ONYEN might stand for the "Only Name You'll Ever Need," but your password is about to have a much shorter shelf life.
Passwords for faculty, staff and students with ONYENs will start expiring every 90 days on a staggered schedule, with expiration starting Jan. 21 for some faculty and staff and Feb. 13 for some students.
If a password doesn't expire automatically on the start date, it soon will. Users won't be able to access services that use ONYEN until the password is changed.
Officials say the system will enhance UNC-Chapel Hill's security -- a password cycle should make it more difficult for outsiders to access personal information.
But some students are hesitant to embrace the system. "I don't think there's a need for it. ... I think it's pretty secure as it is," said freshman Jeanne Evans.
Password expiration is common in the business world and is beginning to be used by universities such as Appalachian State University, said Jeanne Smythe, director of Academic Technology & Networks Computing Policy at UNC-CH.
ONYEN users are able to change passwords by going to https://onyen.unc.edu or UNC's Webmail.
Faculty and staff were notified of the policy over Winter Break, and e-mails will be sent to students sometime soon. Smythe said there will be reminders around campus. ATN staff also will help students with the change.
With this first change -- and each new password cycle -- users will be notified by e-mail one week before their passwords expire and then receive a final reminder 48 hours beforehand. "We want this to be as easy as possible," Smythe said.
