Basic Authentication does not support Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), or SAML-based 3 rd party services. Basic Authentication is just sending a username and password (always encrypted) to the service. Modern Authentication applies to more than just Exchange Online, but for this post I’m only focusing on ExO. To put it another way, Modern Authentication is an updated set of authentication protocols that allow more security and better end-user experience for Azure and Office 365 log-ins. Modern Authentication allows administrators to enable features such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), SAML-based third-party Identity Providers with Office client applications, smart card and certificate-based authentication, and it removes the need for Outlook to use the basic authentication protocol.' 'Modern authentication in Office 365 leverage Active Directory Authentication Library (ADAL)-based sign-in to Office client apps. What is “Modern Authentication”?īefore we get into talking about the recent updates, we should take a minute and make sure we are all on the same page about what Modern Authentication is.

In this blog post, I am going to explain what Modern Authentication is, what the alternative is, why you want it, and how you can implement it in your Exchange Online deployment. Of course, the downside of that is that IT pros working in Office 365 need to keep up to date on these changes. For your subscription, your organization is constantly getting new features and functionality that can greatly improve the overall Office 365 experience. The great thing about Office 365 is that it is a constantly updated service.

O365 modern authentication