“Starting today,” announced Sarah Fender, director of Windows Azure, “companies can enable multi-factor authentication for Windows Azure Active Directory identities to help secure access to Office 365, Windows Azure, Windows Intune, Dynamics CRM Online and many other apps that are integrated with Windows Azure AD. Developers can also use the Active Authentication SDK to build multi-factor authentication into their custom applications and directories.”
After activation, the first time users attempt to log into the service they are prompted to select and configure one of four authentication methods: via a smartphone app; a one-time password used in conjunction with the app; a phone call to their mobile or landline phones; or a text message sent to their mobile phone. The multiple options leaves a degree of personal choice in the hands of the users. “Of course, the app is my personal favorite,” says Alex Simons, director of program management with Active Directory, “but you might like receiving a phone call better and most of the folks on our team prefer the SMS messaging option. The great thing about the service is that your users can choose the method they like best and switch between methods without any additional configuration on your part.”
“This helps prevent unauthorized access to data and applications in the cloud – reducing the risk of a breach and enabling regulatory compliance,” claims Fender.
But it’s not cheap. Although a free trial is currently running, the initial cost will be a choice between “$1.00 per user per month or $1.00 for every 10 authentications.” This is a 50% discount on the anticipated price after the preview stage. “For ten users this would increase the price of a mid-range virtual Windows machine by nearly 15 percent,” notes Heise Security.
Active Authentication follows the recent launch of two-factor authentication for Microsoft’s Outlook web email service, and joins other big cloud providers including Dropbox, Google, Linkedin, Twitter and Apple in providing that extra layer of authentication security.