MFA for On-Premises Applications
MFA for On-Premises Applications (No-Code): Secure Legacy Web Apps Fast Need MFA for on-premises applications—but can’t rewrite authentication or migrate users? Datawiza adds MFA at the edge using a reverse-proxy pattern
Identity
Auth source
Datawiza control plane
AI tools
Enterprise apps
MFA for On-Premises Applications (No-Code): Secure Legacy Web Apps Fast
Need MFA for on-premises applications—but can’t rewrite authentication or migrate users? Datawiza adds MFA at the edge using a reverse-proxy pattern, so you can protect on-prem web apps with minimal change.
- No code changes to your on-prem application
- No user migration required in many deployments
- Keep the app on-prem: deploy in your VPC / data center
- Use your IdP or Datawiza MFA: Entra ID, Okta, OIDC/SAML, or Datawiza MFA
- Routing-based rollout: load balancer, gateway, reverse proxy
Common on-prem patterns: F5 / Nginx, Azure App Gateway, AWS ALB, internal DNS, or network routing.
Why MFA for On-Premises Applications Is Still a Challenge
Many on-premises applications were built years ago and weren’t designed for modern MFA. Updating the login flow can be risky, slow, or simply not possible (vendor software, legacy frameworks, limited engineering bandwidth).
Datawiza enforces MFA in front of the application—so you can strengthen authentication without rewriting the app.
Common On-Prem MFA Scenarios
Internal legacy web apps
- Apps used by employees/contractors on the intranet
- Apps accessed over VPN / ZTNA
- Apps that must follow centralized IdP policies
- Apps needing group/claim-based access rules
On-prem portals & hybrid access
- Customer/partner/vendor portals hosted on-prem
- Apps exposed through a gateway/reverse proxy
- Apps that must stay local for residency/compliance
- Apps that can’t be moved to the cloud yet
How Datawiza Adds MFA to On-Premises Applications Without Changing Code
- Deploy Datawiza on-prem (data center or VPC) close to your application.
- Place Datawiza in front of the app using a reverse-proxy pattern.
- Route traffic via your existing gateway/load balancer (F5/Nginx/App Gateway/ALB, etc.).
- Turn on MFA using Datawiza MFA or your existing IdP (OIDC/SAML).
- Pilot with one application, then expand to additional on-prem apps.
Outcome: MFA enforced for on-prem web applications while keeping your app and data where they belong—on-prem.
Two Ways to Enforce MFA On-Prem
Option A: Integrate with Your Existing IdP (Most Common for Internal Apps)
- Use Entra ID / Okta / other OIDC/SAML IdPs
- Centralize MFA + conditional access (where applicable)
- Keep users, policies, and lifecycle management in one place
- Enforce access using groups/claims
Option B: Use Datawiza MFA (Fastest for Portals or Standalone Apps)
- Turn on MFA quickly without an IdP rollout
- Minimal engineering effort
- No migration required in many deployments
- Great for customer/partner/vendor portals hosted on-prem
On-Prem Deployment Options
Deploy in Your Data Center
- Run on Linux VMs or common platforms
- Integrate with existing load balancers/gateways
- Keep traffic and data within your network
Deploy in a Private VPC (Hybrid)
- Keep the application private
- Expose only what’s needed through your gateway
- Good fit for staged migrations to cloud
In both models, the application remains unchanged—Datawiza enforces MFA at the edge in front of it.
FAQ: MFA for On-Premises Applications
Do we need to change application code?
No. Datawiza sits in front of your on-prem application and enforces MFA without modifying the app.
Can we keep everything on-prem?
Yes. Datawiza can be deployed in your VPC or data center and integrated with your existing network routing and gateways.
Is this only for web applications?
This page focuses on on-prem web applications (portals, internal web apps) where reverse-proxy enforcement is the simplest approach.
Which is better: IdP MFA or Datawiza MFA?
If you already have an IdP and want centralized policies, integrate with it. If you need the fastest path to MFA for a standalone app or portal, start with Datawiza MFA.
Ready to Add MFA to an On-Prem Application?
We’ll review your on-prem environment (gateway/load balancer, app auth, external vs internal users) and map the fastest path to MFA—without changing code.
Prefer email? Contact us and we’ll respond within 1 business day.