Xero zeroes in on security

Xero has enhanced its offering with an additional layer of security with the release of two-step authentication functionality on its online accounting platform.

"Protecting our customers' information and business data is our number one priority," says Paul Macpherson, Xero head of security.

"That's why we've enhanced Xero to include another layer of control that will make it significantly more difficult for anyone other than the Xero account holder to access their information.

Macpherson says data security is an industry-wide issue that everyone needs to take seriously. "We regularly educate our customers on following good security practice in their business at all times," he says.

"Phishing scams that attempt to steal account names and passwords are an ongoing issue for all online and financial services, so it's vital that businesses everywhere who use these services ensure they have strong passwords and keep their information secure.

Two-Step Authentication verifies the identity of a customer logging into the Xero dashboard by requiring them to use their existing password and a second, unique code randomly generated by the Google Authenticator app on their smartphone. Macpherson says the additional authentication step makes it much more difficult for unauthorised people to access their Xero account.

Individual Xero users will have the ability to enable Two-Step Authentication on their account when they log in to Xero. A Xero subscriber or manager will be able to see which users in their organisation have enabled Two-Step Authentication.

"Security is a constantly-evolving issue for the technology industry and everyone who is online," explains Macpherson. "We will continue to build in these types of system controls to give our customers as much protection as we can but we also strongly encourage all Xero users - and technology users in general - to remain vigilant about the online solutions they use, " he says.