Transition to Telecommuting

The IT Department continue to work to create as seamless a transition to a telecommuting environment as possible. There are three main scenarios we are addressing:

1. You have a university-issued laptop.

If you have a university-issued laptop, it will already have a VPN (Virtual Private Network) client on the machine. When you are connected to the internet at home, you click on the VPN Client. Log in to the VPN with your usual university credentials and you will be connected to the university network. You will have access to all the shared drives (G: and H:) when you connect this way.

2. You do not have a University laptop but have your own personal computer at home.

There are three typical levels of access with associated requirements:

A. Your needs can be served with access to the internet. Most of the faculty and many staff members can already work remotely from their home computer (Windows, Mac or Chromebook). You can use link.jwu.edu to get to academic systems and email.jwu.edu to get to email, Skype and other Office 365 tools. A more comprehensive list of university systems that can be accessed through the internet is available here.

B. You need access to our shared drives and the university network to complete your work on a regular basis. Under this circumstance, you will have to first install the VPN Client on your home computer. Instructions for accessing and installing the VPN client can be found here.

C. You require access to special programs and documents that are on your work computer. Under this circumstance, you will need remote desktop access (RDP) on your home computer. Instructions for installation and use of RDP can be found here. You will need to fill out a request for RDP access here.

**If you are using your home machine it is important to note that it is a violation of university policy to copy documents containing student or employee personal data to your personal machine.

3. You do not have a home computer or need special assistance.

This situation is being handled on a case-by-case basis. Please complete the At Home Hardware Request Form and someone from IT will reach out to you to assist you.