This article will help you to set up your new Vistatec Azure MFA:
Vistatec Azure
Vistatec has migrated to a single sign-on method based on Azure for a lot of its applications. Currently, this includes Droid, Athena, and our SharePoint portals. Over time more applications will be added to this list.
Step 1
You will be sent an email inviting you to register for Vistatec’s single sign-on access.
You must register with the same email address to which the invite was sent to. In case you need to use a different email address, please contact your assigned Vistatec Point of Contact to update your information.
The invitation email is sent from: invites@microsoft.com with the subject line “You’re invited to the Vistatec Ltd. organization“, and looks like this:
If you cannot find the email, please check your spam folders before contacting Vistatec.
Click the Get Started button.
[If you have a Microsoft account with that email address already, it will ask you to sign in at this point.]
Step 2
Review the Permissions dialog and if you are happy then click Accept.
Step 3
Click Next.
Step 4
Select your preferred authentication method and then follow the prompts on the page. Or, click on the “View video to know how to secure your account” link.
Our recommendation is to select Mobile App as the authentication method. This uses the Microsoft Authenticator App installed on your Smartphone, so you will need to install this.
For more details see: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/user-help/user-help-auth-app-download-install
This requires an Internet connection (Wifi or Mobile data) at the time of authentication to work. The App is called “Microsoft Authenticator App” in the Store.
Installing & Configuring the Authenticator App
Back on your PC choose one of the App options from Step 4 above and then check the box next to Authenticator app, and then select Configure.
The Configure mobile app screen appears with a QR code ready for you to scan with the authenticator app on your smartphone.
Go ahead and install the Microsoft Authenticator App now on your smartphone. After installation follow the on-screen prompts choose work or school account and enter your work email address xxxx.yyyy@vistatec.com. Choose to allow the app to view pictures or videos as you will need to scan the QR Code from your PC screen, then use your smartphone to scan the QR code on your PC screen, and then select Done to close the QR code screen on your smartphone.
Note: If your camera isn't working properly, you can enter the QR code and URL manually.
The Accounts screen of the app shows you your account name and a six-digit verification code. For additional security, the verification code changes every 30 seconds preventing you from using the same code twice.
Choose Save on the computer screen to save your info.
Using simple SMS Text or Call me options instead
- If instead, you prefer to use the Call or text my phone option then pick the relevant option from Step 4, and then check the box next to Authentication Phone, choose the correct country, and enter your mobile number (paying attention to that it is correct format e.g. for Irish Mobile it would 87 1234567 and not 087 1234567 as the international dialing format is +353 87 1234567
- After you verify your alternate contact method, choose Save or Next.
- Enter your password, then enter the code you received to your mobile, and click on “Sign in another way” to choose another way to verify your identity.
For example, select Authentication phone from the dropdown, select your country from the dropdown, and then type in your mobile phone number and select Send me a code by text message and click Next. The text will arrive within a couple of minutes.
Step 5
You may be asked to Enter your preferred password, then enter the code sent to you and click Verify.
Step 6
You will see a confirmation screen. Click Done.
Step 7
You are now brought to the Apps screen. This is a list of the Vistatec Apps you can access. Click an icon to go to the app.
After following the configuration steps. The user's environment will show a screen with the applications assigned to them:
Step 8
Over time Vistatec will add its Cloud-based apps here, and the user will have single sign-on access to these apps. SharePoint Online is not yet available here, so users will need to go direct to the supplied SharePoint URLs but will not need to sign on if already signed on here.
To login, on to any of the apps or SharePoint portals, you can navigate directly to the relevant URL and will be redirected automatically to sign in.
Vistatec Azure MFA Comparing the different options available (new version)
When a user receives an invite to the Vistatec Azure portal, they will need to register for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). There are several different methods available, and while we recommend using the Microsoft Authenticator App, this may not work for everyone, so this is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
There are 5 options available
- Call my authentication phone
- Text code to my authentication phone
- Call my office phone
- Notify me through the app
- Use the verification code from the app
Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages compared to the others.
Do not choose the “Call my office Phone” option.
Call my authentication phone
With this method, Microsoft will place an automated call to the user’s mobile phone when they try to log in. The user will be prompted to press the # key on their phone to allow the login to continue. If they were not trying to log in, they can press a different key to report a fraudulent login attempt.
Advantage: Instant verification from anywhere.
Disadvantage: Requires cell reception and may incur mobile costs.
Text code to my authentication phone
A code is texted to the user’s mobile phone when they try to log in. The user can either respond to the text or type the code into the authentication interface.
Advantage: The call does not need to be answered immediately.
Disadvantage: Requires cell reception and may incur text messaging costs.
Call my office phone
This method is similar to the Call my authentication phone, but instead, the user’s office phone is called. This method can dial extensions.
Advantage: Users won’t incur mobile phone costs.
Disadvantage: The user has to be at their desk.
This option is well-suited for users who will only log in to Office 365 from their desk, or as a backup method for when a user forgets their mobile phone at home.
Notify me through the app
When the user logs in, they receive a notification through the Authenticator app on their phone. They respond by clicking a button in the app to verify the login attempt.
Advantage: Does not require reception or incur text messaging costs.
Disadvantage: Requires that the phone be connected to the internet.
Use the verification code from the app
When the user logs in, they will be prompted to enter the code displayed in the Authenticator app on their phone. This code changes every 30 seconds based on a cryptographic algorithm and does not require network connectivity.
Advantage: The user can authenticate from anywhere, regardless of internet or telephone connectivity.
Disadvantage: A slight reduction in security, as there is no instant notification of a fraudulent login attempt as with the other methods.