What is MFA, and why do I need it?

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds a second layer of security beyond just your username and password. After MFA is set up, logging in requires two things: something you know (your password) and something you have (a 6-digit code generated by an app on your phone).

Biotics 6 requires MFA for every user. This guide walks through everything you need to do — including installing an authenticator app for the first time if you've never used one before.


Note: If you've never set up an authenticator app before, that's completely fine. Section 1 below walks through it from scratch — you don't need any prior experience.

 

1. Setting Up an Authenticator App on Your Phone

Before you can log into Biotics 6, you'll need an authenticator app installed on your phone. This is a free app that generates a new 6-digit security code every 30 seconds.

Which app should I use?

We recommend Google Authenticator — it's free, simple, and works well. Other authenticator apps (such as Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, or Duo Mobile) work too, and are all set up in a very similar way. Pick whichever you're most comfortable with; the steps below apply to any of them.

Installing Google Authenticator

  1. Open the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android) on your phone.
  2. Search for “Google Authenticator.”
  3. Tap Install (or Get), and wait for it to finish downloading.
  4. Open the app once it's installed. No account or sign-in is required to use it.

 

That's it — the app is now ready and waiting. You won't need to do anything else in the app until you get to the MFA setup step in Section 2, where Biotics 6 will show you a QR code to scan.


Note: Keep your phone handy when you get to Section 2 — you'll need to scan a QR code with this app as part of your first login.

 

2. Instructions for Existing Users (First-Time Login to Biotics 6)

This is what all existing users must do before logging into Biotics 6 for the first time.

  1. Go to the Biotics login screen and select Forgot Password. Enter your email address.
  2. You will receive a welcome email containing a password reset code. Enter that code into the password reset form.
  3. Once your password is reset, you will be prompted to set up MFA using your phone:
  4. You will need an authenticator app installed on your phone (see Section 1 above if you haven't done this yet).
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to scan the QR code with your authenticator app, then enter the 6-digit code the app generates into the Biotics 6 form.
  6. You will then be logged in.

 

From now on, every time you log in you'll enter your email and password as usual, then open your authenticator app and enter the current 6-digit code.

 

3. Instructions for Adding a New User

  1. Log into Biotics and go to the Users Management page, then select Create User.
  2. As long as the email address entered for the user is valid, that user will receive a welcome message.
  3. The new user must use Forgot Password the first time they log in, in order to “claim” their account (see Section 2 above for the full first-time login steps).

 

4. Instructions for Re-Sending a Welcome Message

Use this if something went wrong with a user's initial MFA setup attempt, or if they never received their welcome email.

  1. Log into Biotics and go to the Users Management page, then click the Edit action for the user.
  2. Disable the Active checkbox and click Save.
  3. Re-enable the Active checkbox and click Save. This will send the user a new welcome message.


Note: The welcome email tells the user to log in with their existing username and password. If the user hasn't set up MFA yet, they need to use Forgot Password first — they should follow the Section 2 instructions above (“Instructions for Existing Users”). If they try to log in with just their Biotics password without having set up MFA, they will get an error message.

 

5. Instructions for Changing a User's Email Address

  1. Log into Biotics, go to the Users Management page, and disable the current user's record.
  2. Select Create User to create a new user record with the updated email address. This will send a welcome message to the new address.


Note: The new user record will need a new username, since the old username is tied to the old email address.

 

Need Help?

If you run into any issues during setup — a QR code that won't scan, a welcome email that never arrived, or an error message during login — contact the Help Desk and we'll help get you back in.