Guide to multi-factor authentication (MFA): secure your digital business
MFA
·
Sep 14, 2021
Key Takeaways
As digital usage grows, usernames and passwords alone no longer provide sufficient protection—weak or reused credentials cause the majority of data breaches.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) strengthens security by requiring two or more verification factors: something you know (password), something you have (device), and something you are (biometrics).
MFA is essential across the entire customer journey, wherever sensitive actions occur—sign-up, login, transactions, account updates, and more.
99% of account-compromise attacks can be prevented with MFA, making it one of the most effective and affordable cybersecurity controls for any business.
Selecting the right MFA solution requires evaluating compliance requirements, conversion rates, global deliverability, implementation speed, pricing structure, and user experience flexibility.
High-quality MFA platforms offer global carrier connectivity, optimized routing, and reliable PIN delivery to support consistent authentication across regions.
Implementation efficiency matters: clear SDKs, strong documentation, and low-lift deployment help businesses enable secure authentication at scale.
Combining different authentication options—SMS, voice, email, push notifications, biometrics—creates a more robust, user-friendly MFA process adaptable to diverse needs.
Security must be built by design: encrypted data handling, end-to-end protections, strict policy configurations, and awareness of every entry point into your environment.
Bird’s Verify API delivers a comprehensive MFA solution with enterprise-grade security, 250+ direct carrier connections, secure email via SparkPost, Voice verification, local numbers in 140 countries, and a success-based pricing model.
Q&A Highlights
What is authentication?
Authentication verifies that a user is who they claim to be by checking provided credentials.
Why are passwords alone not enough?
Passwords are commonly reused, stolen, weak, or stored insecurely, making them responsible for most data breaches.
What is multi-factor authentication (MFA)?
MFA requires users to verify their identity using multiple factors—knowledge, possession, and biometrics.
What are common MFA methods?
SMS codes, email verification, voice calls, authentication apps, push notifications, and biometrics.
Where in the customer journey should verification happen?
During sign-up, login, sensitive transactions, security updates, and any high-risk account changes.
Why is MFA important?
It blocks the majority of account takeover attempts by adding extra verification beyond a password.
What should businesses consider when choosing an MFA provider?
Compliance requirements, conversion rates, global deliverability, speed of implementation, cost, and user experience.
Why does global deliverability matter for MFA?
PIN codes must reach users instantly and reliably worldwide; otherwise, authentication breaks and customers drop off.
How does pricing affect MFA selection?
Success-based pricing ensures you only pay for successful verifications, avoiding wasted spend on undelivered messages.
Why is customizable user experience important?
Different users prefer different verification methods; flexibility improves usability and overall security.
What are MFA best practices?
Know all entry points, enforce consistent policies, encrypt data end-to-end, combine verification methods, and balance security with usability.
How does Bird support MFA?
Bird’s Verify API provides SMS, Email, and Voice verification with global carrier connectivity, encryption, compliance, and a success-based pricing model.
In today's increasingly digital world, consumers are using more web and mobile apps than ever to access the services they need.
These apps require the consumer to register and create accounts with usernames and passwords. These credentials are also then used to complete other actions within the apps like processing transactions, sharing files or making account updates.
Today’s industry standards and regulations require your business to establish more secure authentication mechanisms that prevent fraud and protect user accounts.
Authentication is the process of verifying that a claimed identity is genuine and based on valid credentials.
It’s about making sure a user is who they say they are.
When it comes to authentication, passwords alone aren’t enough to keep your business and customers secure.
Why are passwords alone not enough?
Passwords alone are no longer capable of keeping your business safe.
80% of known data breaches are due to weak, reused or stolen credentials (Verizon)
59% of people mostly or always use the same password (Last Pass)
42% of people keep passwords in an unprotected file (Last Pass)
It’s time to take your security to the next level with multi-factor authentication (MFA).
What is multi-factor authentication?
Common MFA methods
Verification must happen across the customer journey
The importance of multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Beyond security, MFA has direct implications for business risk, compliance, and customer trust.
Every app, device and login is an entryway to your business, and they need to be better protected. Multi-factor authentication provides another layer of security on top of the login credentials.
99% of breaches can be blocked with multi-factor authentication (Microsoft)
With its added security benefits, MFA is strongly recommended for businesses of all sizes. Selecting the right MFA solution is one of the most affordable, effective ways to increase your overall security and protect your business from cyberattacks.
