First of all, can I integrate ESET Secure Authentication with other security tools? The short answer is yes. For the longer answer, I will answer below.
Integrating ESET Secure Authentication (ESA) with your existing security and productivity tools is not only possible, but it’s also one of the core strengths of the product. ESA is a multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution from ESET designed to “play well” with the infrastructure you already have.
By the end, you’ll see how ESET integration can improve your overall IT security strategy while remaining flexible and easy to deploy in your environment.
What is ESET Secure Authentication?
ESET Secure Authentication is an enterprise-grade multi-factor authentication solution that adds a strong second layer of security (OTP codes, push notifications, etc.) to standard logins.
Basically, it makes sure that even if a password is compromised, an attacker cannot access accounts without the additional one-time code or approval on the user’s phone.
Source: help.eset.com
ESA “adds Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) to Microsoft Active Directory domains or local networks,” generating a one-time password (OTP) that the user must provide (or a push notification they must approve on their smartphone) along with their usual username and password.
From a business perspective, ESA solves several problems:- Account breaches: Weak or stolen passwords are a leading cause of breaches. ESA mitigates this by requiring a second factor that’s much harder for attackers to obtain.
- Regulatory compliance: Many regulations and cyber insurance policies now mandate MFA for access to sensitive systems. Deploying ESA helps meet these requirements.
- User convenience and mobility: ESA’s approach uses convenient methods like mobile app push notifications, mobile OTP generators, SMS codes, or even hardware tokens if needed. Users can authenticate with a tap on their phone or a quick code, rather than cumbersome physical tokens.
- Centralized control: It provides a single system to manage and enforce MFA across a wide range of services, simplifying administration for IT teams.
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Now let’s look at how ESA compatibility extends to many common platforms and security tools you might already use.
Integration with Microsoft 365, Active Directory, and Windows
ESET Secure Authentication (ESA) is designed for seamless integration with Microsoft environments. It connects directly with Active Directory (AD), using AD users and groups without needing a separate database. During setup, ESA safely extends the AD schema to store 2FA data, following Microsoft’s best practices.
For Microsoft 365, ESA works via Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS). Install the ESA plug-in on your AD FS server. Any user with 2FA enabled in ESA will be prompted for a second factor, such as a push notification or one-time code, when logging into Microsoft 365. The experience remains familiar for users while adding a strong layer of protection.
Beyond Microsoft 365, ESA also adds MFA to:- Outlook Web Access (OWA) for on-prem Exchange
- Remote Desktop (RDP) sessions via the ESA RDP plugin
- Windows logins (local or domain) with the ESA Windows Logon plugin
- ASP.NET and IIS web apps
This gives you consistent multi-factor authentication across desktops, cloud services, and internal applications, all managed through a single ESET platform.
To summarize, Microsoft integration points for ESA include:- Active Directory: Native integration; uses AD as the user store and extends it safely for 2FA data.
- Windows Logon & RDP: Plugins enforce MFA on Windows local and remote desktop sessions.
- Outlook Web Access and Web Apps: Plug-ins for Exchange OWA and other web apps to prompt for OTP/push on login.
- Microsoft 365 via AD FS: An AD FS add-on to require MFA for Office 365 and other federated apps.
- Azure AD (Entra ID): If you use cloud-only Azure AD, you might normally rely on Azure’s own MFA; however, ESET’s advanced integration (discussed later with SAML IdP) can also work in certain Azure AD SSO scenarios.
The key takeaway is that ESA easily layers on top of your Microsoft environment; you don’t need to replace or re-engineer your directory or cloud services.
Integration with VPNs, Firewalls, and RADIUS Systems
ESET Secure Authentication (ESA) works seamlessly with most VPNs, firewalls, and network tools that support RADIUS or LDAP authentication. It includes a built-in RADIUS server, making it easy to layer multi-factor authentication (MFA) onto existing infrastructure without replacing hardware.
Popular platforms like Cisco ASA, Fortinet, Check Point, Barracuda, Citrix, and Microsoft RRAS are fully supported. ESET provides step-by-step guides for integrating ESA with these systems.
The typical setup is simple:- User logs in with their usual credentials.
- The VPN or firewall forwards the request to ESA’s RADIUS server.
- ESA verifies credentials with Active Directory, then triggers the second factor—either an OTP code or push notification.
- Access is granted only after successful 2FA.
ESA also supports Access-Challenge flows for VPN clients like Juniper/Pulse Secure, and offers flexible login modes to accommodate different device capabilities (e.g., combined password+OTP in one field).
With ESA, you can enforce MFA not just for VPN users, but also for firewall administrators and SSL VPN portals, greatly strengthening your network perimeter without disrupting existing workflows. Its standards-based designensures broad compatibility and quick deployment, making it an ideal MFA layer for almost any RADIUS-enabled system.
Integration with Identity Provider (SSO) Systems and Cloud Apps
Modern businesses often rely on centralized Identity and Access Management (IAM) or Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions, such as Okta, Azure AD (Entra ID), Ping Identity, or others, to manage user logins to various cloud services.
