Authentication technologies help ensure that only the right employees gain access to the right resources at the right time. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) takes authentication a step further by requiring employees to successfully authenticate into two or more factors before being granted access.
MFA is framed around the concept of something you know, something you have, and something you are. Something you know is a knowledge factor, like a password. Something you have is a possession factor, like a phone or a security key. And something you are is an inherence factor, like a biometric.
When passwords continue to cause 80% of all data breaches, passwords alone are simply not enough to keep business resources secure. MFA adds an additional layer to employee logins on top of passwords and is essential for businesses to maintain a strong security posture.
The User Experience Employees Want
One component of MFA is biometric authentication, which uses physically who you are, such as your fingerprint or face as the authentication factor. Biometrics are rising in popularity in both the business and consumer space, and one study even found that up to 70% of consumers want the expanded use of biometric authentication in the workplace because of their familiarity with biometrics outside of work.
The reason why biometric authentication has become popular is because it’s so easy to use. One touch of a fingerprint can securely grant access - a much more seamless user experience than manually typing out a password.
Increased Security and Privacy
When it comes to biometric authentication, both experience and security are key. Biometric authentication helps increase security because it eliminates the password from the employee login experience. As opposed to employee manually typing out passwords, which opens a breadth of password related risks, employees securely authenticate using who they are.
But it’s not only about security, it’s also about privacy. Local-only encryption is critical for biometric authentication solutions because it helps ensure the biometric data remains private. As opposed to the biometric data being stored in the cloud, local-only encryption means the biometric data is stored on the device itself, so no one has access to the biometric data other than the employee themselves.
Discover How LastPass MFA Balances Security and Simplicity
LastPass MFA balances security and simplicity through biometric multi-factor authentication. IT can enforce flexible authentication requirements around the time of day, the employee’s location and even by device, with insight and control into every single employee login. Employees can enjoy the seamless user experience of authenticating with their fingerprint or face, which in turn increases productivity.
See how easy it is to add biometric authentication for every critical resource in your business with LastPass MFA.
