Many people think of passwords as a magic wand. They set up a new online account or computer drive, assign what they think is a sufficiently complicated password, and then walk away convinced that their precious data is now safe. But in today's world of digital "safecracking" technologies and dedicated cyber-criminals, one password simply isn't enough. That's why our Austin tech support team at Gravity Systems wants you to get thoroughly familiar with a critical extra layer of protection known as two-factor authentication.

What's the worry? Even the longest and most random collection of password characters may be no match for a top-quality hacker. These professionals use programs that can go through billions of character combinations per second until they get lucky and break your password. That's why Facebook, LinkedIn, Google and other social media giants now offer two-factor authentication.

Two-factor authentication is a fancy name for an old idea, one that long pre-dates the computer era. It's as simple a concept as adding two different kinds of locks (which require two different kinds of tools to break into) to a door, or using such a system when locking up your bike. In addition to your password, you create a second digital barrier that requires more than simply crunching billions of random password combinations. The second factor of authentication is something genuinely unique to the approved user, something that a hacker just can't know – the name of the user's first pet, for instance. In its most sophisticated forms, it can even be a biometric authenticator such as a fingerprint, voice match, or eye retina pattern.

Interested in setting up two-actor authentication for your company's various online accounts, network permissions and hardware components? Contact Gravity Systems so we can evaluate your needs and help you protect your organization!

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