Activating and protecting your staff IT account

Visit https://activate.surrey.ac.uk

• You will be prompted to enter your University Number and date of birth. In the University Number field you will need to enter your seven-digit Staff Employee Number which can be found on your University Card. If your University ID number starts with an ‘x’ you may need to enter a memorable date (rather than your date of birth) set by the person who requested your account to be set up. Need help? Check with your University contact.
• Your username will automatically be generated by this process.
• You will be prompted to set a password. To do this you will need to enter a password which follows the rules below and agree to the IT Services Acceptable Use Policy (PDF).

Password guidelines

It is important that you use a strong and unique password to secure your University account. The University recommends using the "three random words" method - where you combine three random words to create a password that is long enough and strong enough to withstand attack.

There are things to avoid when creating your password, such as:

• Using memorable dates such as your birthdate
• Swapping letters for numbers (for example, swapping an "o" for a zero)
• Using the names of your pets, your children or popular culture references.

Your account has now been activated. You can use your email account in 4 hours from now. Please wait 24 hours before logging into other systems and services.

You will now have:

Your username (for example, ab1111)

To access most university services, use your username and your password.

Your email has one mailbox with two addresses:

1. Username email address is: [username]@surrey.ac.uk, for example ab1111@surrey.ac.uk.

Some university services including Microsoft, require your username email address [username]@surrey.ac.uk and your password to gain access.

2. Your real name email is: initial.surname@surrey.ac.uk 

This email address is for sending and receiving emails only. It will not work as a login.

Your real name email, initial.surname@surrey.ac.uk and your username email, [username]@surrey.ac.uk can both be used for sending and receiving emails. However, your real name email address will not work as a login.

To log into your email for the first time:

1. Login to Surrey365 visit: surrey365.surrey.ac.uk
2. When you login for the first time you will be prompted to restart Outlook.
3. Once Outlook has restarted enter your IT account username email address and password. Your username must be followed by the suffix @surrey.ac.uk, for example ta001@surrey.ac.uk.

Now you can set up MFA and self-service password reset.

This essential step ensures that only you can log into your account. The best approval method to use is to download the Microsoft multi-factor authentication (MFA) app onto your mobile phone. MFA is a security method that requires at least two methods of authentication:

1. Your password
2. Another piece of information (approval using the app, text message code or a phone call)

This additional authentication will only take place every 14 days (if you are not using a university-managed windows device) or if unusual activity is suspected on your account.

Instructions to set up MFA:

• MFA quick start guide (PDF)
• Multifactor Authentication | Setup guide video

This essential step will allow you to reset your password should you forget it, or if you want to/need to change your password.

Please follow the instructions on the self-service password set up guide (PDF) or watch this instructional video. 

Once set up, if you forget your password, you can reset it yourself by visiting passwordreset.microsoftonline.com.