IT Guide to Telecommuting

When you are working for the University off-campus, you can use services to communicate and collaborate with your colleagues.

For assistance with IT services, contact the ITS Technology Support Center at techsupport@uconn.edu or (860) 486-4357.

1 Connecting to the Internet
2 Accessing your Email Online
3 Using a Shared Mailbox
4 Storing your Files
5 Collaborating and Sharing Files
6 Hosting and Attending Meetings with Video Conferencing
7 Checking Office Telephones
8 Accessing UConn Resources Remotely
9 Following Security Best Practices

Connecting to the Internet

A high-speed internet connection is essential for accessing University resources while teaching, learning, and working remotely. In line with the FCC’s Keeping America Connected Pledge, most internet service providers (ISPs) in Connecticut have agreed to not terminate service due to financial hardship, waive late fees for people affected financially by circumstances, and provide free, public use of Wi-Fi hotspots.

While at home, you need a broadband (cable or DSL) connection that has the bandwidth for video conferencing and streaming. You need at least 3.2Mbps outbound and 4.0Mbps inbound in order to video conference effectively. You can test your internet speed at speedtest.net.

Accessing your Email Online

Faculty, staff, and student employees have email accounts on Outlook. Outlook is part of Microsoft 365, the Microsoft suite of communication, collaboration, and productivity tools. You can access Outlook online through the Microsoft 365 portal. The portal page also displays and gives you access to all Microsoft 365 apps available to you.

Using a Shared Mailbox

If your department or area needs a single point of contact while telecommuting, you can use a shared mailbox. A shared mailbox allows you to have a single email address for your department that multiple people can use to receive and respond to messages.

To request a shared mailbox, contact the Technology Support Center at techsupport@uconn.edu.
You can also access an existing shared mailbox.

Storing your Files

While working remotely, faculty and staff should save their files on cloud-hosted solutions or remote offerings. This ensures that you can safely and securely store and access your files from multiple devices and locations.

Do not save files on personally-owned devices. All work-related materials should be stored on UConn-supported infrastructure to ensure you can safely and securely store and access your files from multiple devices and locations, and the university will be able to properly respond to litigation holds or discovery obligations without impacting your equipment.

Cloud-Hosted Services

OneDrive (recommended)

Faculty and staff should save files for work on Microsoft OneDrive. This cloud-hosted service allows you to save files, share them with others, and edit the files simultaneously via Office Online products. When your files are stored on OneDrive, you can access them on any device with internet connection. You have access to this cloud-hosted storage through your Microsoft 365 account.

Collaborating and Sharing Files

The cloud-hosted storage solutions allow you to share and simultaneously collaborate on files.

OneDrive

Your OneDrive associated with your Microsoft 365 account integrates with the other Microsoft applications, including Outlook, Teams, and the Office applications, such as Word and Excel.

While working in an Office application, you can choose to share a file by selecting that option in the File menu. If you have your file saved to OneDrive, you can send recipients a link to the file. This gives them the ability to open your file on any Internet-connected device and make updates. If you have not saved your file to OneDrive, you have the option of attaching a copy of it to an email message.

If you have opened OneDrive in a browser, you have access to the files saved in your OneDrive account and can choose to share individual files or entire folders. Selected recipients will receive a message, which you can customize, from Microsoft with a link to the file or folder.

OneDrive is the file storage backbone for Microsoft applications. While in other Microsoft applications, you can connect to and share the files in the OneDrive associated with your Microsoft 365 account.

Hosting and Attending Meetings with Video Conferencing

You can schedule and attend meetings using conferencing solutions that support video and audio communication.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a collaboration and productivity tool that is included with Microsoft 365. With Teams, you can chat with individuals or groups, hold video conferences, store and share files, present and share desktop content, and connect with other third-party applications. All faculty, staff, and students can install Teams from either the Microsoft 365 online portal page or directly from Microsoft. Teams and Outlook are integrated, and you can schedule and manage meetings through Outlook, as well as other emerging communication/collaboration features. All Team interactions are fully encrypted and secured. Meetings can be created with individuals inside or outside of the University and can be recorded.

Webex

All faculty, staff, and students have access to the Cisco Webex video conferencing service. You can use Webex to host and join meetings with up to 1,000 participants. In a Webex virtual meeting room, you can share any combination of audio, video, and content on your screen. Webex Rooms can also be recorded for future viewing.

Checking Office Telephones

When you are away from your office phone, you can check your voicemail messages from a different phone. ITS is enabling a notification feature; you will receive an email message when you receive a voicemail on your office line.

On a case-by-case basis, ITS can forward office phones to off-campus numbers, including cell phones. We have a limited capacity to forward these phones. Requests should be submitted to techsupport.uconn.edu or by email at techsupport@uconn.edu with your office and cell number. If you are using a personal mobile phone and do not want the person you are calling to see the number, some carriers enable you to dial *67 before entering their number. Your number will appear as "No Caller ID."

Accessing UConn Resources Remotely

Many University resources that require privileged access are protected by Single Sign On (log in with NetID and password). This means that, for many services, you do not need to install or enable remote access options like VPN.

Remote Access Services

Direct Access

UConn Windows workstations managed by ITS can remotely access protected resources, such as department (Q) drives, through Direct Access (DA). DA is a Microsoft service that provides remote access without the need for Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections. When a DA-enabled computer connects to the network (either internal or external), it automatically creates a protected connection back to its domain. Check to see if you have Direct Access enabled.

Virtual Private Network

Virtual Private Networking (VPN) software creates a secure, encrypted connection between your off-campus computing device (laptop, phone, tablet) and the campus network. There are two ways to connect to VPN, either via the downloadable client or via the web.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) with Duo

Two-factor authentication provides an additional layer of security to the authentication process. At UConn, 2FA is required for access to all services behind Single Sign On. If you have set your desk phone as your second factor, you need to add another option, like a mobile device, before leaving campus. The “This is my device” option, which remembers the authentication for 30 days, is specific to the browser and machine you are using. If you are using a different device, you will be prompted to authenticate with 2FA.

File Storage

If you store files to a cloud-hosted service, like OneDrive, you can access them using your account credentials and do not need to set up a VPN connection.

UConn Software

Download

You can download select software for both university, and personally-owned computers at software.uconn.edu. Under available software, select faculty or staff. You will see all of the university-licensed software available to you. When you click on an individual product, you can find out more information about it and begin the download process.

Online

You can access software through the browser of many internet-connected devices through AnyWare. With Desktop, you connect to a virtual desktop that includes all the available software, and in Apps, you can select only the applications you wish to use. AnyWare 2.0, our newest virtual offering, provides a virtual desktop experience and saves your settings and preference between sessions.

Following Security Best Practices

While the university has security systems in place to help to monitor and track threats in the university environment, most individuals do not have many of the same protections available in their homes or while traveling. Below are key practices to keep in mind while you are working remotely. For a more detailed description of issues and our recommendations, view Security Best Practices for Telecommuting.

Key Tips to Protect your Data and Equipment

Use a screen lock when you step away from your workspace.
Never share your NetID password with anyone.
Phishing attempts always increase during global events; be wary of interactions you did not initiate and urgent requests for assistance.
Use secure Wi-Fi (padlock symbol) whenever possible. This indicates that your session is encrypted. Only use published Wi-Fi networks when traveling or in public.
Do not leave equipment unattended in vehicles or in public spaces. Items such as phones, tablets, and laptops are valuable targets and subject to theft.