Locked Out Account

Your City credentials are used for a wide range of applications and systems. The cause of lockouts can vary depending on what you are trying to access. Your network credentials are used for computer logins, email access, wireless, City intranet, New World, VPN, and many other systems.

Account lockouts can occur through a variety of reasons. It can be tricky to pinpoint what exactly locked your account out. Lockouts can occur anywhere your credentials are used. Below are the most common issues and resolutions.

• The most common reason for locking your user account is entering your network credentials into your computer or email too many times. This lockout can occur from anywhere between two to five bad entries.
  • Recommendation: Make sure your username and password are formatted and entered correctly when you attempt to login again.

• Many other city applications also use your credentials. Account lockouts can happen if you enter your credentials incorrectly in any city application. Another common cause of lockouts is either trying to access the internal website or intranet, New World, and backend of the City website.
  • Recommendation: Please make sure that you follow the correct login format for each service. Directions to log in to the backend City Website are linked here

• Another common reason for lockouts is through an external device (like mobile phone or tablet).
  • If you have email/Gmail on your mobile phone, the password may not be updated, or a bad password was entered.
    • Recommendation: Remove email from your phone, and then re-add the email back on to the device. This can help re-authenticate with the new password and fix some other issues. See how to re-login here.
  • Besides Gmail, using the wireless network can cause account lockouts. If you use the "CityOfEvanston_Secure" wireless network and enter your city credentials, you can cause an account lockout. If the wireless has a bad password or random password that uses against your username then a lockout will occur.
    • Recommendation: Disconnect from the "CityOfEvanston_Secure" wireless network, and remove or "forget" it. Use the public City wireless instead.

• The other (more unlikely) reason is someone is trying to hack into your account and lock you out, either through email or other means. However, the reasons above are much more likely.

You can try eliminating one of these variables to see if lockouts continue. If you would like us to look into this further, please email [e-mail] and we can try to look the request.

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Important Note:

Please keep in mind the differences between your username and your email. You may be asked for your email rather than your username. Or may need to type in a particular format to authenticate.

• Your username is normally first initial + last name.
  I.E. username = mhuyler.
• Your email is first initial + last name + @cityofevanston.org.
  I.E. email = [e-mail].
• You may also be asked to enter your username/email in a particular format that is different for each system, like the city website backend.
  I.E. Username = CITYOFEVANSTON\mhuyler.
• Your account password is the same across all city services (except eSuite and some other accounts)

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Other Account Issues?

For eSuite/HR Portal/My Portal account problems, please reach HR at [e-mail] or call 847-448-8204. You can reach eSuite by following this link: https://myportal.cityofevanston.org/. The recommended browser to access New World/eSuite is "Google Chrome". There is a "Reset Password" option on the HR portal, directly below your username/password input boxes.

For PublicStuff/311/Accela you can follow-up with 311 847-448-4311 and/or "Sue Pontarelli" directly. You can access 311 PublicStuff by following this link: https://iframe.publicstuff.com/#?client_id=529. Please try to change your password by clicking on "Log In" button then "Forgot my password?" option (below the username/password input boxes.)