Offline Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for remote working

Dobbs Peterbilt is a Peterbilt dealer group operating full service dealerships throughout the West and Midsouth with locations in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.

The Challenge MFA on all remote connections, even
when offline

Many of Dobbs Perterbilt’s senior level employees work offline and are vulnerable to having their computers stolen due to how much they travel. This is why the IT team was looking for a multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution to enhance security, wherever they are.

Furthermore, even though it is not a mandatory compliance, their auditors do prefer that they have MFA in place for more high level employees and all IT personnel.

The IT team had previously implemented Duo, but the solution was thought to be too easy to override and expensive. Michael Commons, system administrator at Dobbs Peterbilt, was therefore looking for a new and affordable solution, that could be easily deployed and that would offer MFA even when the user is offline.

The Solution A high quality, full-featured, offline MFA solution

Michael Commons only considered UserLock to replace Duo. After having a look at the features and cost, he quickly realized UserLock was perfect for his needs.

The offline feature was the main game changer. The fact that no internet connection is needed for the MFA to work was a really big plus for the IT team.

Because UserLock is hosted right alongside on premise Active Directory, it uses different agents which are deployed directly onto the machines. This allows it to protect wherever users are connecting from without any internet connection needed. With users connecting outside of the company network, it will challenge any remote desktop (RDP) or virtual private network (VPN) connection for a second factor.

On the users’ side, an authenticator application doesn’t require any internet or mobile connection to verify the challenge. Both the system and the authenticator know the same secret key.

The Benefits Security and peace of mind

UserLock’s multi-factor authentication enhances security for senior employees and IT staff. It allows them to satisfy their auditors and prepares them well for any compliance needs.

The offline feature gives the IT Team peace of mind in case a sensitive laptop is stolen or lost.

What’s more according to Michael the initial setup for MFA proved very straightforward.