A secure security infrastructure is based on the user’s permissions and two-factor authentication. They can reduce the risk of malicious or accidental insider activities, limit the impact of data breaches and help ensure compliance with regulations.

Two factor authentication (2FA) is a procedure in which a user has to input a credential derived from two categories in order to log into an account. This could include something the user knows (password PIN code, password, security question) or a document they have (one-time verification code sent to their phone or an authenticator app) or something that they possess (fingerprint or face scan).

Often, 2FA is a subset of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which has many more factors than just two. MFA is often a requirement in certain industries, for example healthcare (because of the strict HIPAA regulations) as well as e-commerce and banking. The COVID-19 pandemic has also heightened the urgency of security in organizations that require two-factor authentication.

Enterprises are living organisms, and their security infrastructures are continuously evolving. Users shift roles and capabilities of hardware are changing, and complex systems are at the fingertips of users. It is important to regularly reevaluate the two-factor authentication strategies at regular intervals to ensure that they keep up with the latest developments. One way to accomplish this is through adaptive authentication which is a form of contextual authentication that creates policies based on the way the login request is received. Duo provides an administrator dashboard centrally that lets you easily manage and set these types of policies.

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