There are three main reasons why the adoption of multi-factor authentication has been so slow—in both the consumer and Enterprise spaces. Cost and technical complexity to implement multi-factor authentication are often cited as top reasons— and with IT budgets and staff time already pulled in many different directions, these are significant concerns. Multi-factor authentication schemes can break compatibility with older solutions, be difficult to install and maintain and sap resource time and budget dollars from other initiatives.
However, there is one reason that stands above all others: User Experience. In a multi-logon, multi-device world, users don’t want to be inconvenienced to enable and then authenticate with multiple factors on all of their devices. In the Enterprise, this is made even more difficult by the lack of native multi-factor authentication in off-the-shelf applications and in Windows, the primary OS used in Enterprise environments.
IT departments seek to offer their users’ friction-less computing, and multi-factor authentication, despite the protection it can offer, feels like a move in the wrong direction. This challenging User Experience is one reason why adoption of Google’s 2SV (multi-factor authentication) technology limited to something approximating 6.5 percent of their user population—despite news articles, nag screens and other inducements to enable it.
Acceptable credentials generally fall into one of three categories: something you know (a password or PIN), something you have (a smart phone or physical token), or something you are (your fingerprint). For multi-factor authentication, credentials must come from two different categories. So, for example, after typing in your user name and password, some apps will send a one-time code to your phone that also must be typed in. The thinking goes that while hackers today can all too easily discover your passwords, they almost certainly won’t also have your phone (but more on that later).
The obvious benefit of multi-factor authentication is increased security by adding additional layers of protection. The more layers (factors), the harder it is for a potential intruder to gain access to accounts, systems or data. MFA can also help organizations achieve and maintain compliance, which can reduce potential legal liability.
We present to you, “Top 10 Multi Factor Authentication Solutions Providers – 2022.”
