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A new entry in Microsoft’s roadmap (opens in new tab) revealed that the company is working on enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) requests directly in the Outlook app for certain users.
The feature, which Microsoft calls Authenticator Lite, is designed to give business and education users access to one-time passcodes without the need for an additional passcode. authentication app.
Until now, Microsoft 365 account holders had to make do with a separate app, SMS or phone codes, or a physical key, but in an effort to streamline its approach to security, the tech giant appears to be integrating this key cybersecurity feature into an app which many of its customers already have installed on their devices.
Outlook app authenticator
“Authenticator Lite (in Outlook) is a feature that allows your users to complete multi-factor authentication (MFA) for their work or school account using the Outlook app on their iOS or Android device,” the product reads.
The clear focus on smartphones and tablets threatens to neglect PC users. Unless they have access to a universal clipboard, physically typing out the time-sensitive code remains a work of dedication to one’s account security. That, or use a third-party authenticator already available for computers.
It’s unclear if Microsoft has any plans to roll out the feature more widely to support more operating systems and hardware types.
For now, it remains in development as per the roadmap, which also says that the preview and general availability are set for this month – March 2023.
While Microsoft already has an Authenticator app on both mobile platforms, the company has been doing some cleaning up lately by cleaning up some of the clutter that was left behind from the transition to Microsoft 365 (from Office 365). Long-term intentions are unclear, but it’s reasonable to suspect that Microsoft might be building authentication into its existing products, eliminating the need for a dedicated app.
