Microsoft 365 Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)

As of April 21, 2020, Microsoft has changed the branding of "Office 365" to "Microsoft 365."

Key Points:

• MFA is increasingly being used on public websites to protect the safety of users’ data, especially with information that is tied to education, healthcare, and banking.  It relies on three main principles and the user must be able to utilize at least two of the three.
   
  • Something you know – username, password, passcode, etc.
     
  • Something you are – fingerprint, face/voice recognition, etc.
     
  • Something you have – mobile phone, security key, smart card, etc.
     
• Users will be forced to set up MFA on their accounts to start or continue using organizational services.
   
• At Reynolds, this means users must have MFA configured to access the campus computer network and most enterprise applications (such as Microsoft 365).
   
• Access to Microsoft 365 will require MFA verification at random times (this is not controlled by the Reynolds Help Desk).  At a minimum, verification will be done once every 90 days.

Instructions:

1. Go to https://www.office.com.
    
2. Click Sign In.
    
3. Enter your Reynolds email address (must end with @reynolds.edu) and click Next.
    
4. Enter your current password and click Sign in again.  If you are able to login to your account, skip to Step 7 below.  Otherwise, you will see a screen saying “More information required.”  Click Next.
   
   
    
5. You will now be taken to a Keep your account secure page -- this will require you to set up MFA on your Microsoft 365 account.
   
   
    
6. Make sure that the country code is set to United States (+1).  Enter your 10-digit phone number, including the area code.
    
7. Choose the option to have Microsoft text your a code or to call your phone.  Click Next.
    
8. Enter the code that Microsoft sent you, or answer the call and follow the prompt you hear.
    
9. Verify that you see a message that your phone was registered successfully.  Click Next.
   
   
   
   Warning: You only have a limited number of attempts to register your phone using the authentication method you chose back in Step 7.  If you exceed the maximum number of attempts, you will be locked out from continuing using that method for 24 hours.  At that point, you will have to choose the other authentication option or call the college Help Desk for assistance.
    
10. Click Done to finish the account sign-in process.
    
    Note: At random times, you will be required to use MFA to sign in to your Microsoft 365 account.  Make sure you have your designated phone available to complete the authentication or you will have to call the Help Desk at 804-523-5555 to receive assistance.