Staff Accounts - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Any existing staff member can collect a printout of their username and initial password by calling in person to the IT Service Desk with their Staff ID card.

Please note that for security reasons username and passwords cannot be issues/confirmed by the Service Desk team via phone or email.

New Staff members should visit the "Getting Set Up" section of our website for further information.

See Change your password using Microsoft 365 or Change your password using a Windows computer registered for the College network.

Your password can only be changed once in any 24 hour period

If you have forgotten your network password, you can:

• Reset it using the Microsoft 365
• Come in person, with your your Trinity staff card, to the IT Service Desk on the ground floor of Áras an Phiarsaigh and we will reset your account there

To keep your account secure the Service Desk team cannot change your password via requests received by email or via assist.tcd.ie.

Unlock your account by using the Microsoft 365 - Self-service password reset tool.

Any existing staff member can collect a printout of their username and initial password by calling in person to the IT Service Desk with their Staff ID card.

Please note that for security reasons username and passwords cannot be issues/confirmed by the Service Desk team via phone or email.

New Staff members should visit the "Getting Set Up" section of our website for further information.

In some cases your computer account can become 'locked out'. There are several reasons why this can happen:

• You enter your password incorrectly 10 times
• An application which stores your Trinity network login password tries to login multiple times unsuccessfully
• Someone tries to access your account without your knowledge

To protect against potential hacking in to an account, if there are 10 consecutive unsuccessful attempts to login to the network within any 30-minute period, the account is automatically locked for the period of 4 hours.

We will need to investigate the problem in more detail. If your account is repeatedly locked out, please contact the IT Service Desk at itservicedesk@tcd.ie and be prepared to provide the following information:

• The exact lockout times.
• List devices you are using on the Trinity data network.
• List applications that are using your Trinity network login password.
• Try to recall if you have revealed your password to anybody either in person or via web.

Unlock your account by using the Microsoft 365 - Self-service password reset tool.

Your computer account expiry date is set by Human Resources. You will be notified about a forthcoming expiry date at least 2 weeks in advance. On the day of expiry, your computer account and all associated accounts will stop working.

You will be notified about the forthcoming computer account expiry at least 2 weeks prior to the date. On the day of your account expiry, your computer account and all associated accounts will stop working. The two week notice period gives you time to contact Human Resources. Human Resources will need to update your records, if your contract is pending a renewal. Staff whose accounts are due to expire are advised to backup data held on Trinity servers.

The computer account expiry process is automated. If your records are not updated by Human Resources during the two week notice period, your account will expire.

Human Resources is the first point of contact for computer account reactivation queries because the expiry date is tied to your contract end date. Human Resources manage this information.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to retrieve any files subsequent to the expiry date of the accounts.

See removing Trinity software and settings.

It is vital that you create a copy of any personal files you wish to keep as you will not be able to access files saved on the Trinity IT systems after your Trinity computer account has expired; this includes anything that you have saved to your OneDrive.

Backing up, or copying, of files must be done prior to the account expiry date. Please refer to the Data Protection Policy and Records Management Policy.

• For security reasons, your account will be disabled if we have reason to believe your account has been compromised.
• Any new staff account that has not registered for multi-factor authentication (MFA) within 30 days of its creation will be disabled and have its Microsoft 365 licenses downgraded.
• Any staff account, that has registered for multi-factor authentication (MFA), but does not sign into Microsoft 365 for a continuous period of 12 months will be disabled.

Please contact the IT Service Desk at itservicedesk@tcd.ie for assistance in getting your account re-enabled and its licenses standardized. You will be assisted in registering for multi-factor authentication (MFA), if applicable.

A staff account will be considered to be dormant if it does not sign into Microsoft 365 for a continuous period of 6 months.

If your account is considered to be dormant, its Microsoft 365 licenses will be downgraded. Your access to the Desktop versions of the Microsoft 365 apps will be restricted. You will still be able to access the Browser versions of the Microsoft 365 apps. No data loss will be incurred. This is in line with the LIPC-approved rolling policy on dormant accounts.

