Multifactor Authentication FAQs

Staff and Students

Why do we need MFA?

• Cyber-attacks have been increasing worldwide. Hackers want to steal and sell user data.
• Northwood Tech wants to align with industry standards, to protect all the accounts in our environment.
• MFA adds another step in the login process that can prevent hackers from getting into your account, even if they have your login information.

What Northwood Tech apps are secured with MFA?

• Email (Outlook)
• Teams
• OneDrive
• Salesforce

 What multifactor authentication methods are available to me?

• Authenticator App:  If you don’t have the Microsoft Authenticator, you’ll need to download it on your phone.  Setup Microsoft Authenticator for MFA

Do I need to use MFA to login to my work and/or personal computer? 

• No.  MFA is only needed at the application level.

Is MFA needed to access MyCampus?

• No.  Apps inside of the MyCampus portal are secured by MFA.

Is it okay to use my personal phone for MFA?

• Absolutely.  The Microsoft Authenticator mobile app is easy to use, secure, and free to download.  This is the recommended method for authenticating into Northwood Tech resources.

Why have I not been seeing any MFA notifications/challenges? 

• You will not be prompted for MFA while on a Northwood Tech campus.  This will prevent you from losing access to MFA-secured applications if you forget your MFA device at home. 
• You have authenticated once on your device/browser with MFA and don’t need to reauthenticate for 30 days, even off the Northwood Tech network.

The MS Authenticator app isn’t spying on me, is it?

• Absolutely not. The MS Authenticator app is similar to the wallet you keep your student/employee ID card in. You can think of it like a digital key/keyring to get you back into your Northwood Tech resources.

Staff Only

What about Peoplesoft (MyNorthwoodTech), ImageNow, Cognos and other WILM resources? 

• Peoplesoft is currently the only resource secured with Duo for some staff members.  WILM releases Duo enrollments that each staff/faculty member has to set-up when they are being onboarded.  There is an additional enrollment from Northwood Tech. This will eventually be phased out, as Northwood Tech transitions away from WILM.