These are the two types of accounts commonly used by faculty & staff at UC San Diego, Active Directory and Business Systems.

Active Directory

Active Directory (AD) is for access to email (including Gmail), the UCSD-PROTECTED wireless network, Virtual Private Network (VPN), computer labs, Canvas, OneDrive, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams.

• Your Active Directory account will be set up automatically by your department. Contact your supervisor for assistance.
• If you don't remember your password, or need to change it, follow the instructions on the Active Directory Password Change Tool. 
• Active Directory passwords must meet the following requirements:
  
  • Not be compromised
  • Be different from any previous passwords
  • Be at least 12 characters long
  • Include characters from at least 3 of the following 4 categories: uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols
  • Not contain any part of your username
  • Passphrases are preferred

Business Systems

Business Systems (sometimes referred to as Single Sign-On) is for access to business tools such as the link family, MyServices, and other central applications.  Some business systems / tools require prior authorization or training to access. 

• You must self register for a business systems account.
  
  • You will need a valid UCSD email address (abcd@ucsd.edu, not abcd@dept.ucsd.edu) and an active, paid appointment to register a new business systems account.
• If you don't remember your password, or need to change it, follow the instructions on Reset Your Business Systems Password.
• Business Systems passwords must meet the following requirements:
  
  • Minimum of 6 and maximum of 8 characters
  • Allowable characters - alphabetic, numeric, @, #, and $
  • Must not contain a dictionary word
  • May require numbers, symbols, or mixed case to meet the minimum complexity
  • Must be different than previous passwords
  • Must different than your Active Directory (AD) password