Did you know 72% of small businesses report having their IT systems accessed by those without proper authorization? What does this mean for your small business? Well, chances are, your IT systems have also been accessed by an unauthorized individual.

So how do you reduce the risks of unauthorized access? That’s simple: two-factor authentication is extremely safe for businesses of any size to drastically reduce the risks of confidential information, employee records, customer orders, and accounting data from falling into the hands of those without proper authorization.

While you’re already familiar with the concept of a standard login name and password, two-factor authentication goes above and beyond the typical protection; however, the first factor is a username and password. But that’s not always enough, especially when we consider how many computer users post their logins and passwords on sticky notes on their monitor, or simply use simple passwords such as “password” or “12345.”

Simple Passwords Aren’t Enough to Protect the Important Data Stored in Your Business Applications and On Your Network – Two-Factor Authentication Offers a More Robust Level of Security to Prevent Unauthorized Access!

Two-factor authentication offers a second level of authentication to protect the important data stored in your business applications and on your network. In fact, two-factor authentication can be considered the second hurdle to jump over! If a hacker or former employee has access to your login and password, they probably don’t have the secure onetime password that’s required to access the network.

Essentially, two-factor authentication consists of:

1. Something you know:  This could be a second password, secret PIN, or the answer to a question such as “mother’s maiden name.”
2. Something you have: This could be a special hardware device, an ID badge, or a text message to your cell phone.
3. Something you are: This could be found using a fingerprint scanner, iris scanner, or some other biometric ID.

No matter what form of authentication is used, it’s critical to have multiple layers of security! A hacker or disgruntled employee may have access to your password, but chances are, they don’t know the second form of authentication.

Feeling concerned about your IT security? Contact {company} to prevent unauthorized access to your confidential data! Give us a call at {phone} or send us an email at {email}. We’re your trusted IT security professionals and we’ll make sure you’re getting the correct network security advice to keep your business data safe and secure.