Business IT Security: Two-Factor Authentication, what is it?

Michael Kiselyk with Magnitech Solutions talks Two-Factor Authentication and how it affects your business.

Two-Factor Authentication is way of increasing the security of your logins. Not only do you have to authenticate with your user name and password, you need to verify your identity with an additional security step; which is why this process is called Two-Factor Authentication. This second authentication method is supposed to a way that no one else will have access.

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Your initial user name and password are your keys to your IT systems. They should be confidential. Password cracking is a popular computer hack today. Following simple password security is crucial to your business. Two-Factor Authentication is an additional layer of security for company data and private information. We will dive into Two-Factor Authentication methods below.

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Ways that you can authenticate are; phone call, text message, hardware token, or a smart phone app:

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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Phone Call</strong> – You will receive an automated call with a message to press any number on your phone to authenticate. The phone could be your cell phone or a land line.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Text Message</strong> – You will receive a numeric code via a text message.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Hardware Token</strong> – physical device, about the size of a key, with a screen that has numbers that change periodically. You will have to enter the number on the screen.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Smart Phone App</strong> – The easiest method to authenticate, you install an app on your smart phone and when you need to authenticate, you will receive a notification on your cell phone to approve or reject.</p>
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With any of the above methods, if you receive a notification without you initiating it, do not approve and contact <a href="http://magnitech.com/client-support/">Magnitech Support</a> right away. This means that someone is using your user name and password to sign into your account. We can update your password on your behalf. As always, Magnitech is here to <a href="http://magnitech.com/magnitech/it-security/">protect</a> your business systems.