Multi-factor authentication (MFA) helps ensure that you are the only person who can access your account if your password is compromised. With MFA, you log into campus systems using your Drake email address and password and then confirm your identity with another method. Drake is currently requiring faculty and staff to use Duo MFA when accessing key campus systems.

Strong passwords, even those with significant number of characters and complexity, don’t provide sufficient protection. Educational institutions have increasingly become major targets for attackers, and Drake has to upgrade our protections for individual and campus data.

Starting in January, we will increase the number of systems that require MFA, and change our MFA method to Microsoft Authenticator so that all students, faculty, and staff can use MFA.

Microsoft Authenticator will work much like Duo, but has a few additional benefits.

• Duo licensing costs prohibit campus-wide usage while Authenticator is included in our Microsoft Office 365 subscription.
• There are additional verification options.

We will provide instructions on using Microsoft Authenticator, a detailed change timeline, a list of systems that will require MFA, and answers to additional questions you might have between now and January. Watch OnCampus and our other communication channels for more information throughout the rest of the semester.

— Jeff Regan, ITS