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IT Accounts & Account Security

IT Accounts & Account Security

We are currently reviewing our IT Account Provision with a view to refining and standardising the process. 
In order to comply with IT security and licence changes, IT Services will complete an audit of IT accounts, initially Project Accounts followed by other secondary accounts (supplier/guest).
We will be contacting owners, and the email will come from “IT Accounts Audit” (uoa_accounts_audit@abdn.ac.uk). We will seek to remove accounts no longer required and move others to conform with the new security/licence requirements.
The information and guidance on this page is therefore subject to change. Information is correct at time of last update: October 2023.

All account types are subject to the University’s Conditions for using IT Facilities. For other policies governing the use of IT facilities at the University of Aberdeen, visit Policy Zone.

Your Personal IT Account

In order to access University  IT facilities (e.g. email and calendaring, personal and departmental filespace, printing, remote access, wireless services, management information systems, etc.) and full-text Library content such as online books, journals and databases, staff must have a personal IT account with an associated username (User ID) and password.

New members of staff are allocated a personal IT account, with a username and temporary password, at the start of their employment with the University.

Your IT account has a default allocation of personal filespace on the University network. This filespace is accessible via Computer or Windows Explorer. It appears as drive H:\ on any networked computer.

Note: Your email account is deactivated the day after you leave the University and you will no longer have access to it. Make sure you check your mailbox in good time before you leave for any items you want to keep – contact the Service Desk for advice on archiving.

For information about Honorary status, please visit Human Resources web page https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/working-here/honorary-status-2973.php

Additional IT Accounts

Additional IT accounts will only be provisioned following the successful application for one of the designated account types listed below.

Do you really need an additional account?

Before requesting an additional IT account, consider if it is really necessary. For example:

Do you have a visitor or guest who needs internet access?

If your visitor or guest only needs basic internet access on a personal device, they do not need an additional account. They can use the free, public wireless service Aberdeen-city-connect.

Are you collaborating with colleagues on a project?

They may not need an additional account. The University provides a range of services to support collaboration and data sharing with colleagues both within and outwith the University. These include:

SharePoint

Shared Network Filespace

File Transfer Service (ZendTo)

  • Suitable for collaboration with internal and external colleagues.
  • Transferring personal sensitive data? ensure appropriate governance is in place. Please see guidance at: Information Governance
  • Visit our Collaboration page to find out more.

Teams

  • Suitable for collaboration with internal and external colleagues.
  • Visit our Collaboration page to find out more.

OneDrive for Business

Mailing Lists

  • Suitable for collaboration with internal and external colleagues.
  • Visit our Mailing Lists page to find out more.
Shared Mailboxes

Why use shared mailboxes?

A shared mailbox makes it easy for a specific group of people to monitor and send and respond to emails from an email address like design@abdn.ac.uk. This has several benefits. For example, when a person in the group replies to a message sent to the shared mailbox, the reply will appear from the shared mailbox, and not from an individual personal account.

Recent Microsoft security improvements have meant the University has had to implement changes to the way that shared mailboxes are set up and how they are controlled. 
To allow for shared mailboxes to continue to be used, we are moving to a more secure method of set up. This method uses server-side delegation through OWA “Outlook on the web”, which is accessed via an internet browser.

What this means for you

  • Shared passwords are no longer required
  • Using OWA via a browser is the recommended way to use shared mailboxes.

When given ‘server-side’ delegation, the owner of the account will have the shared mailbox automatically connected in their Outlook desktop client. 
If you choose to use the shared mailbox via your own personal Outlook desktop client, rather than using OWA (recommended method), please be aware that this will limit the following functionality:

What Happens to Messages?
ACTION USING OWA USING OUTLOOK DESKTOP CLIENT
SENT items Will be saved to the shared mailbox. Will be saved to both the shared mailbox and personal sent folders.
DRAFTS - save to Will show in the shared mailbox. Will save to your personal drafts folder not the shared mailbox, but you can copy/paste from own folder to shared drafts folder.
SEARCH Will show in the shared mailbox. The search function is never 100% accurate, but it has significantly worsened since changes to how delegation has been set up.
SIGNATURE Automatic after setting this up in the shared mailbox Must be selected manually for every new email. Cannot be set up automatically.
ADDRESS BOOK The Address book is not visible; however, when typing a name suggestion will appear. Only your own Contacts will be visible; you must go to People to get shared mailbox Contacts.
MAIL MERGE Mail merge functionality is not available in OWA. A new profile must be set up; a prompt will allow you to choose which mailbox to open.
RULES OWA should be used for updating rules, automatic replies, and calendar delegation. You are not able to set up rules via your own mailbox to the shared mailbox.
FAVORITES Not available. Disappears when set up; must be recreated.
NEW EMAIL Sends from the Shared Mailbox. Must select 'FROM' to change to the Shared Mailbox.

