Is it possible to enable multi-factor authentication for getting access to the Azure portal, https://portal.azure.com?
I know there is an MFA server resource in Azure itself, but my understanding is that this is for Azure hosted applications/resources. I initially want to enable MFA for getting access to the portal itself, before setting it up for the different resources themselves in Azure.
Yes, you can.
For example here they say
Add protection for Azure administrator accounts
Multi-Factor Authentication adds a layer of security to your Azure administrator account at no additional cost. When turned on, you need to confirm your identity to spin up a virtual machine, manage storage, or use other Azure services.
Here is one of step-by-step guides.
UPD Feb 2019
Azure is constantly evolving, so many answers and related articles quickly become outdated.
As it is now, MFA is not a free option. I would start reading this Microsoft page for details, in particular:
Multi-Factor Authentication comes as part of the following offerings:
- Azure Active Directory Premium licenses
- Azure MFA Service (Cloud)
- Azure MFA Server
- Multi-Factor Authentication for Office 365
- Azure Active Directory Global Administrators