Beginning 8/30/16, the Santa Clara County Office of Education will require NEW computer and e-mail passwords to meet complexity requirements. This requirement will not affect current passwords. To help recover lost or forgotten passwords more easily, a new system called SCCOE Password Station will be implemented. This will allow users to recover and reset passwords themselves after answering a security question or verifying their identity via mobile text message. Employees are strongly encouraged to enroll in this system early to avoid reminders upon logging into their computers.

For immediate enrollment in SCCOE Password Station, visit https://password.sccoe.org

1. What is password complexity?
   Password complexity is the practice of ensuring that any password used for an account is long enough, and has enough variation of capitalization, numbers and symbols so that any person or computer system will not be able to easily “guess” the password and “hack” into the account to gain unauthorized access.
   
   
2. Why is it important?
   Employees at the SCCOE often work with and have access to sensitive and confidential data, ranging from student information to financial systems to our own personal information. Using complex passwords for all accounts will go a long way to maximize the safety and security of our important data and prevent unauthorized access.
   
   
3. How can I create a valid complex password?
   A password must be at least eight characters long and not contain your name. It must also contain characters from three of the following four categories:
    
   1. Uppercase letters;
   2. Lowercase letters;
   3. Numbers; and
   4. Symbols (for example, !, $, #, %).
      
      
4. How can I create an easy to remember complex password?
   A great way to create an easy to remember complex password is to write out a short complete sentence. For example, “I live in CA” is a great and very secure password. It contains upper and lower case letters and symbols, satisfying all the password requirements.
   
   
5. What are the challenges?
   While complex passwords are more secure, they are also more difficult to remember. Additionally resetting and retrieving passwords in the past sometimes required involving the IT Help Desk staff which caused the process to take longer.
   
   
6. How is the SCCOE meeting these challenges?
   As the SCCOE begins to implement more secure password practices and enforcing password complexity, a system called SCCOE Password Station will be implemented allowing users to manage and reset passwords themselves – a process called “password self-service.” This will alleviate the need for users to call into the Help Desk to retrieve forgotten passwords.
   
   
7. Which accounts will be affected?
   To start password self-service will work for SCCOE computer and e-mail passwords. The system will be enabled on other SCCOE applications as features become available.
   
   
8. Will changing my password affect e-mail on my mobile devices?
   Yes! When you change your password in SCCOE Password Station you will also have to manually update the password on your mobile device before continuing to use e-mail on it.
   
   
9. How often will I need to change my password?
   Beginning January 2017 users will be required to change their passwords annually.
   
   
10. What can be expected in the coming months?
    In addition to the SCCOE Password Station website, the SCCOE Technology Services Branch will also be installing software on SCCOE PCs for password self-service. During the enrollment period users will be asked to provide answers to security questions when logging into their PCs and there will be an option to defer supplying answers to a later time. After November 5, unenrolled users will be required to supply answers to their security questions before they are able to log into their PCs.