The Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Buyer’s Evaluation Guide

Item: Cisco Duo
Author: Mark Schooley

In 2026, multi-factor authentication (MFA) has become a necessary defense for every cybersecurity strategy. But with the emergence of new MFA-bypassing attacks like push-bombing, session hijacking, and AI-led phishing, you can no longer rely on traditional 2FA alone. To stay protected, organizations need to increase the effectiveness of MFA with powerful next-generation solutions such as passwordless logins, token-free proximity verification, and risk-based authentication (RBA).

But not every solution is created equal. Some vendors only provide the bare minimum coverage with basic authentication factors, and often include hidden costs required for deployment, operation, and maintenance. In this guide, we’ll take you beyond MFA and help you understand the criteria you should consider when evaluating different solutions, and how to increase the strength and value of your security.

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In this guide you’ll get:

A thorough look at expanding your identity security posture beyond MFA minimums
An overview of the hidden costs of identity security solutions and how to determine your ROI
What to look for to ensure your solution can protect against the risk of a data breach
A list of resources needed to deploy, provision, and integrate your solution
An overview of the different strategic business initiatives, and how your solution fits into them

Who is this guide for?

CISOs who want to implement powerful security solutions
Business leaders who want to reduce the risk of data breaches while delivering strong and reliable security to their users and customers
Security professionals seeking technology that solves modern security pain points

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We need to ensure the highest level of protection for all user interactions with our services. We also need to meet an extremely high bar for security standards while making it easy for users to be productive. Duo helps us do just that.

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Mark Schooley

Senior Director, IT Operations & Engineering

Cisco Systems is a 2026 Customers’ Choice for the “User Authentication” market on Gartner Peer Insights ™ based on reviews submitted for Cisco Systems for Cisco Duo*

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* Gartner, Voice of the Customer for User Authentication, Peer Community Contributors, 22 January 2026.
Gartner, Peer Insights, and Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice Badge are trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences with the vendors listed on the platform, should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.