eCommunicator for Faculty & Staff

2006 Faculty/Staff Edition - Volume 3 > Passport

Sign-on at Northwestern Now as Easy as Using Your Passport

June 2006

A passport validates your identity and gives you freedom to travel without needing to prove who you are. In much the same way, NU Online Passport gives you the freedom to move between authenticated University systems without needing to identify yourself each time. Log in once, and you are on your way.

Online Passport is the University's new Web Single Sign-On (SSO) service. Just as its name implies, signing on once gives you access to a number of Web-based University systems and services. Once SSO verifies your identity, you can access any NU networked resources you're authorized to use.

NU Online Passport is being implemented in phases. Currently, one login lets you:

Check your NetID status
Change or check your password
Set a Q&A for password recovery
Set privacy options in the online directory

Look for other University services to be added in the future, including the Human Resources Information System, Student Enterprise System, Electronic Time Entry System, and Blackboard Course Management System.

Web Single Sign-On has great benefits. Besides being convenient, it helps you spend work time more effectively, as you don't need to log into multiple systems, or remember more than one password. With fewer passwords and logins, it's less likely that the NU Network will be compromised. There may even be fewer support requests for help with forgotten passwords.

How does NU Online Passport work?
Let's say you arrive at your office, sit down to check your e-mail, and see a reminder that your password will expire soon. You click the Web link in the e-mail message to access the "Set New NetID Password" page. What comes up instead is the NU Online Passport login page.

When you log into NU Online Passport, the SSO system checks your identity in the University's central directory database and automatically returns you to the "Set New NetID Password" page. Until you close your Web browser, you can visit as many Web-based University systems and services as you like without logging in again.

Don't leave your Passport alone
Logging into NU Online Passport and walking away is almost as risky as setting your travel passport down in a crowded place. Be sure not to leave your computer unattended if you're logged in, or anyone can gain access to University systems. Before you walk away from an Online Passport session, log out or lock your computer.

For your convenience, you can stay logged in for up to 12 hours, but you'll be logged out automatically if your session is inactive for two hours.

About those cookies…
NU Online Passport sets a cookie in your Web browser when you're authenticated and saves the northwestern.edu domain in your computer. The cookie retains your information only as long as you are logged in. This allows Online Passport to grant you access to other University-authenticated Web sites without repeated logins. Exiting your browser and ending your session will delete the cookie. (But you will get a new cookie for your next session.)

We hope you'll take some time to become familiar with NU Online Passport. It will make your "travels" around the University's Web sites faster and easier.

<< back