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Image: Rick Steele

RESISTANCE: “Most of the people here aren’t interested in the network and security. They just want to play in their labs. So there was a lot of grass-roots resistance,” said Tom Carrington of Terrapin Systems.

Lessons learned

Early warning makes smooth work of password changes

The National Cancer Institute adopted the Avatier Password Station for self-service password resets to help deal with stricter log-on requirements.

Implementing the system was simple, said Tom Carrington, a senior network engineer at NCI contractor Terrapin Systems. Two-thirds of the institute’s 6,000 network users have enrolled in the voluntary system, easing the headaches of network administrators who would otherwise have to help recover or reset forgotten passwords.

Carrington offered some advice for easing the transition to more stringent passwords.

“Notify the users ahead of time,” he said. The National Institutes of Health requires users to change their passwords every 180 days. NCI sends notices to its network users 20 days before that deadline reminding them to change the password, so they will have time to pick a good one.

“When people can change the password at their convenience, they will think of one that will stick in their heads,” he said. “If they have to change it right away and think of something quick, those are the ones they forget.”