Information Technology Department

Welcome New Employees!

Welcome to Central Connecticut State University!

Central has a wealth of technological resources that are just a click away. Below you will find some of the most important topics to get you started with technology at Central.

BlueNet Account

Your BlueNet Account is your primary account. Your supervisor will need to request a BlueNet account on your behalf using the online BlueNet Account Request System. Once your BlueNet account has been requested and staged, you will use the Accounts Management System at https://accounts.ccsu.edu to activate your account and select your Central email address.

A BlueNet Account is a unique username and password assigned to each faculty, staff, and student at Central. It is used to access computing services both on and off campus. Along with your BlueNet Account, you are also provided with an Office 365 account used for email, OneDrive file storage, Teams and other applications. Use your BlueNet Account to log in to campus computers and manage your password and security settings. Use your Office 365 account to log in to online systems via CentralPipeline (such as Outlook Web Mail, WebCentral-Banner Web, Blackboard). Your BlueNet Account password and Office 365 account password are synchronized. Upon separation from the University, your BlueNet account and associated email account will be disabled.

Password Security

To keep your account secure, your BlueNet Account password must be a secure passphrase. A passphrase is a type of password that is generally longer than a traditional password. Your passphrase/password:

  • Must have at least 16 characters. 

  • May contain spaces in between words (not required).

  • May contain numbers and symbols (not required). 

  • Must NOT contain identifying information such as first name, last name, date of birth, or social security number.

  • Does not expire or need to be reset at set intervals. Exceptions:

  • If your account gets compromised (your password was stolen), then you will be forced to change your password. 

  • If you are an employee with access to protected information via Secure Apps then your password will expire every 365 days. The Microsoft Authenticator app is also required to be installed and configured as the primary authentication method for your account. 

The sky is very blue today is an example of a good passphrase because it is complex and meets the requirements:

Passwordpassword is an example of a bad passphrase because it is too simple and not a phrase. 

Central Email/Office 365 Account

All faculty and staff with a BlueNet Account are automatically given a Central email/Office 365 account. Email has a storage quota of 50 gigabytes (GB). As a new faculty and staff member, you will select your Central email address when you activate your BlueNet Account using the Accounts Management System at https://accounts.ccsu.edu. Your email is accessed using Microsoft Outlook from on‐campus or Outlook Web Mail (https://webmail.ccsu.edu) from off‐campus. Upon separation from the University, your BlueNet account and associated email account will be disabled.

Office 365 Account

All faculty and staff with a BlueNet Account are automatically given an Office 365 account, which allows you to access Outlook Web Mail, OneDrive online file storage, and online versions of Microsoft Office products. In addition, you have access to download and install the full version of Microsoft Office on up to 5 personally-owned computers and 5 mobile devices. To access Office 365, navigate to https://office.ccsu.edu and log in with your Central email address and BlueNet password. For more information about Office 365, visit www.ccsu.edu/office365.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a unified communication and collaboration platform that combines persistent workplace chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration. Teams gives departments and classes the ability to work together and share information via a common space. This is a good platform to have one-on-one meetings with students and colleagues. They do not need to be a member of a Team to use the chat or online meeting functionality. Click here to more information.

Central also has licensing for WebEx and Zoom and Blackboard Collaborate is another option for communication with students.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), also known as 2-Step or Two Factor Authentication, is a Microsoft feature which allows you to better protect your account by requiring an additional step (after your password) when signing into your Office 365/My.CCSU email account, WebCentral-Banner Web and Blackboard Learn. MFA requires something you know (your password) and something you have (a phone or other mobile device) to sign into your account. The first step is to sign into your Office365/email with your account password. You will then be prompted with a call, code, or prompt on your phone or mobile device.  Click here for more information.

Technical Support

The IT Help Desk is the single point of contact for assistance with supported software, hardware and other IT services. Supplemental support is available 24x7 by calling the IT Help Desk number after hours. Our contact information is on the left of this page.

The Walk-in Support Center provides technology support for personally-owned computers and campus technology. Walk-in Support is located in the TechCentral computer lab, Marcus White Annex room 100. Click here for hours and more information. 

Self-Help is available through our IT Services catalog. The catalog provides details and access links for nearly all technology services and resources. Click the IT Services button on the left of this page to access the catalog.

Next Steps

We recommend that you review the following for more information about your account and other systems you may need to use: