Connections/Office 365 Account
Connections is the University's intranet portal, providing centralized access to a variety of services available to you. Connections is integrated with your Office 365 subscription and is designed to provide you relevant and timely information within an interactive and community-driven design.
Webster's Microsoft Office 365 subscription gives students, faculty and staff online access to the Microsoft Office applications from nearly any device, and provides many productivity and collaboration services to the ºÚÁÏÍø community — online-hosted email, shared calendaring, additional online storage with OneDrive, Office in the Cloud and more. You can download and install the full MS Office Suite (includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint) for free on multiple personal devices, and you will receive 1 TB of online file storage space in OneDrive. These services will make it much easier to collaborate with your peers and to work from virtually anywhere!
Office 365 also provides important technical tools that Webster Information Technology is adopting, such as user password management and email. For this reason, it is mandatory that you complete the Connections/Office 365 registration process. Please see the section below for instructions on how to activate your account and access services.
For students, access to Connections/Office 365 services is available until one year after the date of last class attended. Please make sure to save and back up any information prior to this one-year mark. After one year, accounts can only be reinstated upon new course enrollment.
For faculty and staff, access expires on last day of employment.
Registering Your Connections/Office 365 Account
Follow the following steps to register your Connections/Office 365 account. If you have problems with this process, call the IT support center for assistance:
On Campus: Ext. 5995
Off Campus: 314-246-5995
Toll-free: 866-435-7270
Important
- The password you choose in the setup process becomes the password for the Connections portal and applications accessed through it.
Get Started With Connections/Office 365 In Just Four Steps.
Go to the portal and sign in with the following credentials:
Username/Email: Your Webster email address
Password: Your default temporary password, which will either be:
A. Your first initial capitalized, last initial lowercase, your Webster ID number,
and a # sign. (for example Kc1234567#)
OR
B. Your 7-digit student, staff or faculty ID number
If you try both password options but neither one works, please call the ºÚÁÏÍø IT support center.
After logging in for the first time with your default/temporary password, you will receive a message that your password has expired and needs to be updated. Please do the following:
- Make sure your full Webster email address appears in the first box (including the @webster.edu).
- Re-enter your temporary/default password in the second box.
- Type in a new password for your account. Please note it must meet the criteria listed on the bottom of the page.
- Retype in your new password to confirm.
- 5. Click Submit.
- Your new password should be at least 12 characters long, contain both capital and lowercase letters, a number and one special character.
- Remember, the password you set becomes the password for the Connections portal and applications accessed through it, including Canvas/WorldClassRoom and your Webster email.
— Passwords must be per University policy. This will require you to enter your current password. If you do not know your current password, use the Forgot Password link.
— If you have forgotten your password, . Enter your full Webster email address and the character code presented, and click Next. You will be asked to verify one of the security/authentication methods you set up when you activated your account. Please remember that passwords need to be at least 12 characters long, contain both capital and lowercase letters, a number and one special character.
— Use this link to update, add or remove your current security/authentication methods for your account. For example, if you change the phone number you use for your account authentication, it is important to . You will need to log in with your full Webster email address and password. It is recommended to have at least two methods set on your account.
When logging in to for the first time, you will be taken to a More Information Required screen to set up a security/recovery option for your account. Click the Next button. It will default to asking if you want to download Microsoft Authenticator. This would require downloading the App from the Apple or Google Play store on a smartphone. If you do not wish to do this, click on the link that says "I want to set up a different method." This will then allow you to choose to call or text a mobile number, email an alternate email address or set up security questions. Choose your desired option and follow the instructions. With the University's implementation of 2-Factor Authentication (2FA), you will not be able to skip this step. 2FA will require you to register either a phone number (cell phone or landline) or configure the Microsoft Authenticator App onto a smartphone. An alternate email address can only be used for the purposes of self-service password reset, and is not an accepted authentication method for 2FA.
If you are not prompted to set up a security option, go to the page. There, you can also set up one more security method, which is recommended so that you always have a backup method to access your account.
Verify you can log on to the Connections Portal:
- Go to .
- Enter your full Webster email address and your new password.
- Click Sign In.
That's it! To use Office 365, just sign in at or access it through Connections. Microsoft also provides an extensive library of .
Password Management — Change/Reset/Forgot Password
If you have forgotten your Connections password, . Enter your full Webster email address and the character code presented, and click Next. You will be asked to verify one of the security/authentication methods you set up when you activated your account. Please remember that passwords need to be at least 12 characters long, contain both capital and lowercase letters, a number and one special character.
Passwords must be per University policy. This will require you to enter your current password. If you do not know your current password, use the Forgot Password link above.
Update, add or remove your current security/authentication methods for your account. For example, if you change the phone number you use for your account authentication, it is important to . You will need to log in with your full Webster email address and password. It is recommended to have at least two methods set on your account.
2-Factor Authentication (2FA)
2-Factor Authentication (2FA), also referred to as Multi-factor Authentication (MFA), adds an additional layer of security by requiring two factors to access your online account. Your account password is the first factor. The second factor of authentication is typically verifying your identity via a code on a personal device you are in possession of, such as a mobile phone.
Many times, a password alone is not enough to fully secure your account. Cyber criminals routinely target institutions using hacked credentials obtained via phishing or other fraudulent methods. Though 2FA adds a few seconds to the logon process when off of the campus network, this extra layer of security further protects institutional data and your account, while also helping mitigate risks of cyber and phishing attacks.
2-Factor Authentication is now enabled for all Webster accounts and will be required when accessing the following services when off campus:
- Connections Portal
- Daily Health Form
- Office 365 Portal
2FA requires at least one of the following authentication methods be activated on your account:
- Phone Number — either mobile phone OR landline
- Microsoft Authenticator App — authentication app for smartphones that can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Google Play Store
Multiple methods are not required but are recommended for backup purposes if possible. You can register up to three phone numbers and can install the Authenticator app on multiple devices.
If you have a phone number designated as your primary and default sign-in/authentication method, you can choose to either receive a text message with a code or have Microsoft call your number for verification.
Please view the section below on how to access a 2FA resource page which will provide you instructions on how to add 2FA methods to your account.
Please visit the within the Connections Portal for additional help and resources with 2FA:
- Instructions and video tutorials on 2FA
- Frequently asked questions
You will need to sign in with your Webster email address and password to access the resource page. If you are having issues signing in to your account, contact the IT service desk (314-246-5995 or 866-435-7270 or via email at support@webster.edu).
Zoom
For the best meeting experience, download and install the latest Zoom client on your local computer in advance of hosting or joining your first meeting.
- Open a web browser and go to
- Click on the Download button under Zoom Client for Meetings.
- Save the installer file and run the file after download is complete. Select/confirm Run or Install, if prompted.
- Click the Sign In with SSO (Single Sign-On) button. Do not try to enter you email and password into the boxes on the left or you will receive an error.
- You will then be prompted to enter your company domain into the provided box. Type
in webster-edu and then click Continue.
NOTE: You may also click on "I do not know the company domain" to enter your Webster email address, and it will link you to the correct domain. - You will automatically be redirected to a ºÚÁÏÍø sign-in page. Please enter your full Webster email address and password (including the @webster.edu). Once you click Sign in, you may have to click on an Open Zoom button if your browser prompts you to do so. This will then load the desktop client fully for you.
You can manage your account settings and preferences by logging in to Zoom from a web browser. You can also set up meetings via the web site.
- Go to .
- Click on the Sign In button.
- You will automatically be redirected to a ºÚÁÏÍø sign-in page. Enter your full Webster email address and password (including the @webster.edu) and click Sign in.
- You will be logged in to your online account where you can manage your personal profile, meetings and settings.
- Zoom Meetings Interface (PDF)
- — 30-minute overview covering the basic need-to-knows for Zoom meetings.
Please note not all features referenced may be available in our enterprise version of Zoom.