FAQ

Q- What is MIDAS?

A- MIDAS (Monarch Identification and Authorization System) is a log-in ID and password management system that stores user information and communicates that information to other University networked resources. This allows the user to log in to each of those resources with the same user ID and password.

Q- Who may have a MIDAS Account?

A- Anyone in the University's Administrative system (Banner) may have a MIDAS account. This includes faculty, staff, students, research foundation, and vendors. Please note, having a MIDAS account does not necessarily enable any services.

Q- How do I create a MIDAS Account?

A- Create your MIDAS Account from the MIDAS login page. You will first need to validate your identity by following the instructions provided on that page. After validating your identity you will be required to accept the Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP), fill out your security profile, take all required training and set your MIDAS password. Once you input your password, your account is created.
In order to successfully create your MIDAS account, you must complete all the steps. Failure to complete any of the steps will result in being logged out and your MIDAS account not being created.

Q- How do I change my MIDAS Password?

A- If you remember your current MIDAS password, please follow these steps:
  1. Visit the MIDAS Homepage. Log in with your MIDAS ID and your current MIDAS password.
  2. After logging in you will be presented with the Account Information page; Scroll over 'My Account' in the upper left corner and select 'Account Settings'.
  3. Under the 'Password' section on the left, select 'Change Midas Password.'
  4. Enter your new password (Note: Your new password must conform to all rules listed on right side of the Change Password Page.) After you have selected your new password and re-typed it for verification, all of the check marks on the right will be green. Click the ' Submit' button.
  5. Logout of MIDAS and login again with the new password to make sure that it works correctly.
If you do not remember your MIDAS Password, please follow these steps:
  1. Click the link 'Forgot your password?' under the 'Log In' button.
  2. Enter your MIDAS ID and UIN
  3. Select 'Request New Token.' A token will now be sent to your previously provided email address displayed.
  4. Once you receive your token, enter it into the 'Enter Token Value' box.
  5. Click 'submit'/
  6. Answer the security profile questions.
  7. Upon successfully answering the questions, create a new password.

Q- I don't know my security questions, what do I do next?

A- If you cannot successfully create a new password using your security profile, ITS will reset your MIDAS password. You will need to follow one of the following procedures:
  1. Come in person to the ITS Help Desk in Monarch Hall (Room 1100), present a picture ID and request to have their MIDAS password reset. Please review the Help Desk's Hours of Operation on this website: https://odu.edu/ts/helpdesk
  2. If you are out of the area, you must fax (or email an attachment) a copy of a picture ID to the Help Desk at 757-683-5616 or itshelp@odu.edu. Please include:
    1. Your full name
    2. Your University Identification Number (UIN)
    3. Your birth date
    4. A contact phone number

Q- What is the Account Overview page for?

A- Your MIDAS account must be maintained like any other account. If your MIDAS account has requirements that must be met, you will not be allowed access to your services. There are Notices To let you know if there are any issues with your account.

Q- What is the Account Settings page for?

A- The Account Settings page is used for making changes to your account. You can locate information about your password, Acceptable Usage Policy, and Security Training.

Q- What is my PIN/Token?

A- Your PIN is your Midas PIN. It is a 6-digit PIN that you have set up during the creation of your MIDAS account. If you already requested a token and have received it, you can enter it here and shorten the forgotten password retrieval process. Typically your token has been sent to you via email.

Q- How to I set a service password?

A- From the Account Settings page click on 'Change Service Password'. This will take you to a page to select the service password you wish to change/create. Select the service you wish to enable.

Q- What services can I access with my MIDAS account?

A- MIDAS manages over 40 services. Here is a small list of common services:
  1. Student GMail
  2. Banner
  3. Wireless LAN
  4. Blackboard
  5. ServiceNow
  6. Faculty/Staff Email
  7. Anti-Spam (Spamtrap)
  8. My ODU Portal
  9. Online Card Center
  10. Virtual Computing Lab

Q- How do I activate optional services?

A- Some services need to be activated in order to use specific accounts. To enable an inactive service click the 'Activate Optional Services' link. Select the service you wish to activate and click 'Activate'. Once clicked, a message will appear showing the request is being processed.

Q- What is the Acceptable Usage Policy (A.U.P.) and how does it affect me?

A- The A.U.P. is a promise made to Old Dominion University that states how your MIDAS account will be used. If you do not accept the A.U.P. you will not be allowed to create a MIDAS account. Also, failure to re-accept the A.U.P. will prevent you from changing your password.

Q- Do I need to take a training course?

A- Every MIDAS user must take yearly training. Depending on your University affiliation, you may also be required to take employee security training. MIDAS supports two methods of users taking training: Online and Printable. Online training is the default and is built directly into MIDAS. If you are required to take training, MIDAS will always attempt to use the online method. If you are unable to complete the online training, then the printable is available. Please click 'Click to Print'. You are then required to take the document to the Help Desk in Webb center and sign. Since this is a manual process, it may take a day or two for your training to be properly recorded.

Q- Why is my service login ID different from my MIDAS ID on the Account Information page?

A- There is a population of users that have more than one role in the university. The two roles typically are that of a student and a faculty/staff member. A faculty/staff member's user id consists of the first initial and up to seven letters of the last name. A student's user id consists of the first initial and up to four letters of the last name followed by a three digit number. Your primary role at the university dictates the type of user id you will receive when you create your MIDAS account.
We are looking at alternative account naming methods to use in the future to eliminate this issue.

