How a new Azure MFA Enablement service from Jolera can better protect users and organizations worldwide.

Is there a future for passwords as we know them? The answer may be simple: No. As of September 2021, Microsoft Corp. has enabled its users to remove passwords from Microsoft accounts for Windows, M365, Outlook and OneDrive, should they wish to. This trend is also picked up by other Tech giants such as Apple and Google, who have also shifted to support this ‘passwordless’ concept.

Microsoft has long been adapting users to a password-free experience with the implementation of its Microsoft Authenticator app, which produces a security key and verification code for that user’s phone or email. According to Microsoft, they report approximately 150 million of its users no longer use a password to log onto Microsoft services.

So, is this the best option for Managed Services Providers (MSPs) or channel partners? Certainly, MSP customers will be asking about the password-free future—or, at the very least, if passwords are still a strong form of protection. What is certain is the sentiment users have with passwords: They’re a hassle to remember and organize, and password resets are an inconvenience.

Amidst all of this, Jolera has been monitoring Microsoft’s activity and has taken steps to address the market demand for a new approach to passwords as MSPs.

The Toronto-based as-a-service solution developer has introduced Consult IT Azure MFA Enablement. Designed to empower MSPs and channel partners to offer their customers an increased level of security through enabling multifactor authentication or MFA, this regulated solution enhances your password free logins.

Jolera’s Azure MFA uses several internal authentication methods, such as mobile applications, physical tokens, and SMS notifications bolstered by security policies that, for example, either enable prompts from specific geographic regions or to only prompt upon a device change.

The Azure MFA solution helps guarantee an increased security posture and dramatically simplifies the end user experience, regardless of device.

Although there is no timeframe for the end of passwords, there is still a consistent wave of organizations that are moving in that direction.

“Passwords have become somewhat of a liability due to phishing, web scams, and poor password hygiene. Defense [systems like] multi-factor authentication certainly helps but to really address the problem, we need to move beyond passwords altogether.” said Terence Persaud, Vice President of Product Development for Jolera.

“(Microsoft) and other large providers are pushing a world without passwords fairly aggressively. Microsoft the security home page headline reads “Forget passwords, go passwordless.” The more often these attacks happen, the more organizations will push to completely remove passwords and add additional layers of password-exempt security options, such as Azure MFA. We are not far off from a passwordless future. It’s not going to [change completely] in the next five years, but it is coming.” Persaud emphasized.

There are many reasons for going password free. Not only are password resets a nuisance for end users, but the concept of a password is a modern-day security issue. Primarily, passwords are generally little-to-no challenge for the highly advanced hackers of today, making password-based hacks a consistent point of entry for them. Passwords are a top vulnerability for organizations as more than 579 password attacks occur every single second. That’s more than 18 million a year, according to Microsoft research.

Backed by Microsoft’s Azure platform with 99.99% guaranteed uptime, this new solution from Jolera provides that extra layer of security to user accounts to protect all types of organizations. It can also enable rule-based access controls to define the frequency and scope of MFA challenges.

Through its own IP, Jolera now offers MSPs and channel partners a solution that features in-depth insights to user account activity through authentication reports and access reviews. Other features include support for IP whitelisting, the ability to instantly remember trusted devices reducing the frequency of MFA challenges for corporate devices and additional advanced security and access logic to further protect sensitive user accounts based on login behaviors.

The release of Consult IT Azure MFA Enablement comes at a pivotal time for MSPs and channel partners. With the change in format of hybrid and remote workspaces and workforces, it’s in everyone’s best interest to ensure that security procedures are tightened up as much as possible.

By enabling multifactor authentication through Consult IT Azure MFA, end user accounts will become more secure, all while including another layer of protection that limits hackers from gaining unauthorized access to your systems.

With this new solution, Jolera offers premium selection and design, deployment documentation, Azure MFA enablement, conditional access configuration, enrollment demonstration, NPS server deployment and enrollment assistance and support.

Contact the Jolera team today to learn more about how you can enhance your security and go password-free, now. 

By Paolo Del Nibletto