.
About the Author
Archan Chatterjee is a Principal Consultant at Keyrus with extensive experience in cloud data architectures, security implementations, and enterprise-scale Snowflake deployments. He has spent years helping organisations across various industries navigate the complex landscape of modern data platform migrations, specialising in authentication strategies and secure data infrastructure transformations.
Further Reading
Everything You Need to Know About Snowflake's Authentication Overhaul