Importance of Enabling Two-Step Verification for Your Payroll Software

Apr 12, 2023

EARLY-STAGE-STARTUP-TAXES

Fraudulent payroll runs are causing customers thousands of dollars and are on the rise. Unfortunately, small businesses, particularly tech companies, are often the targets of payroll theft.

 

We know that for most of our clients, runway is tight, and an incident like this can make or break some companies. However, an incident like this can be avoided or mitigated by enabling two-step verification for your payroll software, especially for admins and managers.

 

Why two-step verification?

As you know, your payroll software contains sensitive information, including your employees’ personal details and salary information. With cybercrime on the rise, taking the necessary steps to protect your data from unauthorized access is crucial.

 

We’re all familiar with two-step verification. Our banks, emails, medical records, and Netflix accounts are all guarded by them, often causing a few-second delay to punch in a 5-digit code texted or emailed to us, which we’re in a rush. This means that even if someone obtains your password or you’ve been hacked, they cannot access your account without the second verification step.

 

Enabling two-step verification is a quick and easy process that can significantly enhance the security of your payroll software. To enable this feature, log in to your Payroll account, navigate to settings, and follow the prompts to set up two-step verification. Gusto also offers a second layer of security with Photo ID backup, which, once set up, works much like the photo unlocks on your phone.

 

The benefits of two-step verification and cyber liability insurance

 

I understand the annoyance of adding an extra step to your login process. However, the benefits of two-step verification far outweigh the minor inconvenience it may cause. By taking this step, you can rest assured that your data is more secure and that you are doing everything possible to protect your employees and company’s confidential information.

 

We also recommend reviewing your Cyber Liability and General Liability Insurance to ensure you have ample coverage if your company is a victim of payroll theft.

 

ShayCPA takes client data seriously and has consistently implemented two-step verification in our firm and client data management.