We’ve been recommending for quite a while that our clients implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) on their email and Office365 accounts – really, anything that can have MFA enabled should. You may have heard of two-factor authentication (2FA) before, multi-factor can use two or more methods of authentication.
We’re asking our clients to use two factors to login now. This is because like it or not, employees will use weak passwords – or use the same password on multiple websites. If a hacker gains access to your email, they can trick your clients or employees into sending your hard-earned cash to them, or worse. Some regulated industries have penalties associated with data breaches. At a minimum, your reputation is at stake – do you want to have to tell your clients you’ve had a breach?
Microsoft has made two-factor authentication easy to use with the authenticator app for iOS and Android. Once connected to your account, all you have to do is push the “approve” button when prompted on your phone. No entry of codes is required – of course, these methods also exist if you prefer: SMS, TOTP, and even phone call methods of authentication are available.
After entering your password as usual on your desktop, with MFA enabled, you’ll see the following sequence of screens:
- The prompt on your computer to check your phone.
- The Authenticator notification on your phone’s lock screen.
- The button to click to approve.
Please let us know if you’d like us to enable multi-factor for your company’s accounts today! It takes an extra few seconds but is well worth the additional layer of security on your account. We can discuss any issues or questions you might have, and the steps required to roll it out to your staff.