MCLA Multi-Factor Authentication for Email and Microsoft Office 365 Access
Multi-Factor authentication (a.k.a. MFA) is a security method to help better protect email accounts and Office 365 access by adding a layer of protection to the sign-in process. In addition to entering a password, this added security requires users to approve their sign-ins using a mobile device or telephone. This way if a user account password is somehow exposed, the account can stay protected by the second factor that is required to gain access.
All MCLA accounts will soon have MFA turned on. MFA will not be required when signing on to the main MCLA Portal, but will appear when accessing any Microsoft related services that MCLA has available, such as email, teams, and sharepoint. This documentation will walk you through how to prepare for the use of this security requirement and provide guidance on usage.
Step 1 - Prepare
We recommend you follow this checklist to prepare for the account security transition to MFA. These steps can be completed anytime, but its best to do before MFA is turned on for your account.
- Review the "What is: Multifactor Authentication" Microsoft article.
- Download the Microsoft Authentication App on your Android and Apple IOS phone.
- Confirm that your security information is updated and complete. To check login to https://aka.ms/mfasetup. You will want to ensure you have setup your primary phone, office phone and/or alternate phone as a security method. This is helpful in the event you don't have access to your mobile phone, the other phones you specify can be used to sign you in.
Step 2 - Setup
MCLA IT will notify you when MFA will be turned on for your account. After its been turned on, follow these steps in this link to setup your account to work with MFA.
- Important Note: The most convenient method is to approve sign-ins using notifications served through the Microsoft authenticator app. We recommend that you set this option to your default method. Here is a video that our Help Desk has put together that will walk you through the setup process from start to finish:
Step 3 - Use and Manage
Its important to note that when MFA is turned on - all access sign ins to Office 365 services will require the use of it. This includes access to MCLA Email, Microsoft Teams and Sharepoint/OneDrive. To ensure you don't lose access to your account, you should remember to update your security information whenever you change your phone number. Here are some additional resources we recommend you review to help enhance your experience with using MFA by learning more about the different security methods you can setup and how to effectively manage them.
