Your telecoms billing platform contains valuable and sensitive information. Ensuring you have robust security measures in place to protect this information is paramount. This is where Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) comes into play.
In this blog, we discuss what 2FA is and why it is important in telecoms billing.
What is Two-Factor Authentication
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is now commonplace in most of our daily web services, from social medial logins to internet banking. It refers to the process of adding an extra layer of security to the log-in process, on top of your usual username and password. From a billing perspective, it reduces the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive billing information, protects against identity theft, and helps ensure the integrity of your billing data.
2FA works on the principal of “something you know” (a username and password) and “something you have” (typically a mobile handset). In some cases it can even include “something you are”, such as a finger print, retina scan, facial recognition and other biometrics.
By requiring two separate authentication factors, 2FA is more secure that traditional single-factor authentication methods, like passwords. Even if a fraudster manages to gain knowledge of your username and password, they would still need access to your physical mobile device to access your account.
The Benefits of 2FA
- Reduced Risk of Unauthorized Access: By requiring two methods of authentication, 2FA reduces the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive billing information. This protects against identity theft, fraud, and other security threats.
- Protection of Customer Information: Billing information includes sensitive information such as customer payment details and billing records. 2FA helps ensure this information is protected from theft and security breaches.
- Regulatory Compliance: Many regulatory bodies require robust security measures to protect sensitive customer information. By implementing 2FA, telecoms companies can meet these regulatory requirements and ensure their customers’ information is secure.
Without 2FA, resellers expose themselves to a higher risk of a security breach. Such a breach could have costly consequences, including data loss, reputational damage, financial losses and fines.
2FA in ZOEY
As mentioned earlier, billing systems contain a lot of sensitive business and customer data, so ensuring this data is protected is paramount. Moreover, if you maintain compliance with certain security certifications, including Cyber Essentials, the use of 2FA on your online services may be mandatory.
Tekton Billing has implemented 2FA in ZOEY using a TOTP (Temporary One Time Passcode). This is a practical, secure, and widely adopted method for 2FA. Users can generate a code from their registered device and use this as the extra layer of security on top of their normal ZOEY username and password.
TOTP is widely regarded as being more secure than other 2FA measures, such as codes delivered by SMS which may be vulnerable to interception.
We’ve chosen to use the Google Authenticator app, as this is the most trusted and reliable. It’s also entirely free and widely supported on Android and iOS devices.
How to use it?
2FA is absolutely free to use in ZOEY, but partners will need to contact Tekton Billing’s Support team to switch it on. This is a 2-second job!
Once enabled on your ZOEY system, 2FA enrolment is entirely optional on a user-by-user basis.
Summary
By implementing Two-Factor Authentication, telecoms companies can provide their customers with the peace of mind that their billing information is secure. Indeed, 2FA helps reduce the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive billing information, protects against identity theft and fraud, and ensures the integrity of your billing data.
