1. Account & Google Message Center Guide August Prepared by: Angela Mars IT Education and Training

2. Table Of Contents Email Account Information Page 4
Safe Practices
Page 5
Recommended Etiquette
Page 6
Strong Passwords
Page 7
Password Tactics
Page 8

3. Table Of Contents Outlook Web Access Page 9
Google Apps Message Center – Logging In
Page 11
Google Apps Message Center – Spam Folder
Page 15
Google Apps Message Center – Delivered Messages Folder
Page 16
Google Apps Message Center – Adding Contacts
Page 17

4. Email Account Information
Acquiring Accounts
To acquire an account, the director or dean of your division must send an request with the following information to the IT Help Desk, at
Employee’s name
Employee’s start date
Position title
Department
Building and room number
Phone number
Supervisor’s name

5. Safe Email Practices Safe Email Habits
Do not open messages or attachments from senders you do not know. If you are unsure about a message, contact the IT Help Desk at extension 3103.
If the sender or the subject line looks suspicious, contact the sender before opening the message or attachment.
Turn off your preview/reading pane. This can be done from your Menu Bar, under View. Some viruses can be activated by simply opening an infected message.
Use your Symantec® antivirus software.
Check IT Service Alerts for security risks.

6. Recommended Email Etiquette
Electronic Correspondence for the Workplace
Be professional and courteous.
Keep messages short and to the point.
Use a relevant subject/title for all messages.
Do not use distracting, oversized, or unprofessional backgrounds, signatures, colored fonts, or quotes.
Do not type using all capital letters. This is considered SHOUTING and is impolite.
Respond to messages as promptly as possible.
Get permission from the sender before forwarding messages.

7. Strong Passwords How to Create Strong Passwords
Good passwords are long.
A good password should include at least eight characters or more if possible.
Good passwords are complex.
Use upper and lower case characters.
Use numbers.
Use special characters such #, $, or *. (Preferably, not just one at the end of your password.)
Change your password regularly.
When you change your clocks, change your password. At a minimum, passwords should be changed every forty-five days.
Choose a password you can remember.
Choose a phrase that you can remember. Then, substitute characters in the phrase. For example, “I love working at CTC” could be turned into “1lWaCTC2.”

8. Password Tactics Password Tactics to Avoid
Do not write your password down.
Passwords should not be written down and left near your computer, taped to your monitor, or left under your keyboard – especially at work.
Do not share your password with anyone.
If you think someone may know your password, change it immediately.
Do not use personal information to create a password.
Passwords should not include information that can be easily guessed if someone knows you.
Do not use words that can be found in a dictionary.
Some password “cracking” programs contain dictionary files and can recognize permutations such as ‘password1.’
Do not choose the same password for everything.
If a hacker guesses your password, they could have access to your online bank accounts, accounts, etc.

9. Outlook Web Access Accessing Your CTC Email Account
Open an internet browser.
Go to the CTC website at
Click on the link for Faculty and Staff.
Click on the Outlook Web Access link.
When the login window pops up, type in your address (e.g.,

10. Outlook Web Access Accessing Your CTC Email Account, (cont.)
Enter your password.
Click on the Sign In button. Note:  OWA 2010 has improved login security. If you select Private Computer, your session will be closed after 12 hours. If you select Public or shared computer, your session will be closed after 15 minutes. It is recommended that you set your security to Private if you are accessing your in your office, home, or other private setting.

11. Google Apps Message Center
Logging In
To access your Google Apps Message Center, click A welcome message will appear. Click the ‘I accept...’ button when you are ready to continue.

12. Google Apps Message Center
Logging In, (cont.)
Sign in using the short version of your CTC address (your first initial and last name: and old Postini password. If you cannot remember your Postini password or were never issued one, call or the IT Help Desk at extension (Continue to page 14 if you do not need IT Help Desk assistance.)

13. Google Apps Message Center
Logging In, (cont.)
After the IT Help Desk has reset your password, you will receive an from Google that contains a temporary password. After signing in with this password, you will be asked to make a new password for yourself. Type in your new password twice and click the ‘Change password’ button.

14. Google Apps Message Center
Logging In, (cont.)
You will be given the option to enter your phone number as an additional security measure. This process is optional and can be skipped altogether. Select to either enter your number or click the ‘Skip’ button.

15. Google Apps Message Center
Spam Folder
This is the folder you will automatically enter after signing into the Message Center. If you are missing mail that was sent to you, it may be stored in this folder. Click the checkbox next to the message you want to mark as safe and click the ‘Not spam (deliver)’ button.

16. Google Apps Message Center
Delivered Messages Folder
Selecting ‘Delivered’ from the top-left (under ‘Message Center’) will take you to the Delivered messages folder. This is where potential spam messages are held. To mark messages as spam, select the message via checkbox and click the ‘Report spam’ button.

17. Google Apps Message Center
Adding Contacts
Click the ‘Settings’ cog in the top-right corner of the Message Center and select ‘Settings’ from the drop-down list.
Click the ‘Add approved contacts’ link.

18. Google Apps Message Center
Adding Contacts, (cont.)
Click the ‘Add’ button.
Enter your contact’s information into the ‘Add a new contact’ window that appears. From there, you can add another contact or click ‘Add’ when you are finished.

19. Q&A. Educational Requests: Contact Angela Mars angela. mars@ctcd
Q&A? Educational Requests: Contact Angela Mars Technical Questions: Contact the IT Help Desk