Understanding cybersecurity can be a bit tricky. Fortunately, physical security measures provide us with some excellent (if silly) analogies. Imagine an Ocean’s Eleven-esque caper: There’s a safe filled with diamonds - you’re the safe owner. Criminals are trying to break in. Which of the following safes would you rather have:
A safe with a four-digit passcode in plain site
A safe with a four-digit passcode hidden behind a bookshelf that flips open when you hit a switch
A safe with a four digit-passcode hidden behind a bookshelf that flips open when you hit a switch, surrounded by lasers that trigger an alarm
The answer, obviously, is the third one. Why? There are a variety of different security measures in place, so even if you manage to get past one, you still have more barriers to get through. That means you’re more likely to be stopped by the security measures, or slowed down enough that you get caught.
Multi-factor authentication for software works in much the same way. Traditionally, your access to software has been guarded by one factor - what you know. This might be a password, it might be security questions, it might be both, but if hackers gain access to that information, you’re out of luck.
Add in a second factor, and you’ve got two-factor authentication, or 2FA. Examples of other methods of authentication include what you have (for example, a text message to your cell phone), or what you are (biometrics). When you have all three together, you’ve got multi-factor authentication (MFA).
How does MFA protect your business? Simply put, more and more of your business processes are going to occur on the cloud. Take, for example, cloud accounting; everything from projections to purchasing patterns will be readily available to someone who manages to hack your platform. They could delete valuable information, or steal it and sell it online. Business process management, customer relations management, project management, sensitive communications - the works. All of these things can be accessed remotely, and that means remote access by nefarious actors is possible.
In light of this, most of these softwares have 2FA or MFA available - you just have to know how to set it up properly. That’s one of the ways we can help you. Great network security doesn’t just mean setting up MFA - it means limiting access to software when it’s unnecessary, to reduce the number of potential weak points in your security. In other words, you beef up security in some areas and limit access in others in order to protect your network.
Our IT company in Winnipeg is here to boost your network’s security through MFA and any other appropriate means. The goal is to increase security without creating unnecessary bottlenecks or drastically increasing costs. By taking a holistic approach to security, we can identify any potential holes in your infrastructure, patch those holes, and create systems by which any vulnerabilities can be identified and secured.