A frequent question is whether ESET Secure Authentication can integrate in those scenarios, especially if an organization already has an IdP but wants to leverage ESET for MFA.
The answer is yes: ESA includes an Identity Provider Connector module that acts as a bridge in SAML-based SSO flows.
How it works
In a typical SSO scenario, a user tries to access a cloud service (Service Provider, SP) and is redirected to an Identity Provider (IdP) like Okta or Azure AD to authenticate.
With ESET in the loop, ESA’s IdP Connector sits between the SP and the original IdP. It essentially pretends to be the IdP from the service’s perspective and behaves like a service provider from the real IdP’s perspective.
This allows ESA to inject a 2FA step into the authentication flow:- The user goes to the cloud service (SP) to log in, and is redirected to ESA IdP Connector (which the SP sees as the IdP for this user).
- ESA IdP Connector in turn redirects the user to the original IdP (e.g. Okta or Azure AD) to perform the primary login (username/password).
- Once the primary login succeeds, the user is sent back to ESA IdP Connector, which now prompts for the second factor (OTP or push) via ESET Secure Authentication.
- After the user verifies the second factor, ESA IdP Connector passes the final authenticated assertion to the service, and the user is logged in.
Figure: ESA’s Identity Provider Connector inserts itself into a SAML SSO conversation
With ESET’s Identity Provider Connector, you don’t need to replace your existing SSO or identity provider to enable multi-factor authentication. ESA works alongside platforms like Okta, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), AD FS, Shibboleth, Keycloak, and OpenAM to inject a second-factor prompt into the login flow, without disrupting your setup.
This is ideal for organizations adopting Zero Trust or improving identity protection without extra vendor lock-in.
Compatibility with SIEM & Security monitoring
ESET Secure Authentication (ESA) supports integration with leading SIEM platforms like Splunk, IBM QRadar, and Microsoft Sentinel, helping security teams centralize visibility and correlate authentication data with other security events.
ESA generates logs for actions like 2FA attempts, device enrollments, and login failures, which can be exported to Windows Event Logs, syslog, or in standard formats like JSON and LEEF. These logs are easily ingested into your existing SOC workflows.
For deeper integration, ESET offers plug-ins for platforms such as QRadar and Splunk, enabling the visualization and real-time action on security events. This ensures ESA isn’t siloed; failed logins or unusual 2FA patterns can trigger alerts and investigations, just like any other threat vector.
Bottom line: ESA fits cleanly into your security monitoring ecosystem, giving your team actionable insights without extra tools or complexity.
ESET Secure Authentication (ESA) pricing
You can get ESET Secure Authentication in two ways:
- As a standalone product, perfect if you just need to add MFA without switching your whole security stack.
- Bundled in top-tier packages. ESA comes included with ESET PROTECT Elite and MDR Ultimate. It’s not part of lower tiers like PROTECT Advanced or Complete, so if you’re on one of those, you’d add ESA separately.
This gives you the flexibility to either build around it or plug it into your existing tools.
Whether you’re a small business looking to secure remote access or a larger organization standardizing MFA across systems, ESA gives you flexible pricing and licensing that scales. You can start small, test everything, and roll it out at your pace, with no need to overhaul your infrastructure.
Why integrate ESA with your existing security tools?
Deploying ESET Secure Authentication (ESA) across your systems brings immediate and lasting benefits:
- Strong, consistent security – ESA applies multi-factor authentication (MFA) across your environment, from VPNs and email to desktops and cloud apps, reducing the risk of breaches from stolen credentials. It’s a core part of a modern cybersecurity strategy.
- User-friendly experience – One mobile app handles all second-factor prompts (OTP or push), making authentication quick and consistent. No juggling multiple tokens or apps means fewer support tickets and smoother adoption.
- Centralized admin control – Manage all 2FA policies through the ESA Web Console, leveraging your existing Active Directory structure. Enable, disable, and monitor authentication across all services from one place, with logging that feeds into your SIEM.
- Broad compatibility – ESA supports RADIUS, SAML, LDAP, REST APIs, and more. Whether you use legacy systems, cloud services, or custom applications, ESA can integrate without forcing infrastructure changes.
- Scalable for any size business – From small offices to global enterprises, ESA scales smoothly. It’s widely used to protect Office 365, VPNs, Remote Desktop, OWA, and other critical systems.
- Built for compliance & trust – ESA helps meet MFA requirements under GDPR, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and cyber insurance policies, while showing customers and partners that your access controls are serious.
Conclusions
Perhaps the most reassuring aspect in all of this is that ESA is designed to be deployed alongside your existing infrastructure with minimal fuss.
You can start by installing ESA in your network (on a Windows server that talks to AD) and enabling a few test users, integrating one system at a time. For example, protect the VPN first, then expand to other services.
ESA doesn’t replace your stac, it reinforces it. It brings secure, flexible, and user-friendly authentication to the systems you already rely on.