 

Please note: If using Outlook on a Mac, you need to go to Outlook > File > Open > Shared Mailbox, then enter the name of the mailbox, for example design@abdn.ac.uk.

Guest Accounts

Remember. If your visitor only needs basic internet access on a personal device, they do not need a Guest account. Such visitors can use the free, public wireless service Aberdeen-city-connect.

What it’s for

A short-term ad hoc account for visitors to the University, eg visiting academics (without Honorary Status), conference attendees.

What you get

  • Username and password for network
  • Internet access via eduroam wireless network, if required.
  • Access to classroom and library PCs for internet use and the MS Office suite

A Guest account does not provide:

  • University of Aberdeen email account
  • Printing
  • Filespace on University servers
  • Access to full-text Library content such as online books, journals and databases
  • Access to MyAberdeen (you will need an Honorary account via HR)

Account Lifetime

The maximum lifetime of the account is 30 days. Guest accounts cannot be extended.

How you get it

1-5 Guest accounts

  • Request up to 5 Guest accounts on behalf of your Guest(s) via the Account Manager portal.
  • Requests are processed within 30 minutes.
  • You will then be the Guest account’s/accounts’ sponsor.

6-50 Guest accounts

  • Login to MyIT at myit.abdn.ac.uk and complete the Bulk Guest Account Request form. The form is in the Services section, under the Accounts and Passwords category.
  • IT Services will approve bulk requests – please allow up to 3 working days for activation of accounts.
  • You will then be the Guest accounts’ sponsor.

How do guests access the wireless network

Guests can access the internet using the free, public wireless service Aberdeen-city-connect. 

If they are visiting a building where Aberdeen-city-connect is not available – for example NHS Grampian buildings at Foresterhill and University Halls of Residence – they may use the campus wireless network eduroam instead.

Connecting to Aberdeen-city-connect

Guests should look for available wireless networks on their device in the usual way – Aberdeen-city-connect will be listed as one of the options. They will need to register to use the service. Once they have registered, a Welcome to the CityConnect page will display automatically. 

We’re sorry, but we can’t provide help connecting to this service.

Connecting to eduroam

Guests should run our automatic configuration wizard to ensure that their device is configured optimally. Guests can access the wizard at www.abdn.ac.uk/wireless/.

Note: They will need the University of Aberdeen username and password. They must also append @abdn.ac.uk to the username when logging into the configuration wizard and to eduroam.

Conditions of use

  • Hosts are responsible for allocating guest accounts and keeping a record of the individuals accounts have been allocated to. 
  • Hosts must ensure guests are aware of, and comply with, the University’s Conditions for using IT Facilities. 
  • Accounts must not be shared by more than one individual. 
  • Availability of classroom/library PCs cannot be guaranteed – access is on a first come, first served basis.
Supplier Accounts

What it’s for

Supplier accounts are for non-University employees, e.g. contractors, suppliers.

What you get

  • Username and password for network
  • Internet access via eduroam wireless network, if required.
    Note: Visitors are encouraged to use the free, public wireless service Aberdeen-city-connect
  • Printing via proximity card
  • Desktop

An Supplier account does not provide:

  • University of Aberdeen email account
  • Filespace on University servers
  • Access to full-text Library content such as online books, journals, and databases

Account Lifetime

Accounts can be active for a minimum of 1 month up to a maximum of 12 months.

Accounts can be extended beyond 12 months if required - this is best done when you receive notification that the account closure is pending.

How you get it

  • Request an Supplier account on behalf of the external party via the Account Manager portal.
  • IT Services will approve this request – please allow up to 3 working days for activation of account.
  • You will then be the Supplier account’s sponsor.

The applicant will be the owner of the Supplier account, and the account’s sponsor.

Resource Accounts

What it’s for

Resource accounts represent:

  • Rooms
  • Shared Mailboxes (including Calendars) suitable for team, group, or project use
  • Bookable Equipment

What you get

  • An account that can be accessed by you and by others via Outlook, e.g. a meeting room, shared calendar, pool laptop or other equipment.

How you get it

To request a Resource account, login to MyIT https://myit.abdn.ac.uk, go to the Service Catalog > Accounts and Passwords, and complete the Resource Account Request form.

If your resource account is for a meeting room, you can choose (at the time of requesting) whether you want the room to be visible in the GAL, thereby allowing users to book the room via Outlook.