Crowder Colleagues, 

Throughout January, Information Services will begin rolling out a new MFA service called Duo to better meet federal compliance requirements that went into effect this past summer.   

Why must Crowder change MFA? 

• The US Department of Education requires institutions that participate in the Federal Student Aid program to follow guidelines in the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Safeguards Rule.  In June 2023, the updated FTC Safeguards Rule went into effect, requiring colleges, “implement multi-factor authentication for any individual accessing any information system …"   

What is MFA? 

• MFA stands for Multi-Factor Authentication.  MFA requires you to enter a verification code after entering your password when logging into a computer service.   

How will this MFA change impact you at Crowder? 

• Without Duo you will not be able to log into Crowder systems after February 16. 
• How is Duo different from the Microsoft Authenticator? 

• On login, you will be prompted to use the Duo App instead of the Microsoft Authenticator App. For most individuals, it will feel very similar. 

• The Duo App requires a smartphone: 

• Please contact the VP of Information Services, Al Stadler, to discuss potential options if you do not have a smartphone. 

• Additional changes: Over the coming months, we will work to place more services used by Crowder behind Duo MFA to better secure everyone’s data and meet compliance guidelines. 

What is the timeline for the DUO Rollout Plan? 

• We will be contacting certain groups/divisions over the next few weeks to schedule a day for that group to make the switch to Duo.   

• January 3^rd – January 12^th : We will contact Division Chairs to schedule days for their groups to make the switch to Duo.   
• February 16^th : All remaining employees will be required to set up Duo MFA to access Crowder email and Canvas. 

• While we hope to work carefully through this change, we understand that changes to how we access online tools will require learning and extra assistance.  With that in mind, we hope to make the change in segments so that Information Services can better assist individuals through the rollout.   

What can you do now? Contact HelpDesk if you or your group would like to move to Duo MFA before the February 16^th deadline for all employees. Early adoption helps Information Services to work through any communication gaps and user bugs. For groups that opt-in to Duo MFA early, we will work to schedule time where we can assist the group with the transition.   

We will be communicating more over the coming weeks as we seek to provide set-up directions and sign-up groups to opt-in before February 16^th.  Thank you for your patience and understanding during the transition.  If you have any questions, please contact HelpDesk at www.crowder.edu/ticket, help@crowder.edu, 417.455.5712, or come by room 217 in McDonald Hall and we will do our best to answer them.