Penn State will transition from Duo two-factor to Microsoft Authenticator as the new identity verification method, the university announced Tuesday. This change will affect all Penn State resources, such as Office 365, LionPATH, Canvas, and WorkLion.

Students will be able to self-enroll in Microsoft multi-factor authentication (MFA) from March 23 to May 8, with more details and enrollment instructions set to be communicated at a later date. Before the end of 2023, all students, faculty, and staff members will be required to use Microsoft MFA.

“Duo two-factor authentication has served us well since it was implemented at the University eight years ago for faculty and staff members and, more recently, for students,” Keith Brautigam, chief information security officer and deputy chief information officer, said. “However, transitioning to Microsoft MFA enables the University to reduce costs by aligning with other Microsoft tools we’re already using, streamline service management, and enhance Penn State’s security posture.”

Penn State is initiating the switch now so students are fully switched over by the start of the fall semester. Faculty and staff, on the other hand, will begin the transition beginning this summer and will continue into the fall semester.

Students set to graduate in May don’t need to enroll in MFA.