Go to http://passwords.loyola.edu (Virtual Office) to change or recover a forgotten, synchronized password. If that does not work, call the Technology Service Center (TSC) at 410-617-5555 to request a password reset. For the TSC hours of operation, click here.

If you are having a synchronized password problem and you are using a Mac and/or POP mail, please click here.

What does password synchronization mean for me?
It means that your password is the same for all of the following applications:

• Novell
  This is the software that allows Faculty, Staff and Administrators to log in to their office computers and have access to the network.  All members of the College community, including students, use this software to access their G: drive network storage space.
• RezNet (sometimes known as "CheckPoint" or "SecureClient")
  This is the software that residential students use to authenticate to Loyola's network.
• Wireless LAN (sometimes known as "BlueSocket")
  This is the software that members of the College community use to access the Wireless Network (LAN).
• GroupWise
• GWGuardian
• My Loyola / Blackboard
• WebAdvisor 
  NOTE: When logging in to WebAdvisor, your username/User ID must be entered in all lowercase letters.
• More Software (sometimes known as "Citrix")

In conjunction with password synchronization, all users are required to choose a secure password.  The minimum requirements for a secure password are that:

• It must have at least six (6) characters.
• It must contain at least one (1) number.
• It must contain at least one (1) lowercase character.

To make your password even more secure than the above requirements necessitate, we further recommend that your password:

• Be at least eight (8) characters long.
• Include a combination of upper-case letters, lower-case letters, numbers, and special symbols such as !@#$%^&*()[]\;',./{}|:"<>?

We would also like to suggest that you never write down your password, in case someone finds the paper it is written on.

What is the point of all these password requirements?
Common techniques used by identity thieves and other network infiltrators include trying every word in the dictionary, every combination of six or more numbers, or every possible name or date.  With the current state of computer technology, this kind of trial and error is not only possible, but also quickly accomplished.  Simply combining letters and numbers in a password will greatly decrease the likelihood that it will be "hacked." The additional suggestions will make a password even more difficult to guess.  Your private information will be safer as a result.

How do I know what my initial synchronized password is? 

What if I want to change my synchronized password?
The Virtual Office tool will allow you to log in and change your synchronized password. When logging in, your username is everything before the "@" sign in your GroupWise e-mail address. When you first log in to Virtual Office after February 15, if your synchronized password does not meet the minimum requirements for a secure password, you will see a page with the heading "Change Password" and the instructions for doing so. Once you change your password on that page, it will be changed for all the above applications. Click here for detailed instructions about using Virtual Office to change your password. Click here to go directly to Virtual Office.

How can I recover a forgotten password?
Virtual Office gives you the option to set up three (3) "challenge questions" so you can reset a forgotten password 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without calling the Technology Service Center.  However, these challenge questions can be viewed by anyone who enters your username on the Forgotten Password page in Virtual Office.  Therefore, caution should be used in selecting your questions, determining their answers and deciding whether you use this feature or not.  For additional information about using Virtual Office for password maintenance, click here.

How will I log in after password synchronization occurs?
You will still log in separately to each of the above applications but you will use your single, synchronized password along with your Loyola username.

What if I am a Mac user?
Those who use a Macintosh computer will still have a synchronized password for all of the listed applications.  However, Macintosh users do not use Novell or RezNet to log into Loyola's networks.  If you are a Macintosh user and have a password that you use to log into your computer, that password will not be synchronized.

What if I use an e-mail program other than GroupWise (sometimes referred to as a "POP" e-mail client)?
If you are using a POP e-mail client such as Outlook, Outlook Express, or Eudora, it will be necessary for you to change the password in your POP client to agree with the new, synchronized password you selected.  Failure to do this will result in your accounts being disabled.

What if I need more assistance?
For further assistance with this or any other Loyola technology, please contact the Technology Service Center by phone at x-5555 or by e-mail at tsc@loyola.edu.