It’s MFA Time: Microsoft Requires Multifactor Authentication by October 15th

As part of its Secure Future Initiative, Microsoft will start requiring the use of multifactor authentication (MFA) to sign into the Azure portal, Microsoft Entra admin center, and Intune admin center this month, MigrationWiz does not sign into those portals. Microsoft has found that securely managed, phishing-resistant multifactor authentication is key to keeping infrastructure, data, and identities secure. Their research shows that MFA can block more than 99.2% of account compromise attacks, making it one of the most effective security measures available.

As a Microsoft Partner, BitTitan aims to keep customers informed about changes that will impact their lives. The MFA requirement applies to users logging in to create, read, update, or delete (CRUD) through the Azure portal, Entra, and Intune admin centers. End users who access applications, websites, or services hosted on Azure – who aren’t signing into the listed applications – will use the authentication requirements controlled by the application, website, or service owner. While access to admin portals is necessary for performing migrations, Microsoft’s MFA requirement doesn’t change the how MigrationWiz works.

If you’re not currently using MFA for Azure and other Microsoft admin portals, you have two options: Immediately take steps to implement MFA, or apply to postpone the enforcement date. Either one of these actions needs to be taken by October 15, 2024, because after that, users will not be able to log in without enabling MFA on their tenant.

As the rollout of the Microsoft Secure Future Initiative continues into 2025, additional applications will begin enforcement of MFA, including Azure PowerShell and Azure mobile app. Be sure to review emails and notifications from Microsoft for updated information.

If you have questions about how MigrationWiz secures your data throughout a migration project, contact us or read about security measures on our website.

Action required

• To identify which users are signing into Azure with and without MFA, refer to this Microsoft documentation.
• To ensure users can access the Azure portal, Microsoft Entra admin center, and Intune admin center, enable MFA for Microsoft users by October 15, 2024.
• If you can’t enable MFA by October 15, 2024, apply to postpone the enforcement date.