As with any change management initiative, getting senior leadership buy-in for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is critical to success. However, helping non-technical leaders understand the importance of MFA can be challenging. Because MFA adds friction to the login process, IT leaders looking to improve their cybersecurity posture may encounter pushback from users. Taking a thoughtful approach highlighting the strategic and practical benefits of MFA can go a long way towards getting the leadership buy-in. Here are five strategies IT teams can use to gain buy-in from non-technical leaders. 

1. Align MFA with organizational goals. Frame MFA as a way to protect the district’s educational mission, including learning and operational resilience. Show how cybersecurity directly supports key organizational priorities, such as safeguarding students, promoting equitable access to learning, and ensuring safe use of technology. Highlight how MFA can help the district comply with laws like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and state-specific cybersecurity mandates.  

2. Quantify the Financial Impact of Cybersecurity Threats. Provide data on the rising number of cyberattacks on schools and how breaches or ransomware attacks can lead to costly consequences, including recovery expenses, lost instructional time, and reputational damage. Share examples from other school districts that suffered significant operational and financial losses due to ransomware or data breaches. Highlight how the lack of MFA contributed to these breaches and how MFA could have mitigated the risks. Demonstrating the financial burden of a security incident versus the relatively low cost of MFA implementation can be persuasive. 

3. Highlight Risk Mitigation: Position MFA as a way to help minimize the risks associated with password-based cyber attacks (e.g., phishing, brute force). Explain how MFA reduces the attack surface and helps protect critical systems, like student information systems (SIS) and financial platforms. Many cybersecurity insurance providers now require MFA as a prerequisite for coverage or offer lower premiums to organizations with strong security measures in place. Demonstrating this potential cost-saving can be compelling. 

4. Demonstrate Ease of Use: Show how modern MFA solutions, particularly those integrated with SSO, can simplify access to multiple systems. Ensuring secure and convenient access can address concerns about cumbersome or disruptive MFA. To build credibility, suggest running a pilot MFA program with a small group accessing the most sensitive data (e.g., the IT department and school administrators). Provide users with a choice of additional verification factors so they can select one that best meets their needs.  

5. Make it Personal: Remind leaders that MFA protects both student and staff data. The extra layer of security provided by MFA safeguards sensitive information like email, payroll details, and confidential school communications. Adopting MFA helps prevent all school community members from ransomware and identity theft and sets a good example for everyone.  

Implementing MFA is not just about protecting the district’s systems—it’s about safeguarding the entire school community, including students, staff, and administrators, from loss of data privacy, identity theft, and ransomware attacks. By aligning MFA with organizational goals, quantifying the financial impact of cyber threats, and demonstrating its risk mitigation capabilities, IT leaders can effectively communicate its value to senior leadership. MFA is a critical tool to protect your school system’s digital infrastructure in an era of increasing cyberattacks.