We recently participated in a Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Hardening Seminar. The seminar covered ways we, as a Microsoft Service Provider (MSP), can protect our client infrastructure on the cloud.

One thing that caught my attention was the recommendation to enable MFA on every account. MFA stands for multi-factor authentication. You log in with your password, and a six-digit code is generated and sent to your email or text.

As an MSP, we knew MFA could be an essential security tool. But it was eye-opening to hear from Microsoft that enabling MFA can reduce your accounts’ risk of being hacked by 90%! That is significant.

Whether you use Office 365 or GSuite for your business, enable MFA on all your users. It’s a straightforward process. Once you’ve enabled it on your account, your users need to download a free app. One option is Microsoft Authenticator, but there are others.

Another big thing discussed at the seminar was using a very long password. The current recommendation is for at least 16 characters. They have found that instead of replacing an eight-character password every 90 days, you can continue using the longer password for a year before needing to change it.

Those two tips - using MFA and 16-character passwords - can significantly enhance your cybersecurity. Schedule a call with us if you’d like to know more about hardening your security around your platform.