Set up multifactor authentication applications for Cloud Office

Prerequisites

Applies to: Administrator and User
Difficulty: Easy
Time Needed: About 15 minutes
Tools Needed: Internet Browser access and a mobile device with an active
network connection

For more information about prerequisite terminology, see
Cloud Office support terminology.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires users to give a second form of
authentication when accessing their accounts. This second form of authentication
is an extra layer of security and minimizes the chances of account compromise.

MFA for both the Cloud Office Control Panel and Rackspace Email Webmail can use
an authenticator application. When configuring MFA for the first time, users have the
option to receive a Short Message Service (SMS) text message or use an authenticator
app. You can use any Time-based One Time Password (TOTP) app. This article
provides an overview of a few options that you can use and instructions for
configuring your account for each application.

Warning: These are third-party apps, which Rackspace doesn't own or support
Use these apps at your discretion.

Microsoft Authenticator for iOS and Android

Use the following steps to configure the Microsoft® Authenticator®
mobile app for use with your Cloud Office Control Panel admin login:

Install the Microsoft Authenticator app from the iOS App Store® or
the Android Google Play Store®.
Open the Microsoft Authenticator app and select Scan QR Code. If you
previously configured the Microsoft Authenticator app, you can tap the three
vertical dots in the app's top-right corner, select + Add Account, and
choose Other account to continue.

Note: When selecting Scan QR Code, you must allow the Microsoft Authenticator app to take pictures or a video to scan the QR code in the
following steps.
After selecting Scan QR Code, navigate to the
Cloud Office Control Panel, enter your administrator
credentials in the fields provided, and select Log In.
Next, in the Choose Your Multi-Factor Authentication Method prompt,
select the Use an Authenticator option and press Continue.
Scan the QR code that appears with the Microsoft Authenticator app. This
action automatically adds your account to the list of available accounts
within the authenticator app.
Tap the account you just added to the authenticator app. Next, enter the
six-digit code displayed by the Microsoft Authenticator app into the Cloud
Office Control Panel field, and select Verify Code.
When the code verifies, a message appears stating that the multi-factor
authentication setup completed successfully. You can now select Got It to
begin performing administrative tasks within the Cloud Office Control Panel.

Note: You can have a direct link to the app on the appropriate app store
sent to your device by going to
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/account/authenticator#getapp
and entering your phone number.

Google Authenticator for iOS and Android

Use the following steps to configure the Google® Authenticator mobile app for
use with your Cloud Office Control Panel administrator login:

Install the Google Authenticator app from the iOS App Store or the
Android Google Play Store.
Open the Google Authenticator app and select Get Started.
Next, when prompted to Setup Your First Account, select Scan QR Code.
If you previously configured the Google Authenticator app, select the +
icon in the bottom-right corner of the app and select Scan a QR Code to
continue.

Note: When selecting Scan QR Code, you must allow the Google Authenticator app to take pictures or a video to scan the QR code in the
following steps.
After selecting Scan QR Code, navigate to the
Cloud Office Control Panel, enter your administrator
credentials in the fields provided, and select Log In.
Next, within the Choose Your Multi-Factor Authentication Method prompt,
select Use an Authenticator and click Continue.
Scan the QR code that appears with the Google Authenticator app. This action
automatically adds your account to the list of available accounts within the
authenticator app itself.
Tap the account you just added to the authenticator app. Next, enter the
six-digit code displayed by the Google Authenticator app into the Cloud Office
Control Panel field, and select Verify Code.
When the code verifies, a message appears stating that the multi-factor
authenticator setup completed successfully. You can now select Got It to
begin performing administrative tasks within the Cloud Office Control Panel.

Authy for iOS and Android

Use the following steps to configure the Authy mobile app for use with your
Cloud Office Control Panel administrator login:

Download Authy (Twilio® Authy 2-Factor Authentication) from the iOS App
Store or the Android Google Play Store.
Open Authy, enter a valid phone number in the field, and select Ok.
After entering your phone number, you must verify your account by using one
of the following options:
- Phone call
- SMS(text)
- Use Existing Device
Select SMS and enter the code you received when prompted by Authy.
Tap the three vertical lines in the app's top-right corner, select
Add Account, and click Scan QR Code.

Note: When selecting Scan QR Code, you must allow the Authy app to
take pictures or a video to scan the QR code in the following steps.
After selecting Scan QR Code, navigate to the
Cloud Office Control Panel, enter your administrator
credentials in the fields provided, and select Log In.
Next, in the Choose Your Multi-Factor Authentication Method prompt,
select the Use an Authenticator option and press Continue.
Scan the QR code that appears with the Authy app. This automatically adds
your account to the list of available accounts in the authenticator app.
Tap the account you just added to the authenticator app. Next, enter the
six-digit code displayed by the Authy app in the Cloud Office Control Panel
field and select Verify Code.
When the code verifies, a message appears stating that the multi-factor
authenticator setup completed successfully. You can now select Got It to
begin performing administrative tasks within the Cloud Office Control Panel.

Note: You can have a direct link to the app on the appropriate app store
sent to your device by going to https://authy.com/download/
and entering your phone number.

Authy for Mac and PC

If a mobile authenticator app isn't an option, you can choose to use the desktop
version of Authy as an alternative by following the steps listed below:

Navigate to https://authy.com/download/, select
the appropriate operating system under the Desktop - Direct Download field,
and select Download.
After selecting Download, you must run the Authy Desktop Setup
executable file by opening the file and selecting Run.
After installation, you must enter a phone number in the prompt to continue.
Enter a valid phone number and select SMS from the
Get Verification Via... prompt.
Enter the code sent to your mobile number within the appropriate field in the
Authy desktop app.
Select the + symbol within the Authy desktop app to begin adding a new
account.
When the prompt Code given by the website appears, navigate to the
Cloud Office Control Panel in your web browser. Next,
enter your administrator credentials in the fields provided and then select
Log In.
In the Choose Your Multi-Factor Authentication Method prompt, select the
Use an Authenticator option and press Continue.
Copy the code provided in Step 3 - Manually enter the secret key below in the app.
in the Cloud Office Control Panel, and paste the code into the field provided
through the Authy desktop app.
Select Add Account in the Authy desktop app, assign a name, and select
an icon to help identify the account within the app. Now, you can enter the
six-digit Authy code into the appropriate field within the Cloud Office
Control Panel.
When the code verifies, a message appears stating that the multi-factor
authenticator setup completed successfully. You can now select Got It to
begin performing administrative tasks within the Cloud Office Control Panel.

Additional suggestions

If you cannot login to the Cloud Office Control Panel because you no longer
have access to your previous authentication method, contact your administrator
for assistance with resetting any existing authentication methods via the
Cloud Office Control Panel.
After successfully configuring multi-factor authentication for your Cloud
Office Control Panel administrator login, you can opt to add a
Backup Number within the Cloud Office Control Panel as an alternate
verification method. If you cannot use your primary authentication method,
having a Backup Number can prevent you from having to reset your
multi-factor authentication method.
You can configure more than one device to use the same authentication method
for your Cloud Office Control Panel. Having access to a backup authentication
method can mitigate potential inconveniences that might arise from temporarily
losing access to your primary device.