Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Single Sign-On (SSO) are two of the most effective ways to protect access to your systems, cloud services and business applications. For Australian organisations, they reduce the risk of compromised credentials, support zero-trust access, and help meet compliance obligations such as ISO 27001, PCI DSS, Essential Eight and CPS 234.
DotSec has more than 25 years of experience securing identities and access for government, financial institutions, utilities, legal firms and national retailers. We design, deploy and manage MFA/SSO environments using technologies such as Duo Security, Entra ID SSO, Google Workspace, CrowdStrike Zero Trust, Okta, and device-based checks. Our goal is to ensure your staff, partners and contractors can authenticate securely — without unnecessary friction.
MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) requires users to verify their identity using two or more authentication factors such as:
SSO (Single Sign-On) lets users authenticate once through a trusted identity provider (IdP) and then access multiple applications without repeated logins. When implemented together, MFA and SSO significantly reduce the risk of account compromise and streamline access to business systems.
Identity-based attacks such as credential stuffing, phishing, MFA fatigue and session hijacking remain leading causes of breaches. MFA/SSO provides a practical way to reduce these risks while supporting modern cloud adoption, remote work, and partner access requirements.
Regulators and insurers increasingly require MFA for privileged accounts, remote access, cloud administration and payment-related functions. A well-configured identity layer is one of the fastest ways to improve your organisation’s security posture.
If you rely on cloud services, remote work, SaaS applications or external partners, then yes — you absolutely do.
You may need MFA/SSO if your organisation:
Unless you want to be added to the list of almost-weekly breaches (this one is a cracking example) Identity security is no longer optional. Attackers actively exploit weak MFA settings, legacy authentication and misconfigured SSO. A well-designed identity architecture is one of the most reliable ways to prevent account compromise.
Most organisations use one of three major MFA/SSO services and mechanisms. DotSec supports all of them and tailors each to the specific application environment:
Duo provides strong, adaptive MFA for organisations that need a flexible solution that works across cloud and on-prem environments without redesigning identity architecture.
Key features include:
DotSec deploys and manages Duo MFA with a focus on practical protections, accurate alerts and low-friction access. We design policies that balance security with usability and avoid unnecessary prompts.
Azure WAF protects applications hosted on Azure Front Door, Azure Application Gateway and Azure CDN. It is well suited to organisations running Microsoft cloud workloads.
Key features include:
DotSec configures and manages Azure WAF deployments so that protections match the application architecture, expected traffic patterns and compliance needs.
Okta provides enterprise-grade SSO and MFA for organisations that need vendor-neutral identity management across mixed environments, legacy apps or complex partner ecosystems.
Key features include:
DotSec deploys and optimises Okta for organisations that require flexible identity orchestration, strong admin controls and high-fidelity logging for SOC operations.
DotSec delivers identity services that are practical, evidence-driven and aligned with real operational needs. We stand out from other providers for several reasons:
Answer: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) requires users to provide two or more independent proofs of identity before access is granted. These factors usually include something you know (password), something you have (device or token), or something you are (biometrics). MFA significantly reduces account compromise risk.
Reference: Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) — “Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication”
Answer: Single Sign-On (SSO) allows a user to authenticate once with a trusted identity provider and then access multiple systems without needing to log in again. This improves security by centralising authentication and reducing password sprawl.
Reference: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — Digital Identity Guidelines (SP 800-63)
Answer: Probably MFA is mandated or strongly recommended across several industry and regulatory frameworks, including ISO 27001, PCI DSS, ACSC Essential Eight (Maturity Level 2+), APRA CPS 234, and government cybersecurity guidance. Even if you think it’s not mandatory, you should really use MFA anyhow!
References: PCI DSS v4.0 — Section 8: Identification & Authentication, and ACSC — Essential Eight Maturity Model
Answer: Not really. When configured properly, MFA has minimal impact on usability and may actually reduce friction when combined with SSO. Most modern MFA methods (push prompts, passkeys, biometrics) take only seconds and significantly reduce the risk of account takeover.
Reference: NIST — Usability Considerations for Authentication
Answer: MFA helps block credential theft, phishing attacks, password reuse, brute forcing, session hijacking, and unauthorised access attempts. Even if a password is compromised, MFA prevents most attackers gaining access.
Reference: ACSC — “Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication”
Improving identity security doesn’t have to be disruptive or expensive. The first step is understanding how your staff, contractors and systems authenticate today, and where gaps or legacy configurations might be increasing risk. DotSec can quickly assess your current MFA and SSO settings across Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, VPNs, cloud services and on-prem systems, and show you where practical improvements can be made without introducing unnecessary friction for users.
Once we understand your environment, we design a tailored MFA/SSO approach that fits your operational workflows, compliance obligations and business priorities. That may involve tightening Conditional Access policies, enabling passwordless options, consolidating authentication across systems, or introducing stronger verification for administrative and high-risk accounts. Our goal is simple: reduce credential-based attacks while keeping staff productive and without inconvenience.
If you’re ready to strengthen your identity controls, or if you’d like an independent review of your existing MFA/SSO configuration, DotSec can help. We bring decades of hands-on experience, evidence-based recommendations, and a practical implementation approach that avoids the common pitfalls. Get in touch to discuss your environment, and we’ll map out clear, achievable next steps.
