Cybersecurity

5 Ways to Balance User Productivity with Solid Authentication Protocols

February 28, 2023

One constant struggle in offices is the balance between productivity and security. Give users too much freedom in your network and risk increases. Add too many security gates and productivity can suffer. Organizations need to recognize the importance of both and not sacrifice one for the other.

A recent report from Microsoft notes a dangerous lack of authentication security. Just 22% of Azure Active Directory users had multi-factor authentication (MFA) enabled, meaning over three-quarters were at a much higher risk of an account breach. Why do organizations fail to adopt important security protocols like MFA, which is known to be up to 99.9% effective at stopping fraudulent sign-ins? User inconvenience is the most common answer. MFA is not expensive, and in fact is free to enable in nearly all cloud applications. But if users say it hurts productivity, companies may avoid it. The risk of skipping it is high: 35% of data breaches initiate from breached login credentials.

There are ways to have both secure and productive users. It simply takes adopting the right tools and approaches.

1. Use Contextual Authentication Rules. Not every user needs to go through the same authentication process. Someone working within your building carries a certain trust factor. Someone attempting to log in from outside the country does not. Contextual authentication is used with MFA to apply a higher bar only to users that warrant it. You might block or limit access from certain regions, or add a challenge question for logins that occur after business hours. Contextual factors you can use include time of day, location, the device used, time of last login, and the type of resources being accessed.

2. Install a Single Sign-On (SSO) Solution. U.S. employees switch between an average of 13 apps 30 times per day. That is a significant inconvenience if each login requires an MFA action. Single sign-on applications merge the authentication process for multiple apps into a single login. Employees authenticate once and gain access to everything at the same time. SSO solutions help organizations improve security without generating significant user pushback.

3. Recognize Devices. Registering employee devices in an endpoint device manager allows you to recognize trusted devices automatically. Once registered, you can set rules such as blocking unknown devices from accessing the network. You can also push automated malware scans and updates through the same tool. These measures increase security without inconveniencing users who are on recognized, managed devices.

4. Use Role-Based Authentication. Your shipping clerk likely does not need access to sensitive customer financial records, but your accounting team does. Role-based authentication assigns access levels and authentication requirements based on a user's role, rather than treating every employee the same. Admins can configure permissions and contextual factors once per role, and the process automates as soon as a new employee is assigned to that role. This saves time during onboarding and ensures consistent, appropriate access controls.

5. Consider Adding Biometrics. Biometric authentication such as fingerprint, retina, or facial scanning is one of the most convenient forms of access control. The user does not need to type anything, and the process takes only a few seconds. Biometric hardware can be costly depending on the size of your organization, but it can be introduced gradually, starting with the most sensitive roles and expanding over time. Many applications now support facial scanning through a standard smartphone, making biometrics far more accessible than they once were.

Need Help Improving Authentication Security?

Do not give up important security because of concerns about user pushback. The team at Cyber One Solutions can help you find the right balance. Contact us today to schedule a security consultation.