Benefits of multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Increased security: By requiring more than just a password, e.g. a code sent to your phone, MFA reduces the risk of unauthorised people gaining access to your account. This makes it more difficult for hackers to succeed with their efforts, even if they get hold of your password
- Protection against password theft: Passwords can often be leaked or stolen as a result of data breaches, phishing or other cyber attacks. MFA provides an extra layer of security that protects your account even if your password is compromised.
- Increased trust and confidence: By using MFA, companies and organisations demonstrate that they take security seriously, which builds trust among users and customers.
- Protection against automated attacks: MFA makes it much more difficult for hackers to use automated methods, such as brute force attacks, which involve testing numerous passwords in the hope of accessing an account.
- Compliance and regulatory framework: Many cybersecurity regulations and standards, such as the GDPR and NIST, recommend or require the use of MFA to protect data and personal information. By implementing MFA, organisations can fulfil these requirements and avoid problems with compliance.
- Reduced liability and costs: If an account is hacked, it can lead to data breaches that are costly both financially and in terms of reputational damage. MFA reduces the risk of such breaches and thus the long-term costs relating to resulting damage and restoration
Benefits of Single Sign-On (SSO)
- Increased user-friendliness: With SSO, users only need to log in once to access all their applications and systems. This eliminates the need to remember multiple passwords, thereby making work smoother and saving time.
- Reduced password fatigue: By reducing the number of logins per day, SSO reduces the risk of so-called 'password fatigue', which refers to users becoming overwhelmed by all the different passwords and thus creating simple passwords or using the same password on multiple platforms, which can lead to security risks.
- Increased security: SSO reduces the amount of passwords a user has to manage, which reduces the risk of password theft. Having fewer logins also means phishing attacks are less likely to succeed. SSO can also be combined with multi-factor authentication (MFA) to further strengthen security.
- Increased productivity: By eliminating the need for repeated logins, SSO reduces interruptions in users' workflows. This results in faster access to tools and applications, which allows users to focus on their work tasks instead of spending time on logins.
- Reduced risk of incorrect logins: When users only have to manage one login, the risk of using the wrong password or being locked out of accounts is reduced, which in turn reduces the need to contact support to reset passwords
- Easier compliance and traceability: By centralising the access to different systems using SSO, organisations can easily track and document login activities, which facilitates the monitoring of compliance with security standards and regulations, such as the GDPR.