Enable or disable two-factor authentication for administrators

This article describes how to enable two-factor authentication for Cloud Office Control Panel administrators.

Prerequisites

  • Applies to: Administrator
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time Needed: Approximately 5 minutes
  • Tools Needed: Administrators need access to their Cloud Office Control Panel

For more information about prerequisite terminology, see Cloud Office support terminology.

As an administrator of your company's email solution, you have a great deal of control over your account. If your administrator access is compromised, the results can be devastating to your business. A strong security policy is not complete without enabling two-factor authentication.

Multi-factor authentication options

The Cloud Office Control Panel provides two options for enabling multifactor authentication when you first log in. Upon login you are required to set up multifactor authentication.

Use text message multi-factor authentication

With text message multi-factor authentication, you can use your phone number to receive a one-time code that allows you access to the control panel.

Use the following steps to enable text message multi-factor authentication:

  1. Log in to your Cloud Office Control Panel.

  2. When you are prompted with a screen titled Choose Your Multi-Factor Authentication Method, select Get A Text Message.

  3. Enter the phone number that you want to link the multifactor SMS messaging with.

  4. After a verification code has been sent to your phone, enter the code in the verification field and click Verify Code.

  5. The last step displays the following message: You have successfully set up Multi-Factor Authentication!

Use a multi-factor authentication mobile application

Use the following steps to enable a mobile multi-factor authentication application:

  1. Log in to your Cloud Office Control Panel.

  2. When you are prompted with a screen titled Choose Your Multi-Factor Authentication Method, select Use a Mobile App.

  3. Link your mobile device to your administrator account by using the following the instructions in the prompt:

  4. The last step displays the following message: You have successfully set up Multi-Factor Authentication!

Log in to the control panel with two-factor authentication

  1. Navigate to Cloud Office Control Panel.

  2. Enter your Admin ID and Password.

  3. When prompted for the Two-Factor Verification Code, use the desktop or mobile two-factor authentication application that you already installed to produce a verification code. Enter this code into the Two-Factor Verification Code field.

You have successfully logged in using two-factor authentication.

Reset two-factor authentication for other administrators

You might need to perform these steps if an administrator gets a new device without first disabling two-factor authentication.

  1. Log in to your Cloud Office Control Panel.

  2. Click your username and account number, for example adminusername (acct#), in the upper-right corner to expand the menu.

  3. From the menu, select Administrators.

  4. Click the username for the administrator that you are going to require to use two-factor authentication.

  5. Click on Reset Multi-Factor Authentication.

  6. Click on Reset Multi-Factor Authentication in the pop-up to confirm the request.

You have successfully reset MFA for this administrator. They will be prompted to set it up again on their next login attempt.

Manage multi-factor authentication linked devices

You have the option to trust devices when using multi-factor authentication. This option is to trust a device is presented to you the first time you set up multi-factor authentication on that device.

Use the following instructions to edit your trusted devices:

  1. Log in to the Cloud Office Control Panel.

  2. Click your username and account number, for example adminusername(acct#), in the upper right-hand corner to expand the menu.

  3. From the menu, select My Profile.

  4. Select Trusted Devices.

    • You are presented with a list of trusted devices associated with your administrator account. Here you can choose to remove devices that you do not recognize or no longer use.
  5. Click Edit Trusted Devices. You can now click the trash icon to the right of the device you want to remove and then click Save.