Cisco Unity Connection User Guide, Release 1.x
Securing and Changing Your Cisco Unity Connection Passwords

Table Of Contents

Securing and Changing Your Cisco Unity Connection Passwords

Securing Your Cisco Unity Connection Passwords

Changing Your Phone Password

Changing Your Cisco PCA Password

Updating Your E-mail Program Password to Match Your Cisco PCA Password


Securing and Changing Your Cisco Unity Connection Passwords


You have two Cisco Unity Connection passwords: your phone password and the password that you use to log on to the Cisco Personal Communications Assistant (PCA) website to access the web tools. Your phone and Cisco PCA passwords are not synchronized.

This chapter contains the following sections:

Securing Your Cisco Unity Connection Passwords

Changing Your Phone Password

Changing Your Cisco PCA Password

Updating Your E-mail Program Password to Match Your Cisco PCA Password

Securing Your Cisco Unity Connection Passwords

It is a good idea to change the initial passwords given to you by your Connection administrator.

While first-time enrollment prompts you to change your initial phone password, it does not let you change the initial password that you use to log on to the Cisco PCA. You change your Cisco PCA password in the Cisco Unity Assistant web tool.

You can also change your phone password in the Cisco Unity Assistant, but because you are not required to enter an existing phone password to change it there, take appropriate measures to keep your Cisco PCA password secure.

To protect your Cisco Unity Connection mailbox from unauthorized access, follow the security guidelines provided by your Connection administrator when you change both of your Connection passwords. In general, shorter passwords are easier to use, but longer passwords are more secure, especially when you specify a nontrivial password. Table 4-1 describes the attributes of nontrivial passwords for the phone and the Cisco PCA.

Table 4-1 Attributes of Nontrivial Passwords 

Password
Attributes

Phone

The password cannot contain your primary extension or its reverse.

The password must contain at least three different digits.

The digits cannot all be consecutive, in ascending or descending order (for example, 12345 or 54321).

A digit cannot be used more than two times consecutively (for example, 14777).

The password cannot contain repeated groups of three or more digits (for example, 408510408).

The password cannot contain digits that are pressed in a straight line on the keypad (for example, 025809 or 97539).

The password cannot be a numeric representation of your first or last name, or the combination of your first and last names. (For example, if your name is John Doe, you could not use a numeric representation of johnd, johndoe, jdoe, doe.)

Cisco PCA

The password must contain at least three of the following four characters: an uppercase character, a lowercase character, a number, or a symbol.

The password cannot contain your user name or its reverse.

The password cannot contain your primary extension or its reverse.

A character cannot be used more than three times consecutively (for example, !cooool).

The characters cannot all be consecutive, in ascending or descending order (for example, abcdef or fedcba).


Changing Your Phone Password

Your phone password protects the privacy of your messages and secures your Cisco Unity Connection mailbox from unauthorized access. You can change your phone password at any time.

This section contains two procedures. Do the applicable procedure to change your phone password by phone or in the Cisco Unity Assistant web tool.

The phone procedure uses keypad mappings for the standard conversation. Keypad mappings for other conversations are provided in the "Cisco Unity Connection Voice Commands and Phone Menus" chapter. Ask your Connection administrator which conversation you are set up to use.


Tip If you forget your phone password, use the Cisco Unity Assistant web tool to change it because you are not required to enter an existing phone password to change it there.


To Change Your Phone Password by Phone


Step 1 Log on to Cisco Unity Connection.

Step 2 If you are not using voice commands, skip to Step 3.

If you are using voice commands, say "Touchtone conversation" or press 9 to temporarily change to using touchtone keys.


Tip To switch back to using voice commands after you have changed your password, hang up and log on to Connection again.


Step 3 Press 4 3 1.

Step 4 Enter a new password, and press #. Use digits 0 through 9.

Step 5 Enter the new password again to confirm it, and press #.


To Change Your Phone Password in the Cisco Unity Assistant Web Tool


Step 1 On the Cisco PCA Home page, click the Cisco Unity Assistant link.

Step 2 On the Passwords menu, click Change Phone Password.

Step 3 On the Phone Password page, enter your new password, then enter it again to confirm it. Use digits 0 through 9.

Step 4 Click Save.


Changing Your Cisco PCA Password

You change your Cisco PCA password in the Cisco Unity Assistant web tool.

Note that your e-mail program may use your Cisco Unity Connection user name and Cisco PCA password to access your Connection account to retrieve voice messages and receipts. When you change your Cisco PCA password in the Cisco Unity Assistant, also update the password in your e-mail program so the program can continue to access your Connection account. (For additional information, see the "Updating Your E-mail Program Password to Match Your Cisco PCA Password" section.)

To Change Your Cisco PCA Password in the Cisco Unity Assistant Web Tool


Step 1 On the Cisco PCA Home page, click the Cisco Unity Assistant link.

Step 2 On the Passwords menu, click Change Cisco PCA Password.

Step 3 On the Cisco PCA Password page, enter your new password, then enter it again to confirm it.

Step 4 Click Save.


Updating Your E-mail Program Password to Match Your Cisco PCA Password


Note This feature is not available on all systems. Ask your Connection administrator whether it is available to you.


If your e-mail program uses your Cisco Unity Connection user name and Cisco PCA password to access your Connection account to retrieve voice messages, you must update your e-mail program password when you change your Cisco PCA password in the Cisco Unity Assistant web tool. This ensures that the e-mail program can continue to access your Connection account.

If you are having trouble receiving voice messages in your e-mail program, consider the following tips:

If your e-mail program is prompting you for your Connection password but not accepting it, your Cisco PCA password may have expired or changed, or it may be locked. Change your Cisco PCA password in the Cisco Unity Assistant first, then update it in your e-mail program. If you need assistance, contact your Connection administrator.

If you use Microsoft Outlook to retrieve Cisco Unity Connection voice messages and receipts, and you are not prompted for your Connection password, uncheck the Remember Password check box on the Internet E-mail Settings (IMAP) page of the E-mail Accounts wizard (on the Tools menu).

If the check box is checked and your Connection password has expired, changed, or is locked, Outlook will not prompt you to enter your Connection password and you will not receive voice messages from Connection.

For information on updating your Cisco PCA password for your specific e-mail program, contact your Connection administrator.