Identity & Access Management Platforms assist organizations in making sure only the right people can access an organization's data and resources. This includes access to key organizational applications and data stored in various locations. These platforms also assist organizations in making sure systems and resources that contain sensitive information are appropriately secured, and require additional security steps, such as multifactor authentication to access. At JMU, we manage identities and their access for many constituent types, including Applicants, Students, Faculty/Staff and Affiliates of the University.

JMU’s current Identity & Access Management platform is at its end of life. To support JMU’s current and future technologies, it is critical that we modernize our Identity & Access Management platform.

Okta is an industry leader in the Identity & Access Management space. More importantly, after an extensive review of JMU’s needs, Okta best matched JMU’s goals and principles for the Reengineering Madison Project specifically in the areas of Standardization, Simplification, Transformation, and Integration. Okta’s advanced Single Sign On capabilities improve the user experience and simplify the technical architecture needed to support Identity & Access Management at JMU, while enhancing our data security capabilities. 

All current and future eID holders will be impacted by the new Identity & Access Management Platform. The biggest impacts will be the format of eIDs created after the Okta go live and the use of Okta Verify for multifactor authentication, moving away from the use of the DUO product.

While project planning is still underway, JMU intends to go live with the Okta product in the Spring of 2025.

JMU will move away from using identifiable eIDs at Okta Go Live. New eIDs will be unique, six-character random strings of letters and numbers. They will be unchangeable. Current eID holders will not be required to move to the new format eIDs unless they request an eID name change, as the result of a legal name change. Additionally, JMU will provide Outlook account holders with an option to use an email alias constructed using Chosen Name data entered into MyMadison.

Okta will provide JMU eID holders with a central location to access all their JMU IT managed applications, called MyJMULogin. MyJMULogin will replace the MyAccounts tab in MyMadison for eID related self-service, such as account activation, password changes and MFA (Multifactor Authentication) device registration. In addition, JMU eID holders will have to change their passwords less frequently and will no longer need to complete security awareness training to do so (security awareness training will still occur, just not before password changes).   

Ensuring Faculty and Adjunct professors have access to Canvas as early as possible in the hiring process is a major goal of the Identity & Access Management Project. Faculty and Adjunct professors hired through the electronic ePAR process will receive provisional access to important resources like Outlook and Canvas at ePAR initiation. This access will either be transferred to full Faculty/Adjunct access on their hire date or be removed if key onboarding activities are not completed by their hire date.

Keeping your eID account and access to JMU IT managed systems secure is a top priority for JMU Identity & Access Management and IT Security. Multifactor authentication is one of the biggest tools we have to ensure your account remains secure and to prevent bad actors from accessing your resources if your account is compromised. JMU will implement a new multifactor authentication product as part of the Identity & Access Management project called Okta Verify. Okta Verify will replace DUO, and function very similarly.