Security usually sacrifices convenience
You probably don’t like taking your shoes off at the airport, remembering passwords, or fumbling for your keys – and who does, really? We live in a relatively secure world. When we do things for security’s sake, there’s rarely a moment of positive reinforcement or the alleviation of anxiety. You don’t exactly open the door to your home and raise your hands in triumph, “No burglary!” All that remains, then, is the friction security causes in your daily life.
Security is important
We all know security important, especially for your law firm. Your firm, clients, and personal lives all intersect. Your firm is a gold mine of desirable information for evil-doers. You know that; that’s why you dig in and suffer through the inconvenience. But, there’s only so much friction you, your clients, and firm can tolerate. You have work that needs to be done and security can’t get in the way. So, let’s take a moment to discuss a technology solution that does just that.
Two-factor Authentication
You’ve probably heard of two-factor authentication and you may have used it. It’s been around for decades and for almost as long it was terribly clunky. Let’s not take a trip down memory lane. Instead, let’s focus on how Google and Apple currently use two-factor authentication to deliver security without friction and unintended positive reinforcement.
What is it
Briefly, two-factor authentication is a security concept that states you must provide two pieces of information before access is granted. Both Google and Apple make use of two-factor authentication to protect your cloud accounts from evil-doers. Both integrate two-factor authentication directly into their respective ecosystems to make the process incredibly convenient and free.
How it works
As an example, let’s say you open a web browser to read your email via iCloud or Gmail. You first type in your username and password. Then, you will receive a notification on your phone prompting you to confirm access. You confirm and you now have access to your account.
Why it so great
What makes this process so great is that you have a real-time security check at your fingertips. Imagine that you are working on your computer. Suddenly, you receive a notification on your phone to confirm access. It’s not you; you’re already logged in working. Not only is the evil-doer immediately thwarted by you, but you now can immediately take action and notify Honeycrisp (or whoever else happens to take care of your technology security).
Unintended positive reinforcement
We all love our phones. We keep them close at all times and check them a little too frequently. What’s great about using your phone as a secondary piece of information is that, sometimes, we get so busy in our lives that we lose track of our beloved phone full of personal and business information. When you use two-factor authentication with Google or Apple, you have an additional reason to keep your phone safe and to make contact with it more frequently. It’s the equivalent of opening the door to your house and shouting, “No burglary!”
Additional Information
Do other online services offer two-factor authentication?
Many online services offer additional security beyond providing a password. Sometimes two-factor authentication is called something else. You may heard of two-step authentication or multi-factor authentication. No matter the name, the concept is the same or similar. Some online services are better than others at removing friction. None are as good as Google and Apple and, far too often, the additional security must be purchased.
How to set up two-factor authentication
If possible, we recommend that you set up two-factor authentication for all of your online services. The setup is different for each one and not always easy. If you need help, reach out to us by phone or email. We’re happy to help.
You can follow the link to view instructions on how to setup two-factor authentication with Google.
Apple
You can follow the link to view instructions on how to setup two-factor authentication with Apple.
