Key Security Actions: Step 2

Multi-Factor Authentication

In today's digital age, it's more important than ever to protect your business's sensitive information from cyber threats. One of the most effective ways to do this is through the use of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

Regardless of the size of your business or what industry you operate in, understanding the benefits of MFA and how to implement it is crucial to keeping your business and networks secure.

Implementing MFA is one of three simple steps encouraged by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) to provide businesses with a baseline of protection.

3 simple yet key actions

We have outlined these three simple steps, across three blogs, encouraged to provide a baseline of protection:

Updating and/or patching your devices to protect important information - READ NOW.
Using Multi-Factor Authentication to protect your accounts, and
Regularly backing up your data to the cloud or external hard drive - READ NOW.

In this blog series, we deep dive into each of these key security actions, below focusing on the importance of backing up your data. In this article, we deep dive into all things MFA.

What is MFA?

MFA is an effective way to provide another layer of security to your networks. Traditional usernames and passwords can be stolen, and have become increasingly more vulnerable to cyber attacks. MFA is the use of more than just one form of authentication when using your username and password to log into a system. This ensures that the user logging in is who they state they are, and protects your credentials if they are compromised.

Multi-Factor Authentication can use a combination of:

something the user knows (a passphrase, PIN or an answer to a secret question).
something the user physically possesses (such as a smartcard, physical token or security key).
something the user inherently possesses (such as a fingerprint or retina pattern).

How does MFA protect my data and my privacy?

MFA is available at two levels of security, both of which boost your ability to protect your most precious resources – your data and the privacy of your staff and clients.

MFA means that intruders no longer need a username and password to access your resources; there is always at least one more method of authentication.

How can Diamond IT help implement MFA?

Diamond IT’s MFA is simple to use and provides vastly improved security with the most trivial cost of time and effort. Once switched on, your employees install an authorised mobile app which they’ll require to log in along with their regular credentials. From that point on, people logging in will be protected by the simple process of confirming the login on the authorised mobile device, preventing intruders from logging into your system with stolen credentials.

What does it include?

Diamond IT’s MFA includes a secure and robust cloud-based MFA platform with our fully managed services to support your staff on an ongoing basis. Our solution makes security seamless and straightforward, so you can focus on what’s important.

Our scalable, cloud-based platform addresses security threats before they become a problem, by verifying the identity of your users and the health of their devices before they connect to the applications. Since multi-factor requires more than just a username and password to log in, the risk of cybercriminals gaining access to your applications is reduced.

How can Diamond IT help?

Diamond IT will work with you to ensure your staff are aware of the types of ever-evolving cyber threats, and equip them with tools and a high level of cyber and data awareness and comprehension.

Our online Cyber Security Staff Awareness Training and Cyber Security Health Check can have an immediate impact on the strength of your security.

Our Business Technology Consultants are specialists in improving your internal cyber security. We offer a range of security solutions to ensure your employees and business remains secure, with many included in our Managed Services Agreements including:

If you need advice on how you can ensure your cyber security strategy is fit for purpose, our team of cyber security experts are ready to help. Contact our team on 1300 307 907 today.