XClose

UCL Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology

Home
Menu

Computer Accounts and Passwords

As a new starter, you should receive your UCL credentials on your first day of work. If you are coming from another part of UCL, please ensure that you liaise with your manager well in advance, so that your account can be migrated to the appropriate unit.

Some of the most common queries we receive about computer accounts and passwords are:

Register your Mobile Phone

You now can register a mobile number to be able to reset your password if you ever lose it or forget it! Browse to the MyAccount page to Register your Number.

Change my password

As a UCL employee, you will be asked to change your password regularly, and you will receive e-mail reminders to alert you about it. Please visit the MyAccount Change your password page to do so. 

A fully comprehensive guide is available also at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/services/userid-passwords/forgotten-change-password.

Find my UCL user ID

If you have forgotten or cannot find details of your UCL user ID, you can look it up by visiting the UCL ISD Find my user ID page. Please note that you will need your UPI (a 5-letter code followed by 2 numbers which is printed on your UCL card), and your date of birth.

UCL MyAccount password management service has changed

The main changes are:

  • Password length is no longer restricted to 8 characters. Passwords can now be between 8 – 30 characters long.
  • Password lifespan is no longer restricted to 150 days, this can now last up to 350 days dependent on password strength.
  • Users who register a mobile phone number can reset their own passwords when they’ve forgotten them or let them expire. All UCL staff and students will be asked to register a mobile phone number.
  • If for any reason, the member of staff or student cannot or does not wish to register a mobile phone number, they should contact the UCL Service Desk to discuss their options.

How does this affect me?

Departmental Computer Reps no longer have the ability to generate tokens to enable their staff members to reset their own passwords.

Instead, all customers should now register a mobile phone number with the new MyAccount system. Customers will then be able to reset forgotten or expired passwords themselves, eliminating the need to contact anyone. This improves security and removes the temptation for customers to rely on departmental computer representatives to reset their passwords.

If staff members have forgotten their passwords and do not have a mobile phone number registered they have 2 options:

  1. Visit the UCL ISD Service Desk in person at the DMS Watson Science Library with their UCL ID card. The service desk will offer to register a mobile phone number for the person. If that is not possible for any reason, a reset code can be provided. 
  2. Contact their Programme Administrator. Once the Programme Administrator is able to confirm the member of staff is part of their department, the Programme Administrator will be asked to contact the UCL ISD Service Desk via their UCL email account at servicedesk@ucl.ac.uk. They will be required to provide confirmation of the staff member's identity and contact details. The UCL ISD Service Desk will then contact the staff member directly and deal with the password reset.

Role accounts belonging to each department will now appear in the Computer Reps Tools along with staff and student accounts. A phone number can also be registered for these accounts to enable expired or forgotten passwords to be reset. The process for these accounts is the same as for staff accounts.

Why has this changed?

The current MyAccount system is very old and depends on legacy infrastructure which is soon to be decommissioned. In addition, the password restrictions it imposes mean it is very difficult for staff and students to set secure and memorable passwords. Following feedback from several IT Managers, it was decided to remove the capability to directly issue password reset tokens from Computer Reps and IT Managers, as they were being asked to use the facility inappropriately by some users. 

The new system enables customers to choose better and more memorable passwords, reducing the requirement to change them and empowering them to reset forgotten or expired passwords at a time and place of their own choosing. 

If you still cannot find help with your problem, please visit the UCL User IDs and Password pages, or contact the ICTM IS Service Desk.