2-factor authentication is the process where an additional piece of information is requested along with your username and password, and it is required in order to sign into your account.

In this article we review how to enable 2-factor authentication with Google Authenticator, but eFront supports two more methods of 2-factor authentication, email, and SMS-based. These are not mutually exclusive. They can run side by side and, if all three services are activated by the administrator, the end user will be able to select their preferred one.

To use Google Authenticator, download the app to your smartphone or tablet. To set up Google Authenticator:

1. Sign in to your portal as an administrator.
2. Go to System settings (1) > Security (2) > 2-factor authentication (3).
3. Set Using a QR code service to Google Authenticator (4).
4. Save (5) your changes.

Once enabled, users can visit their profile page to activate 2-factor authentication. To do this, they should:

1. Expand the right drop down menu (1) and select My account (2).
2. Change to Profile (3) and click on the Enable 2-factor authentication link (4).
3. In the new window that will appear, the user needs to set the Authentication type to Google Authenticator (5).
4. Scan the QR code (6) using the Google authenticator app on their mobile device, and add the provided code (7). 
5. Click on Activate (8) when done.

The next time the user tries to sign in, they will be presented with an additional field to input the 6-digit code displayed on their mobile device.