ARTICLE
Automated 2FA: This is how automation speeds up two-factor authentication and keeps processes running 24/7
5.9.2024 | 3 minute read
Author
PAIJU KOIVULA
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Does two-factor authentication slow down or interrupt your company’s internal processes? Automation may be the key to faster and smoother identification – read how the automation works in practice and how it can improve daily work.
Many organizations have internal processes that require two-factor authentication (2FA) from employees. In financial administration, for example, there may be processes related to the processing of invoices or reporting that require identification. In audit offices, on the other hand, there may be automated processes where a robot retrieves audit materials from Netvisor during the night, so that the materials are ready in the morning.
The need for the automation of two-factor authentication often arises when the company has automated processes that run during the night or outside working hours. These processes are interrupted because they require employee authentication in between to continue. On the other hand, companies can also have automated processes that run during the day, but require identification so often that the employee’s work is interrupted several times a day because of this. Automation of 2FA solves this problem and enables end-to-end automation of processes.
How does 2FA automation work in practice?
Usually, two-factor authentication takes place either in the mobile application or it comes as a text message. The identification that arrives as a text message is automated so that the robot is created its own interface number, to which it can retrieve incoming text messages for itself through the interface. Another option for implementation is that the employee’s phone has an application that transmits the code read from the text message to the robot via e-mail or other means of communication.
On the other hand, identification in the mobile application is automated so that an Android environment is installed on the computer, where the application runs and the robot can use the application from this environment. Alternatively, the robot can run on another machine in the same network to which the robot has access. In some cases, it may also be better regarding information security that they are separated. With the same technology, the robot can also control an iOS device (iPhone or iPad) if it is connected to a computer in development mode.
Once the two-factor authentication is done, the robot can continue the interrupted process. The solution enables the expansion of automation and the automation of end-to-end processes in cases that would otherwise have to wait for the employee to log in to the system.
Automation creates time savings when processes run 24/7 and enables new use cases for automating mobile applications
Above all, 2FA automation improves the company’s internal operations. It saves time and enables automations to run 24/7. In some cases where the 2FA automation affects the final product, it also improves and speeds up customer service, such as in audit firms. The customers for whom the automation has been built have been satisfied with the fact that the employees’ work is no longer interrupted by the need to let the robot log into the system. Especially in processes with systems that are frequently updated and require constant logins, the benefit has been significant.
In addition, 2FA automation can facilitate situations where there is shared responsibility for code or technical maintenance, for example, if you work in different time zones or during the holiday season. In these cases, these team responsibilities, which require the identification of an individual employee, can be handled with automation.
In some companies, two-factor authentication may have been removed from the process completely, so that it would be possible to automate. In these cases, a compromise has been made between data security and functionality, and identification has been omitted from the robot, even if it is mandatory for the employee. With this new technology, these processes can also be updated to comply with companies’ information security practices.
Additionally, the technology creates new opportunities for other use cases. Solutions that automate the use of mobile applications are still quite rare, but the same technology can be used in the automation of any mobile application. This technology therefore creates new opportunities to expand the use of automation.
Regarding two-factor authentication, you should also remember that attention must be paid to data security. The automation must have a mechanism that checks that the right robot performs the 2FA, i.e. the robot’s operation must be started with the parameters intended for it.
The benefits of 2FA automation
- Allows processes to run 24/7
- Creates time savings
- Facilitates and speeds up teamwork where responsibility for maintenance is shared and 2FA is required
- Speeds up customer service if the efficiency of the work affects the final product
- Increases data security
- Creates new use cases for mobile application automation
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