MYOB Advanced and 2-Factor Authentication

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in November 2018 and has been reviewed and updated in February 2023 to provide the most relevant and accurate information.

MYOB Advanced users can access their software anytime, anywhere. Mobility is one of the software’s biggest advantages. Mitigating the risk of data security and privacy is an absolute priority for MYOB. Two Factor Authentication (2FA) is a basic yet effective step implemented to help protect your data. Single Sign On (SSO) is a recent addition to MYOB Advanced’s security protocols, saving you time and simplifying password storage and management.

What is 2FA in MYOB Advanced?

In today’s world, passwords that we rely on carry the risk of being stolen. Accounts can be hacked, meaning bank account details, staff or customer details could be at risk.

2FA means that logging in to the software requires two things: something you know and a secondary factor only you can access. This secondary factor can be a time-based one-time password (TOTP), a biometric factor such as fingerprint or facial recognition, or a physical token such as a security key. Upon signing into MYOB Advanced using your password, you will be prompted for a unique verification code. If you have selected an authentication app as your second factor, the app on your phone generates a code. Alternatively, if you have selected an email as the second factor, an email will be sent to you with the verification code to proceed.

2FA is an important step in protecting workflows and approval pathways or even the control of specific rows and data fields, lowering the risk of fraud and other malicious behaviour. MYOB Advanced also supports Modern Authentication (OAuth 2.0) for greater mail security and compliance.

Working from a trusted device

When working from a trusted device, you can choose to trust the device for either 12 hours or 30 days. You will only be asked for your username and password during that time.

This will still provide a secure environment, as attempts to sign in from another device or browser will activate 2FA and trigger a verification code confirmation.

How do I activate 2FA in MYOB Advanced?

As of version 2022.1, 2FA can be enforced by clients themselves. There is a checkbox on the Security Preferences page to allow 2FA to be enforced. If checked, all users must go through a simple and guided registration process to activate 2FA and choose the preferred method for second-level authentication, either using an authentication app, SMS, or email.

A step-by-step guide to setting up and using 2FA in MYOB Advanced is available to the right.

What is Single Sign On?

Single Sign-On (SSO) eliminates the need to remember multiple usernames and passwords by allowing secure logins to many applications with just one set of credentials. SSO creates a centralised authentication code, which authenticates a user once and then trusts the authentication information to other applications. This enhances security, saves time, and improves the user experience by reducing the number of passwords that need to be stored, managed, and remembered across multiple portals and systems and by reducing the number of login attempts.

By integrating MYOB Advanced with Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), you can provide single sign-on (SSO) and manage users and access in one place. This lets you create, delete, and manage user accounts by using Azure AD.

2FA and SSO in MYOB Advanced

Single Sign-On (SSO) and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) are separate security mechanisms. SSO enables a user to log into multiple applications with one set of login credentials, while 2FA adds an extra layer of security to the authentication process by requiring the user to provide a second form of authentication in addition to their password.

If a user that has been associated with secure two-factor authentication wants to log in after enabling Azure AD, they will need to use the standard MYOB Advanced login and password.

Alternatively, contact our MYOB Advanced support team by calling 1300 857 464 (AU) or 0800 436 774 (NZ) for assistance. If you have any more enquiries, please email us at sales@kilimanjaro-consulting.com.