Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a simple way to increase account security by requiring multiple forms of verification to prove your identity when signing into an application. This is generally something you know, like a password, and something you have, like a personal phone. Many institutions and applications use some form of MFA to login, especially when using a new device. Microsoft 365 multi-factor authentication will increase the protection on all Microsoft 365 services and applications, including Office desktop applications, email, Teams, OneDrive, and Sharepoint. For your convenience, your sign-in session on your regular devices will not require you to login or use multi-factor often, but it will protect your account if any suspicious attempts to login are detected. 

Yes, all employees using Cartersville School System's Microsoft 365 instance will be required to use MFA.

Multi-factor authentication ensures that users are who they say they are by requiring that they provide two pieces of evidence to prove their identity. This is generally something you know, like a password, and something you have, like a personal phone. Since mobile phones are so ubiquitous and we seldom go anywhere without one, they are the most popular choice for multi-factor authentication. If using a mobile phone isn’t an option for you, please contact the IT Service Center to discuss other options. 

Both Cartersville School System and Microsoft are not permitted to use this information for marketing, tracking, or data mining purposes. We have contractual agreements with Microsoft that protect your personal information. Your phone number will only be used to validate that you are who you say you are when using the Microsoft 365 services. MFA is an additional security measure that is designed to protect your personal information.

To give campus users the right balance of security and ease of use, we've enabled a setting which takes into account many factors to determine if a login attempt is suspicious or not. If you mostly access Microsoft apps using the same devices and patterns, you should rarely if ever be prompted with MFA. However, if you frequently travel, log in to your Microsoft apps and email on these trips or use public computers or kiosks, you could expect to be prompted on a higher frequency that corresponds to these activities which appear to be more risky.

Before using the Authenticator app, Cartersville School System recommends registering a phone number for authentication. If you only use the authenticator app you may be locked out of your account temporarily if you lose or replace your mobile phone. 

Once a phone number is registered, use instructions for registering and using the authenticator app. You can download the Authenticator app directly from Microsoft's Authenticator App page.

If you're unable to log in or change your authentication information (see How can I update my phone number or change authentication preferences? below), please contact the Technology Department at 770-387-5571.

There are several ways to update or change your authentication information:

• Log in to Microsoft 365 then go to the Additional Security Verification page to change or register a security verification option.
• You can also log in to Microsoft 365, open your account information, then click security info settings. These steps are outlined in both the register and set up MFA and set up the Microsoft authenticator app tutorials. 
• Visit Microsoft's additional security verification or change two factor verification and settings help pages for additional information.