Passphrases are coming this summer!

This is a good thing for both security and remembering our logins.

What is a passphrase? 

It is a longer and more secure alternative to a traditional password. Our current password policy has only an 8 character minimum and a bunch of requirements around numbers, symbols, and upper/lower-case. With a move to a passphrase what matters is length, 16 characters minimum, and longer is better. Use whatever characters you want. Most people string a bunch of words together like “wind Denver lock wave road Jeff.”

Why is it better for me?

Beyond hopefully being easier to remember, because we have Duo now for a second factor of authentication, we will no longer require annual changes for “average” accounts. These are the majority of students and faculty. I’ll repeat that, most students and faculty will not have to change their passphrases anymore. People who access institutional data as part of their job (staff advisors, Jenzabar users, certain student workers, etc.) will still need to change annually. And if you do fall for a phish and share your passphrase you’ll need to change it.

Why are we changing?

First, passphrases are considered best practice these days. The old rules of complex passwords and frequent required changes resulted in people picking worse passwords. We want to align with best security practices and improve the experience for much of the campus community.

When are we changing?

We’re planning on June to do the change. We’ll be posting more details leading up to June. We will not force everyone to change their passwords but after June, once you do the new rules will be in effect.

But I have a question….

Hang tight. We’ll have more information and a FAQ coming in the next 2 months.

New Zoom features for faculty and staff coming in March

With our Zoom renewal in March some new features will become available to faculty and staff.

• Zoom Clips (record short video clips and share them, create an AI avatar)
• Zoom Scheduler (just like Google Appointment slots or Calendly but in Zoom)
• Zoom Whiteboards (collaboration spaces for brainstorms)

OT will be learning about these new features at the same time as you so we’ll learn together how they all work.