Q- Is my MIDAS login ID and password used to access Leo Online?

A- Yes. You use your MIDAS ID and password to access Leo Online via MonarchKey Web Login.

Q- I'm trying to set my MIDAS password, but every time I enter a password I get an error, is something wrong?

A- Your MIDAS login ID and password are used for several services, therefore we have required stronger than average passwords. The full requirements for a MIDAS password are listed during password selection of MIDAS account creation and on the change password page. Your password requirements will be listed on the right and should update as you meet them. Please note, that your password requirements may be different than someone else's. This may be because of your role with the University or departmental group membership.

Q- Your MIDAS Services states that my service is "Active", but I am unable to log in.

A- Your MIDAS account may not be in sync with the service you are attempting to log into. One thing you can check is the last update date and time associated with the service you are having trouble with. This information is located on the Account Information page. If you updated your MIDAS password 5 minutes ago, but the last time the service was updated was 2 days ago, this is an indication that there may be a problem. Most systems will use your new password within a few minutes. If the problem persists you should contact the Help Desk at itshelp@odu.edu or 757-683-3192.

Q- What should I do if MIDAS states that my validation information is invalid?

A- There are cases when Banner, our authoritative source of record, has invalid data. This can be caused by a number of reasons, some of which include errors in data entry or out of date information.
If you believe that your information is correct, but MIDAS will not validate you, please contact the appropriate department to check that the information requested during the validation process is correct in Banner. Faculty/staff should contact Human Resources and students should contact the Office of the Registrar.

Q- I attempted to log in but MIDAS stated that I am already logged in, what should I do?

A- To better secure MIDAS and your account we have enabled concurrent login tracking. In most cases when you receive a concurrent login error it is due to an improper log out of MIDAS on a previous login or an issue with your browser and session cookies.
In rare cases you may encounter this message because someone has obtained access to your MIDAS account. If you believe this to be the case please record the date, time, and location where you attempted to log in and then notify the Help Desk of your concern including the information you recorded.
In some cases you may be given the option to close the previous session. If you choose yes then the previous session will be unauthenticated and you will be allowed to log in.

Q- MIDAS stated that my security profile answers are invalid and I am unable to reset my password, what do I do now?

A- In most cases this is due to the user forgetting the question/answer pairs of their security profile. When this situation occurs you will have to contact the Help Desk and have your security profile and password reset.

Q- I received an Application Error, what does that mean?

A- MIDAS relies on information from external sources. On occasion, one of these external sources may be unavailable for various reasons. In all cases this type of error should be temporary and the system should be available for use within 2-8 hours. Unplanned system outages are posted on ITS Home Page and additional information may be available. If this problem persists, you should record the action you are trying to perform, the date, and the time. Then contact the Help Desk with this information.

Q- Can I access other applications directly from MIDAS?

A- No. After you create your MIDAS account, you will only log into MIDAS if you need to change your password or your Security Profile. After other applications are linked to MIDAS, you will use your MIDAS ID and password to log into those applications, however you will continue to access each application's log in screen as you do now.

Q- What is a Security Profile?

A- You create your Security Profile by providing answers to several questions presented to you by the MIDAS system. After you have created your Security Profile, you may use that profile to re-set your MIDAS password without having to know the current password.

Q- What is a service password?

A- There are many reasons a service password may be enabled for a service. Some systems use them for alternative access methods, some systems use them as password reset methods and some systems use them to ensure that the password is not the MIDAS password. Please see the particular systems documentation for more information on how the MIDAS service password may be used.

Q- What systems can use a service password?

A- Systems known to use a service password:
  1. Google Mail for Student - Used for IMAP clients as well as many standalone Google Applications. E.g. Google Talk.
  2. Administrative Active Directory - Mandatory to use the service.

Q- What are the different service states?

A- MIDAS attempts to manage an account through the accounts entire life cycle (creation, use, deletion). In order to accomplish this, MIDAS must tag each account with a state the account should be in. There are dozens of states that an account may be in, so the My MIDAS Services page summarizes them down to four:
  1. Active - Account should be in good working order.
  2. In Progress - MIDAS is attempting to create the account.
  3. Suspended - The account has been administratively disabled. Please contact the Help Desk for more details.
  4. Inactive - You are eligible for this service but you have not instructed MIDAS to create the account.

Q- What is a MIDAS role?

A- MIDAS pulls information from Human Resources and the Registrar to try and best describe your affiliation with the University. There are a few different types of roles:
  1. Generic Roles - Roles that describe you in very general terms. Student, Faculty, Staff or Applicant.
  2. Specific Roles - Generally limited to employees, these roles specifically describe how you are employed with the University. Hourly, Classified, Adjunct or Faculty Administrator.
  3. Secondary Roles - These are roles usually limited to only MIDAS. 'Mailable', for example, is a role defined as anyone with a University mail account. MIDAS then makes 'Spamtrap' available to you.

Q- How does MIDAS use roles?

A- Primarily, services are enabled by role. So, Student Email requires the Student role. Additionally, MIDAS makes these roles available to systems that use them for authorization lists. The Faculty, Staff and Student download page requires one of the three roles.

Q- How can I request additional services or an account for a new employee?

A- Follow the steps below to start an account request:
  1. Go to https://midas.odu.edu
  2. Log in with your MIDAS ID and password.
  3. Look under the section labeled 'Services' and click 'Request More Accounts'.
  4. Follow through the pages shown.