Authenticating a user before allowing them access to a secure application is a crucial security step needed to protect the digital assets of your organisation. The username and password combination has long been the conventional mechanism used to authenticate users and prove identity, but password security is inherently flawed. Poor password hygiene practices, such as reusing the same password for multiple apps or choosing a simple, guessable password, put operations at risk. To counter this threat, you can turn to advanced forms of authentication.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is an added layer of security that requires a user to submit an additional authentication factor along with their username and password. This second authentication factor is usually something the user has (a smart card or hardware token) or something that is unique to the user (a fingerprint or iris scan). This multi-layered, defence-in-depth approach to authentication