January 27, 2022

In October and November 2021, Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) was enabled for all Christian Horizons employees. In the weeks since it has come to light that a small number of Christian Horizons staff are facing challenges understanding MFA when accessing their email.

MFA is an added level of security that prevents hackers from accessing your email or email account. MFA requires three things to verify someone’s identity to ensure the correct person is accessing email: a username, a password, and a unique numerical code.

Office 365 offers three methods of Multi-factor Authentication:

  • Text Message
  • Phone Call
  • Microsoft Authenticator app on Apple iOS and Android

Christian Horizons encourages staff to use the above methods in the following ways:

  • For Text Messages, you can use your personal cell phone.
  • For Phone Calls, you can use your personal cell phone, your work phone, or your home phone.
  • For the Microsoft Authenticator app, you can use your personal mobile device.

You can also set up multiple MFA methods. For example, you can have any variation of the following:

  • Text Message to cell phone
  • Phone call to work phone
  • Phone call to home phoneMicrosoft Authenticator app on iPhone, iPad, or Android

For Support Location computers where users can log in with their CH accounts (ie. Windows 10 tablets) instead of the “staff” account, users can mark the device as trusted. When authenticating, users will see an option to mark the device as trusted by selecting “Don’t ask again.” Please do not use this feature on computers where you share the account with other people.

If you have a question, please send an email to helpdesk@christian-horizons.org with the subject heading “MFA FAQ”.

If you require support, please open a ticket on the IT Helpdesk at https://helpdesk.chconnect.org:8443.