First announced to students via email on Friday, Sept. 6, this change affected both students and faculty as the transition was completed in October. The purpose of this change was higher security and a simplified password base. Instead of having multiple different passwords for Google services, you are now able to access your Google account through your Guilford Network password, or Microsoft password.
In October 2022, Guilford College experienced a cyber security breach, which is what prompted the search for new security software. In a Guilfordian article from shortly after the incident two years ago, Chief Financial Officer John Wilkinson, stated that multi-factor authentication was one way to prevent cyber security problems.
Okta utilizes multi-factor authentication which requires more than just your username and password to access your account. In addition to these credentials, you must also enter a verification code that can be received through the Okta Verify app or via phone calls and text messages.
While this does lead to a more seamless and secure process overall, the first few weeks of Okta were difficult for students. Although there were email reminders of Okta, some students did not sign up for Okta by the Oct. 10 cut-off date, after which the campus headed into fall break. Unfortunately, many students missed these reminders due to not checking their emails over break, which caused the issue to be set aside for a week.
Around campus, students were talking about issues with the sign-in program and IT being backed up for a few days as students tried to get into their accounts. One student says “I forgot about it until it was too late to sign in. It took about a week after fall break until it kicked me out. I had to go to IT but they got me in really fast.”
Sign-in problems barred students from Canvas, Gmail, Google Docs, Workday and all other Google services. This issue led to some professors being more lenient with assignments. “The whole first week a lot of people I know were having a hard time signing in and it was really busy so I know professors had to be understanding that week, my English teacher specifically gave a lot of leniency because people in my class couldn’t sign into their stuff,” one student reported.
Chromebook users had some specific difficulties after Okta was phased in. If students signed in through their personal email and then tried to add their Guilford account in order to sign into specific applications, they would be barred from doing so as they were not being allowed to agree to the terms and conditions. Signing into the Chromebook from the starting page from a Guilford account solved this problem.
In recent weeks, problems with Okta seem to have been figured out on campus. The general complaint now is that the platform is “annoying” due to having to verify your sign-in on your phone.
This is a sentiment that is reflected in reviews of the Okta Verify app. One user on the Google Play Store, Robot-y Lad, rated the app 2 stars, a low rating given that the app has a 4.8 average. They implored for a form of email verification, due to the fact that signing into your account requires a cell phone, and people have been locked out completely after losing their phones or being late on their phone bills. “Please, make it actually accessible if someone can’t use their phone,” the user wrote.
Forbes also published an article in early November highlighting a security issue with Okta. Until Oct. 30, accounts with a username over 52 characters could be accessed without a password or verification code. This is a serious security issue, even though the possibility of someone having a 52-character username is small, the article states “let’s not minimize the seriousness of the fact that such a vulnerability should be present.”
If you’re still having issues signing into Okta, the college’s Information Technology department is located in Bauman 101. Their hours are Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Other points of contact for the IT department are available on the Guilford College website.
More information on Okta can be found on its website Okta.com where Okta claims a “neutral, powerful and extensible platform that puts identity at the heart of your stack.”
