Metropolia's multi-factor authentication (MetropoliaSSO)
Different from Microsoft 365!
Multi-factor authentication is also used in Microsoft 365 services. If you have enabled an authenticator app for Microsoft 365 services, that is not enough. You need a separate authenticator key (MetropoliaSSO) for Metropolia’s own services (e.g. OMA, Moodle). Read more about the two separate authenticator accounts.
Table of Contents
Get your MetropoliaSSO key for your authenticator now
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) will be introduced for Metropolia services (e.g. OMA, Moodle and HAKA login).
- Get the MetropoliaSSO identifier for your authenticator app now, even though you will only need it starting from the announced date.
- From the announced date onwards, you will need the authenticator key (MetropoliaSSO) when logging in to services from outside the Metropolia network, such as when working remotely or traveling for work.
- If you do not have Finnish online banking credentials or a mobile certificate, please contact the Helpdesk using the contact details below (hd.metropolia.fi, tel. +358 9 7424 6777). The Helpdesk will provide you with separate instructions on how to obtain an authenticator key.
Follow these steps to create your authenticator account
Keep these instructions open in another tab so you can follow them while completing the steps.
1. On your computer (not on a mobile phone), go to salasana.metropolia.fi (this is the same page where you change a forgotten password).
2. Log in using your online banking credentials or mobile certificate.
3. Select Add and remove authenticator keys (MetropoliaSSO).
4. Select + Create a new authenticator account.
5. Create a name for your key so that you can recognize it.
6. If you do not yet have the Google Authenticator app on your phone, install it from your phone’s app store (the image shows the Android Play Store). The examples in the images are for an Android phone. On an iPhone, install it from the App Store instead of the Android Play Store, and the steps may differ slightly from these instructions.
Why Google Authenticator specifically?
At Metropolia, Google Authenticator has been chosen as the only supported app for the MetropoliaSSO key, even though other authenticator apps would technically also work. Microsoft Authenticator, on the other hand, is instructed for storing a separate authenticator key for Microsoft 365 login.
To keep MetropoliaSSO and Microsoft 365 clearly separate from each other, Google Authenticator is used for the MetropoliaSSO key. Providing support is easier when these two keys are kept in different apps.
If you use an authenticator app other than the recommended Google Authenticator to store the MetropoliaSSO key, you are responsible for ensuring that it works. The Helpdesk will only provide support for using Google Authenticator according to these instructions.
Do not install the wrong app!
In the application store, there are often similar-looking apps that may contain ads or require payment. Make sure that the app’s name is exactly Google Authenticator.
8. Once Google Authenticator has been installed, open it.
9. If this is your first time using Google Authenticator, complete the initial setup by selecting Get started (In Finnish: Aloita).
10. If you are signed into your phone with a Google account (for example, Metropolia work phones use a Metropolia Google account), select Continue as [your name] (in Finnish: Jatka käyttäjänä [your name]). If needed, sign in to the app using your Metropolia Google account: username@metropolia.fi
(not your email address, but the short form of your username + @metropolia.fi). You can also use Google Authenticator without signing in (select “Use without an account”).
11. Set your phone aside and return to your computer screen. Continue from where you left off: after entering your key name, select + Add account.
12. A QR code will appear on your computer screen, as shown in the image below. Please note that the QR code must not be scanned using your phone’s camera app or a general QR code scanner. Follow the instructions — continue to the next step, which explains how to scan the QR code using the Google Authenticator app.
13. Take your phone again and look at its screen. In the Google Authenticator app, select Add code (in Finnish: Lisää koodi) or press the + icon.
14. Your phone’s camera view will open on the screen. Use it to scan the QR code displayed on your computer screen.
15. After you have scanned the QR code, MetropoliaSSO will appear in Google Authenticator as shown in the image below.
16. Return to your computer screen.
17. On your computer, select OK – I have scanned the QR code into my authenticator app.
18. At this stage, your authenticator key will be saved. It will appear in the list.
Great! Everything is good now:
- The authenticator key is visible both in the Google Authenticator app on your phone and on your computer screen
- You can log in with your key like instructed below (see "Logging in").
Removing and adding keys
You can remove and add authenticator keys in the salasana.metropolia.fi service by selecting Add and remove authenticator keys.
- If you are signed in to the Google Authenticator app on your phone, you can access the same key on a new phone by signing in to the Google Authenticator app on that device.
- If you wish, you can also add the key to other authenticator apps and phones. However, do not mix these keys with your Microsoft 365 authenticator key. Keep it separate.
- If the authenticator key is no longer saved on your phone, you can remove it in the salasana.metropolia.fi service. In that case, remember to activate a new key to replace the old one.
Logging in
Option 1: log in from the internal network or via VPN
You can avoid using the MetropoliaSSO key by logging in to Metropolia services (e.g. OMA or Moodle) as follows, if you are using a Metropolia-managed work laptop:
a) Use the services on a Metropolia campus, where your work laptop is connected to the Metropolia internal network, or
b) Open a VPN connection on your Metropolia work laptop.
If you do not have a Metropolia work laptop or you are using the services outside the Metropolia network, you must log in using multi-factor authentication according to Option 2.
Option 2: log in with the MetropoliaSSO key
1. Log in as usual, for example to OMA (oma.metropolia.fi) or Moodle (moodle.metropolia.fi).
2. After logging in, the view shown below will appear on your screen. Open the Google Authenticator app on your phone.
3. Check the code under MetropoliaSSO (in the Google Authenticator app on your phone).
4. Enter the code in the Enter code field shown in your computer’s browser and select Sign in.
Did you encounter a problem?
- Restart your computer and the device where the issue is occurring. Try the function again.
- If the function you are attempting is happening in a web browser, try the function again in an incognito or private window and in a different browser.
- Try searching for a solution on the site of the IT Services by using the following search methods:
- navigation menu of the site (on the left)
- search machine of the wiki (right upper corner)
- a general search engine, for instance Google Search
- alphabetical index
- FAQ
If the problem is not resolved, please contact the helpdesk according to best practices. Always include a full screen screenshot of the issue in your service request.
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