Please contact the IT Service Desk for assistance in getting your dormant account normalized.

The steps to get your username and initial password are outlined in the staff "Getting Set Up" information

Ensure your new staff member has returned all employment paperwork to HR as soon as possible, the process is outlined in the staff "Getting Set Up" information

Queries in relation to certain IT account entitlements e.g. if no email address has been provisioned or if you are not included on a departmental mailing list, may need to be directed to Human Resources.

Access to certain Trinity IT services is determined by the details in your record on the Human Resources system. HR will be able to confirm your current coding on their system and the associated entitlements. In some cases your Head of Department may need to request further entitlements from HR on your behalf. Once your record has been updated on the HR system then your IT account and access to relevant IT services will be automatically updated within 72 hours.

Your staff account cannot be merged with your student account. You will receive a new student number and also a new Trinity computer account and email address. Your student account does not inherit the privileges of your staff account.

You should note that if you are continuing as a member of staff, you will have two separate accounts.

If you change status on the payroll and are issued with a new staff username, you will not be able to retain your old staff username.

You will receive a new staff number and also a new Trinity username and email address. You are obliged to use the new username and email address.

It is not possible to request that usernames be changed unless your personal details are entered incorrectly in Human Resources' records. In such cases, please contact HR.

If HR edit your record, please contact the IT Service Desk to have your username updated.

While your Trinity computer account is active you can set email forwarding to another Trinity email address. However, once your Trinity computer account has expired the email forwarding is discontinued.

You cannot setup email forwarding to an external email address (e.g. A Gmail address).

See Change your password using Microsoft 365 or Change your password using a Windows computer registered for the College network.

Your password can only be changed once in any 24 hour period

For security reasons, staff must change their password every 180 days. An automatic email notification will be sent from IT Services 14-16 days in advance of password expiry.

Users with a new staff account must change their initial password within 30 days of the account creation. Thereafter, they must change their password every 180 days.

Passwords are often broken, stolen or cracked without the knowledge of the victim. For instance, this can happen as a result of a phishing email or through malware.

Very often stolen passwords are not used immediately. If you change your password regularly, even if your password is somehow stolen, the thief does not have the opportunity to use it.

To ensure your password is secure it must follow the below regulations:

• be at least 8 characters long
• have a mix of upper and lowercase characters
• include at least one numeric character OR a special character such as ! @ $ % * _ - + = ~
• not include £ € : ? | space
• not include part of your first name, last name or username
• not be the same as any of your previous 24 passwords

Secure passwords are randomised combinations of characters, don’t use dictionary words or include part of your first name, last name, or username.

If you have forgotten your network password, you can:

• Reset it using the Microsoft 365
• Come in person, with your your Trinity staff card, to the IT Service Desk on the ground floor of Áras an Phiarsaigh and we will reset your account there

To keep your account secure the Service Desk team cannot change your password via requests received by email or via assist.tcd.ie.

If your password has expired, you can:

• Reset it using the Microsoft 365
• Using a Windows computer on the Trinity network, and press Ctrl+Alt+Del. Type your Trinity username and your expired password and follow the prompts to set a new password

If you have not changed your password when directed, it will expire to ensure your credentials cannot be compromised.

You will not be able to log in to the Trinity Network or access your email.

Password expiry does not relate to account expiry i.e. if your password expires there is no adverse effect on your email or computer account, they have not been closed. You simply have to set a new network login password to regain access to all your IT services.

An on-premises Webauthor account is only used by staff and postgraduates who are responsible for managing certain Trinity websites which are hosted on the 'on-premises' Trinity web server. On-premises webauthor account passwords expire every 180 days.

See "On-premises webauthor account passwords" for more details.

A WCMS webauthor account is only used by staff and postgraduates who are responsible for managing certain Trinity websites which are hosted in a cloud server. WCMS webauthor accounts are synced with your main Trinity computer account. Any password changes you make to your main Trinity computer account will be reflected in your WCMS webauthor account.

See "WCMS webauthor account" for more details.