The end of the Clef era is coming

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With over one million active WordPress websites utilising their two-factor plugin, on the 6th of March 2017, Clef announced they would be joining another company and are shutting down. So what does this mean for your business and your authentication plugin?

Fear not, there is a range of alternatives available as you transition away from Clef to another two-factor authentication provider including Wordfence, Two-Factor, Authy, or Google Authenticator. There’s also a transition guide also being made available for users of the product both users of WordPress, non-WordPress and for developers to help ensure a smooth process for website owners.

There is still little information being provided by Brennan Byrne the Founder and CEO of Clef on why loyal users of the two-factor authenticity product are being left in the cold. However, according to Byrne, the company failed to “find a business model which made the company sustainable”. At the end of the day, Clef is in sunset phase so it’s time to get cracking if you currently use Clef and update your two-factor authentication plugin stat!

So what does this mean for a tech startup with over 1 million users? With many people extremely disappointed that the clean, quick two-factor authentication tool was unable to continue, what are the next steps for users and developers?

On June 6th 2016, the Clef two-factor authentication plugin will stop working. Although the company has attempted to communicate as best as possible to users around the world, many users may not fully understand the implications of the Clef shut down until their key code stop working.

So what do you need to be aware of in the lead up to this deadline?

With clef providing a transition guide, the next step for you and your business is to review how to manage the process and provide a seamless experience for your websites or clients.

Although many developers may not wish to transition away from Clef, if people ‘put their head in the sand’ you will undoubtedly suffer security and functionality issues, so the time is now to choose an alternative option for two-factor authentication.

Two-factor authentication options for your business are outlined below:

• Wordfence With over 25.6 million downloads to date; Wordfence is the most downloaded security plugin for WordPress sites. With live traffic views giving users real-time visibility and a deep set of tools, the company claim to have the most comprehensive WordPress solution available.
• Two-Factor Two-Factor is a secure WordPress login with two-factor authentication – supporting WP, Woo and other login forms. Technical and very effective the plugin comes without the bells and whistles but is ideal for website owners looking for a secure login option for their site.
• Authy Considered by many as the easiest and fastest way to add a two-factor authentication to your site, the Authy plugin can be installed in a few minutes.
• Google Authenticator Taking advantage of the downfall of Clef, the Google Authenticator has set up a ‘how to’ in order to ensure the migration from Clef to Google Authenticator as your preferred two-factor authentication provider is as easy as possible.

Now that Clef is on the way out, it is time to ensure your websites, emails and data is all secure. Take the time to review the best two-factor authentication service to meet your needs and work over the next month or two to get these migrated to an alternative service – or by the 6th of June, you could be in some hot water.

To find out more updating your two-factor authentication on your WordPress website, contact the expert web design and development team from ChillyBin today.