As digital ecosystems expand across borders and industries, access is shared and data is exchanged. Operations depend on digital systems that extend beyond the boundaries of a single entity, and in this environment, digital trust underwrites every B2B relationship.

Many business leaders are already aware that trust in digital interactions is fragile, and the cost of losing it is steep. From onboarding delays to weak identity controls, organizations are learning that partnership is not just about contracts: it is about confidence in systems, in processes, and in the people who use them.

The Trust Gap Is Widening

In a business-to-business context, trust should begin at first contact, but too often, it is delayed. The Index reveals that 31% of third-party users must wait more than one business day just to gain access to partner systems, and in a climate of speed and competition, that kind of lag is costly.

What might appear to be a minor inconvenience is in reality a signal. It tells new users that digital collaboration will be slow, fragmented and frustrating. Only 46% of third-party users are satisfied with the overall onboarding process, and fewer still (38%) feel confident that onboarding steps are clear. When first impressions are poor, digital trust erodes before the partnership begins.

Identity Is the Foundation of Trust

At the heart of this trust crisis lies identity management. Who has access? How is it granted? And what happens when roles change or relationships end?

These questions define the health of a digital ecosystem, yet many firms do not have clear answers. More than half of users say they retained access to partner systems well after they no longer needed it. On average, access revocation takes more than five business days. In the meantime, systems remain open, data exposed, and accountability uncertain.

This is not just a security issue: it is a failure of trust design. When users see access being mismanaged (either granted too slowly or revoked too late), they question whether the partnership can be relied on, they begin to work around the systems, or they stop using them altogether.

Trust Must Be Fostered, Not Assumed

Digital trust is not static — it must be sustained across the full lifecycle of third-party users. And yet, many entities struggle to keep up with the pace of change. A user gets promoted, a contractor shifts to a new account, an access need evolves, and the system should adapt. But according to the same report, only 48% of users receive all the correct permissions after a role change. In 35% of cases, it takes up to a week for access to be updated.

In high-functioning environments, that delay disrupts operations, and in highly regulated industries such as insurance or pharmaceuticals, it becomes a compliance risk. 

Trust begins to fail when access no longer reflects reality.

Consistency in Access Builds Trust

Trust thrives on consistency, yet the experience of logging into partner systems remains anything but consistent.

An estimated 96% of third-party users encounter access issues. For nearly half, these issues happen weekly. Over time, that adds up to 48 minutes lost each month per user, just navigating partner systems. 

Additionally, nearly 60% of businesses still rely on SMS one-time passwords, despite the known risks. Others use biometrics, tokens, or passkeys, but no single method dominates, and it is clear that authentication methods are fragmented. 

Inconsistency leads to complexity, and complexity undermines confidence. But, organizations that build consistent, secure, and usable access experiences are not just reducing friction. They are sending a strong message: we take our digital business relationships seriously.

Delegated Control, Central Oversight

To overcome these challenges, a new model is emerging, that rebalances control and responsibility in digital identity systems.

Delegated User Management allows partner organizations to manage access for their own users, within defined limits set by the host organization. It makes onboarding faster, aligns access with business needs, and limits dependency on central IT teams without sacrificing control. The host entity retains oversight, so that policy enforcement and data protection remain intact.

This approach reflects a deeper shift from centralized gatekeeping to distributed trust, and it recognizes that B2B collaboration is no longer linear. Rather, it is dynamic, distributed, and built on shared accountability.

Access Uncertainty Erodes Trust

One of the clearest signs of weak trust is uncertainty about third-party access.

According to the Digital Trust Index – Third-Party Edition, 61% of organizations struggle to track the details of all their external partners. The same percentage worry about outdated access rights remaining in place, while more than half (56%) say they are only somewhat confident that their partners would disclose a security breach in time.

These findings show how quickly confidence can break down. If an organization is unsure which partners are active, what permissions remain, or whether incidents will be reported, accountability weakens. In B2B ecosystems, trust only holds when access is clear, current, and reliable.

Security Is the New Brand of Trust

When asked what matters most in accessing partner systems, respondents ranked security first (87%), followed by privacy (82%) and user experience (66%).

This hierarchy is a shift in how trust is defined. It is not about personal rapport, but assurance, and knowing that systems will behave as expected. That data is protected, and that risk is managed.

Security practices, once viewed as backend operations, are now front and center. They impact perception, fuel cooperation, and define reputation. An organization that cannot promptly revoke access, properly manage identities, or detect anomalies early is not just insecure; it is untrustworthy.

Trust Is Built into the Process

To succeed today, B2B partnerships must have a foundation of secure, efficient systems that are built for change. That means investing in structured identity management practices, embracing automation for access provisioning and revocation, and simplifying authentication, standardizing onboarding, and monitoring access continuously. But above all, it means treating trust as an operational objective, not a byproduct.

In the world of B2B digital trust, your access policies are your handshake. Your authentication methods are your credentials, and your onboarding and offboarding processes are your reputation.

Jose Caso is a product marketing manager at Thales.