Activating 2-Factor Authentication

Two Factor Authentication (2FA for short) is a secure system for logging in your Power Diary account. When you enable 2FA you will be asked for an additional security factor in addition to your password for verification. This can be something like a passcode sent to your phone via SMS, or a code displayed on your phone (which is the method that Power Diary supports in it's implementation of 2FA). 

In Power Diary, you can turn on 2FA for yourself and any other profile under your account. After doing so, a user will not only have to enter their Power Diary username and password but also verify the login using 2FA. Let’s get started.

In this article:

How to set up 2FA Inside Your own Power Diary Account

To set up 2FA and configure it, follow these steps:

  1. On the top-right corner of your dashboard, click on your name. In the pop-up menu that appears, click on Profile.
  2. Toggle the switch that says Use Two Factor Authentication. 
  3. A security question form will appear (if it doesn’t, click on Configure Two Factor Authentication). Here, choose three security questions and memorize the answers for them.

Note:

Please make sure the answers for your security questions are spelt correctly. If there are any typos/incorrect words, you won't be able to access your account. If this happens, you'll have to ask your account's administrator/master user to do the following:

  • Step 1: Go to Setup → Users and click on your username. 
  • Step 2: Turn off the Require Two Factor Authentication switch and click Save.
  • Step 3: Re-enable the Require Two Factor Authentication and click Save.

This will reset your security questions and you'll be able to log in again. 

If you are the Master User of the account and would like to re-set the Security questions:

  • Step 1: In you are already logged in, click on the Business Name in top-right corner and select Profile;
  • Step 2: Click on the Configure Two Factor Authentication green button and re-set the security questions. Save.

If you are unable to log in as a Master User, please email at support@powerdiary.com for further assistance.

Once done, you’ll be asked to enter an authorization code. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Install the Google Authenticator app on your Android or iOS device and open the app. (an alternative app is Authy)
  2. Click on the red + button and click on Scan a barcode. Your phone’s camera will open up. Use it to scan the QR code on your Power Diary account.

  3. After the QR code is scanned, a six-digit code will appear. Copy and paste it quickly under the QR code and click Save. 

Hint 💡

Doing so will enable 2FA, which you will see when you log in to your account the next time. But make sure you have your phone with you. Because without your device that has the Google Authenticator/Authy app, you won’t be able to log in Power Diary. However, if you don’t have your phone with you, you can answer the security questions instead to login to your account.

How to turn on 2FA for Your Power Diary Account Users

Using 2FA is optional. You can turn it on/off for users in your account at any time. To enable/disable 2FA for a user, follow these steps:

Note:

Only the master user will be able to see the 2 Factor Authentication settings. If you are a user, please reach out to the master user requesting them to turn this setting on for you.

  1. Navigate to Setup → Users using the left-hand menu on the dashboard.
  2. Click on the name of the user for whom you want to enable 2FA.

  3. Under the Authentication section, toggle the switch labelled Require Two Factor Authentication.

Click the Save button to save the changes. The user will be asked to set up 2FA the next time they log in to their Power Diary account, identical to the above process. 

4. The User management page includes a column titled "2FA" that states "Yes" for any user that has either 2FA required or 2FA enabled. Required is where another user with access to this page may switch on "2FA required" for the user, and next time that user logs in they will have to set up 2FA before accessing the account. If a user sets up 2FA for their own profile, then it is considered "enabled". This is to assist account holders to make sure all users have 2FA switched on to abide by the security protocols.

Troubleshooting ‘Wrong Code’ Message

If you are getting the wrong code error when logging in to your Power Diary account in spite of entering the correct authentication code, there may be an issue with your date/time settings. First, try making sure that your phone’s date and time settings are in sync with the Google Authenticator app. To do so:

  1. Go to the main menu on the Google Authenticator app;
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click Time Correction For Codes.
  4. Click Sync Now.
    5. This will sync the clock of the authenticator app with your phone’s date and time - after which, you’ll be able to enter the authentication code and sign in properly. If the authentication code is not working, try adjusting your phone’s date and time settings.

Important

If you are unable to access your Power Diary account, you can contact us at support@powerdiary.com. We can only assist those users who have Setup access to their accounts. If you do not have Setup access, contact someone who does or the account holder first to let them know of this issue.

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