Microsoft will start implementing mandatory Soft Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) for all Azure administrators, TechRadar reports.

The update should be available in July this year. After that, similar changes will be made to the CLI, PowerShell, and Terraform. Users will be notified in advance via email.

MFA adds a second level of authentication to accounts besides the password. This is usually a temporary code generated by the MFA tool.

Today, MFA is considered the industry standard for cybersecurity and is recommended to customers because it successfully defeats the vast majority of cyberattacks and makes password phishing extremely difficult.

Naj Shahid, Chief Product Officer at Microsoft Azure, said that MFA will be mandatory for administrators only.

This policy will not apply to applications, websites, or services hosted on Azure. The authentication policy for them will continue to be controlled by the owners of the programs, websites, and services.