Staff Council has been working with University Information Technology to help make your data more secure. Two Factor Authentication (2FA) is the most effective way to secure our computer accounts and it is easy to use!  If you’ve ever received a text message to confirm your identity when you log into an online retailer or banking site, you’ve used 2FA. The technology for 2FA adopted by the University is the same technology used by many of our peers throughout Texas and the United States. It allows you to confirm your identity by text message, phone call, mobile application, and other methods.

In our discussions with UIT, we expressed concerns about potential disruption to the start of the semester. We recommended starting 2FA before the start of the semester rather than after classes begin and to limit how often 2FA is needed.

UIT will be turning on 2FA for AccessUH on August 17th. This will give everyone time to log in and get setup before the semester begins on the 24th. Later this semester UIT will be adding 2FA to other services such as the UH VPN and the direct link to PeopleSoft and Blackboard along with applications such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Starting on August 17th, when you log in for the first time with a new browser or device, you will use 2FA to confirm that it is you. After that, you will not need to use 2FA to confirm your identity on that browser again for 30 days. 

UIT has provided materials online at uh.edu/infotech/2fa to assist you in getting enrolled in 2 Factor Authentication and the IT Support Center at 713-713-1411 is committed to supporting the UH community.