Instructions for students on the deployment of Microsoft multi-factor authentication
What does MFA mean and what should I do?
Students can self-initiatively deploy Microsoft’s multi-factor authentication (MFA) starting from 18 November. MFA will be required for, among others, Eduhouse learning services, Office 365 tools and other important applications connected to Microsoft sign-in.
MFA will become obligatory for all students in phases during the first half of 2023, after which it will not be possible to use these services without multi-factor authentication. The schedules of obligatory deployment will be given later. The University recommends you to deploy MFA self-initiatively as soon as possible to improve your personal data security. With active self-deployment it is possible to avoid the congestion of the Digital Services customer service and ensure you will get support for the deployment of MFA when needed. In HelpJYU, you will find detailed setup instructions for enabling your Microsoft MFA.
What MFA is and why should it be deployed?
MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) requires the users to identify themselves by more than a username and password. In practice this means that after entering your username and password, the login is further verified with the smartphone application (Microsoft Authenticator) you have linked to the service. It is the same principle as used for online banking.
The purpose of the deployment is to improve JYU’s data security practices, as various data breaches and phishing scams have become more common. By enabling MFA, you protect your account from unauthorized access and ensure that your information does not fall into the wrong hands.
Where and when Microsoft MFA will be deployed?
Microsoft MFA will be used for Microsoft services and applications connected to Microsoft sign-in, for example, Eduhouse learning services and Office 365 tools (e.g. Word, Excel and Outlook email). Thus, multi-factor authentication must be made in order to use applications that require MFA both in the internal JYU network and outside it.
Students can deploy Microsoft MFA self-initiatively from 18 November. It will become obligatory in phases during the first half of 2023. The schedules will be given later.
Technical requirements of the app required for MFA
When downloading the Microsoft Authenticator app, please ensure that the version of your operating system is new enough (Recommendation: Android 8.0 or later, iOS 13.0 or later) and that there is sufficiently space (Android 154 MB and iOS 168 MB). If you wish, you can use other authentication apps instead of Microsoft Authenticator, but please note that the University’s support and instructions are for the Microsoft app.
Further information:
- A list of frequently asked questions: .
- More information on Multifactor authentication in Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥
- If you have any questions or concerns about using multi-factor authentication or if you do not own a smartphone or tablet, please contact Digital Services using of HelpJYU.