The internet revolutionized all aspects of our lives. It changed the way we learn, the way we communicate, and the way that we complete our day-to-day tasks. The internet changed not only our personal lives but the way we do business as well.
But unfortunately, it’s not without its downsides. There are always going to be scammers out there and the internet is no exception. The biggest issue with internet scams and the scammers themselves is that they are faceless. It’s not someone coming to your door, these internet scams are done anonymously so they’re trickier to determine.
Thankfully, where there is an issue, there’s also a solution. Internet safety tools are used to keep yourself safe but it gets more complex when considering the safety of your business.
The importance of internet safety for businesses
It’s a little easier to keep your personal safety secure on the internet as you only have to think about your own actions. It gets a little more complex when you add other people into the mix. And when you consider that all of the people in your customer base are going to have varying degrees of internet savvy, it gets even more complicated.
Running a business has its own challenges so you really want to avoid internet safety being another issue to add to the list. That’s where authentication can be your best friend.
Authentication is the process of ensuring the person accessing your system is who they say they are. You might already have two-step authentication set up on some personal devices such as your banking app. This is where you have an extra step in identifying yourself – even after you’ve entered the correct password.
This is generally done by sending a unique code via text message or email to the corresponding account. Two-step authentication is definitely useful and should be used on any personal account. But it can become long-winded to set up for your business. That’s where the benefits of multi-factor authentication come into play.
Benefits of authentication protocols
Although our personal online safety is important, there is a lot more at risk when it comes to your business’s online safety. Using SASE technology provided by Perimeter 81 can increase your safety online, there are so many benefits for you and your business including:
1. More layers of protection
As with anything, the more protection the better! Two-step authentication does provide that one extra layer of protection but there is still a slight risk. Having multi-factor authentication makes it that much more difficult for scammers as there are more hoops to jump through.
2. Assurance of customer identity
Multi-factor authentication is the best way to protect your customers (and you) from the chances of identity theft. Whether you’re protecting those inside your business or your customers, ensuring someone is who they say they are is paramount in terms of internet safety.
3. Adhering to rules and regulations
Depending on the industry, multi-factor authentication can be essential when it comes to adhering to certain industry regulations. Due to the severity of internet scams, a lot of industries are required to have these multi-factor authentication protocols in place. Make sure you’re keeping up to date with any changes in rules in your industry.
4. Easy to implement
These authentication processes are easy to implement and don’t require as much time and energy as you might originally think. This is especially true when you use a SASE tool that is already ready to go. It won’t have any adverse effects on your business and will save you time and money in the long run – as well as that all-important peace of mind.
5. Protection extends to those working remotely
Oftentimes, our home security is lax in comparison to that in an office environment. However, with multi-factor authentication, the protection is extended to those on a remote network. When used in tandem with a single sign-on solution (SSO), multi-factor authentication makes it a lot more difficult for internet scammers to succeed.
Password theft is something that has been rapidly rising in recent years leading a lot of companies to get their users to change their passwords more often. This not only creates a hassle for the users but requires more attention at the business end too. Using multi-factor authentication eases this issue and ensures that the IT department is notified as soon as any potential threats are identified.
This means that any potential scammers can be blocked at the source and there is limited damage done to customers and the business.
The main benefit is that multi-factor authentication gives your business and customer base peace of mind that their information is safe and secure. But it also opens up any time that would have been spent on internet security and overseeing said security measures. This means that your business not only runs smoothly but more efficiently as well.
Reducing security risks for your customers and business should be an essential part of your IT systems.
