Securing Northwestern Email: Implementation
Welcome to the Securing Northwestern Email project implementation page. Here you will find information to prepare you for implementation of the project's included security updates and details about the implementation schedule.
Status
May 2021: Phase One of the Securing Northwestern Email Project is complete. In collaboration with University schools and administrative units, Northwestern IT has completed the Implementation Timeline for applying the two security updates included in the scope of the project: activating Duo Multi-factor Authentication for Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365 of O365) and decommissioning support for Basic Authentication on Microsoft 365 applications.
What to Expect
Modern Authentication
Most devices and current versions of applications are already configured with Modern Authentication and will not be impacted by the change to decommission Basic Authentication. However, once support for Basic Authentication is decommissioned, some users may be required to update their operating system and/or Exchange-reliant applications to versions that support Modern Authentication. Review the “E-mail and Modern Authentication” knowledge base article on this topic.
Multi-factor Authentication
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) will be activated, on a rolling basis, on all Northwestern Microsoft 365 applications—including University email, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Excel, among others. The activation process may take up to 24 hours to complete across the suite of applications.
Once MFA is activated on an account, users will need to (re)log-in to their Microsoft 365 applications individually, adding the Duo authentication step for each application. Users may not notice a prompt to (re)log-in to in-use Microsoft applications that they have running in the background on their device, but users will stop receiving notifications on those applications and activity in the application will pause until they do so.
How to Prepare
Prepare for Modern Authentication
- Most devices are already configured with Modern Authentication and will not notice any impact in access or use of University Outlook email or other Microsoft 365 applications once Basic Authentication is decommissioned.
- However, those who are using older versions of Outlook, using an email client other than Outlook, or who do not have Outlook installed on their mobile devices, may need to make updates to ensure that they maintain access to University Outlook email and Microsoft 365 applications. For mobile devices, please be aware that operating systems should be current. Also, it might be necessary to install the Outlook app on the device. Please review the E-mail and Modern Authentication guide for a list of devices, update instructions, and tips.
- In rare instances where Modern Authentication cannot be used for specific devices or applications, Northwestern IT recommends users rely on Northwestern webmail (OWA) for accessing University email.
Prepare for Multi-factor Authentication on Microsoft 365
- Duo Multi-factor Authentication will work on Outlook email and Microsoft 365 application the same way it does on other secure Northwestern systems.
- Use the “Remember Me” feature to reduce the number of times you will be required to authenticate. Understand how “Remember Me” works.
- Northwestern IT recommends using the Duo Mobile app to receive a “push” to your mobile device—smartphone, tablet, or smartwatch. This notification option remains the fastest, easiest, and most reliable way to use the service, and is also more cost-effective than using the “Call Me” or “Send me a code” functionality.
- If you are currently using Duo with any sign-on option other than “push”, you can make a new selection by managing your options under “My settings & Devices” in Duo. Contact the Northwestern IT Service Desk at consultant@northwestern.edu or 847-491-4357 (1-HELP) if you need support with making a change to the “push” notification type.
- Be aware of special case scenarios where an alternate notification type could be more appropriate.
Implementation Timeline
Most students, faculty, staff, and affiliates received the Securing Email changes between February and April 2021 via a NetID sequenced deployment. A schedule of when changes were applied is published below.
| School/Department Name | Implementation Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences | February - April 2021 | Complete |
| School of Communication | February – April 2021 | Complete |
| School of Education & Social Policy | February – April 2021 | Complete |
| McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science | February – April 2021 | Complete |
| The Graduate School (Staff) | December 16, 2020 | Complete |
| Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications | February – April 2021 | Complete |
| Northwestern Pritzker School of Law | February – April 2021 | Complete |
| Kellogg School of Management (Faculty and Staff) | January 2021 | Complete |
| Kellogg School of Management (Students) | February – April 2021 | Complete |
| Feinberg School of Medicine | February – April 2021 | Complete |
| Bienen School of Music (Faculty and Staff) | February – April 2021 | Complete |
| Bienen School of Music (Students) | February – April 2021 | Complete |
| School of Professional Studies (Faculty and Staff) | January 7 – January 29, 2021 | Complete |
| School of Professional Studies (Students) | February – April 2021 | Complete |
| Northwestern in Qatar (Faculty and Staff) | January 18 – 20, 2021 | Complete |
| Northwestern in Qatar (Students) | Jan 25 - 29, 2021 | Complete |
| Business/Administrative Unit Name | Implementation Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Alumni Relations | January 11 - January 29, 2021 | Complete |
| Buffett Institute for Global Studies | December 17, 2020 | Complete |
| Facilities (Phase 1) | December 9, 2020 | Complete |
| Facilities (Phase 2) | February - April 2021 | Complete |
| Financial Operations | January 11 - January 20, 2021 | Complete |
| Human Resources | January 25, 2021 | Complete |
| Northwestern Information Technology | August 2020 | Complete |
| Office of Global Marketing and Communications | December 17, 2020 | Complete |
| Office of Global Safety and Security | December 17, 2020 | Complete |
| Office of International Student and Scholar Services | December 17, 2020 | Complete |
| Office of the President | January 27, 2021 | Complete |
| Office of the Provost | January 20, 2021 | Complete |
| Office for Research | February - April 2021 | Complete |
| Student Affairs | February - April 2021 | Complete |
| University Athletics | February - April 2021 | Complete |
| University Enrollment | December 3, 2020 | Complete |
| University Libraries | December 7-20, 2020 | Complete |
| University Police | February - April 2021 | Complete |