[KB] Configure multi-factor authentication for Office 365 users

Conventionally, security of an account is based solely on the strength of its password. But anyone who gets hold of the password can simply waltz into the account and take what they need. That is why many organizations are adopting multi-factor authentication (MFA) to beef up security.

While Office 365 provides you with the option to configure MFA, the process is quite time-consuming and confusing. O365 Manager Plus, with its user-friendly UI, simplifies this task by allowing you to configure MFA for users in bulk, in a few clicks.

Steps to identify MFA disabled users

Go to Reports tab.
Choose Users Reports under Azure Active Directory in the left pane.
Choose Multi Factor Authentication Status under Password Status.
Using the built-in filter to fetch the users with MFA Status as Disabled.
Export the filtered report to CSV format using the Export As option found at the top right corner. You will need this file later. You can also export the report to PDF, HTML, or XLS format.

Steps to enable and configure MFA

Go to the Management tab.
Choose User Management under Azure Active Directory from the left pane.
Select MFA Settings under Bulk User Modification.
Select the Office 365 Tenant.
Choose True in Is MFA Enabled field.
Choose a default authentication method from the Default MFA Method drop-down. The authentication method chosen here is mandatory for the users.
Select the authentication methods that are to be allowed from the Allowed MFA Methods drop-down. More than one authentication method can be chosen. Users have the freedom to choose an authentication of their convenience from the list of methods selected here, when they configure their account.
In Find Users to Modify section, either choose the MFA disabled users individually using Enter name(s) to search option or modify the CSV you had exported earlier in accordance with the sample CSV, and upload it using CSV Import option.
Click Apply.

You have successfully enabled MFA for Office 365 users. When users login for the first time after MFA has been enabled, they will be asked to set up the MFA process by providing the required details. As mentioned earlier, users get to choose an authentication method from the list of authentication methods specified by the administrator. The list includes methods such as call to mobile number, text code to be sent to the registered mobile number, and more.