Tips for Working Remotely

Owned by Tiffany Linhardt (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Oct 14, 2020
4 min read

Overview

This document is intended to serve as a quick reference guide for Franklin College faculty and staff who need to work remotely while ensuring business continuity.

Working Remotely

Off-Campus Equipment Information

As part of the University's response to COVID-19, faculty and staff who can are encouraged to work remotely. In order to work from home faculty and staff have the following options available:

Please contact Franklin OIT before taking equipment home so that we can ensure the proper tools and settings are in place to support you working remotely

  1. Use an assigned laptop

  2. Use a personally owned laptop/desktop

    Details are available below for how to obtain software to use on personal devices

  3. Take home an assigned desktop

  4. Use a department checkout laptop

Units are generally discouraged from purchasing new equipment in response to the COVID-19. Additionally, there are a number of factors creating unknowns with respect to computer orders, which will likely cause longer delays than normal for purchase, delivery, setup, and deployment of new equipment. Instead, we encourage units to leverage the options presented above.

Taking home an assigned desktop

After securing supervisor approval, Franklin OIT can assist faculty and staff with preparing their desktop for off campus.  In order to request to take home a desktop faculty and staff should submit a ticket at https://helpdesk.franklin.uga.edu with the following information:

  1. Indicate that you would like to take home your desktop
  2. Provide the UGA tag number for your computer

Franklin OIT will reach out to your respective business manager and/or inventory control officer to request the item's record be updated in the Asset Management system for off-campus use in alignment with policy.  Individuals will be notified when their computer is ready for pickup and can schedule a time to work with Franklin OIT if they require assistance.

Additional information for off-campus equipment

Connecting to services and devices remotely

Connecting to the VPN and ArchPass Duo are pre-requisites to connecting to many campus services. If you are working remotely and find you are unable to connect to a service, you may need to first connect to the campus VPN. Additionally, if your ArchPass Duo is set up for your office phone, you may need to set up a backup or alternative device to work remotely.

Please be aware: there are a limited number of VPN connections available for use.

Accessing computers or file shares remotely

Connecting to your work computer remotely is resource intensive and not recommended for daily use. Connecting to the VPN long enough to mount file shares to copy files to/from your local computer is the recommended option.

Consider alternative options for accessing files and services in the event VPN usage is saturated or not available (e.g., access services via vLab, working during off-peak hours, consider saving a copy of your files locally on your computer or to OneDrive for off-campus use, etc.).

Accessing vLab

The University of Georgia's virtual computer lab, called vLab, allows anyone with a MyID to access lab software anywhere, anytime via a web browser on their devices. The vLab gives access to a computer lab environment with applications to use on work and personal devices, regardless if you are on or off campus.

Accessing UGAMail, Calendar, and Office 365 remotely

Office 365 ProPlus is a productivity suite of software that includes Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. It is a user-based service that allows UGA students, faculty and staff to use the software on up to 5 computers (Windows or iOS) and on their mobile devices (Android, iOS or Windows).

Meeting remotely

Installing software

Other Helpful Resources

Faculty and Staff Access Considerations

The following resources may be relevant for faculty and staff who encounter internet access challenges:

  • Charter Spectrum: https://corporate.charter.com/newsroom/charter-to-offer-free-access-to-spectrum-broadband-and-wifi-for-60-days-for-new-K12-and-college-student-households-and-more
    • Charter will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription and at any service level up to 100 Mbps
    • To enroll call 1-844-488-8395
    • Installation fees will be waived for new student households
  • Cell Phone carriers (various)
    • Many cell phones are capable of serving as wireless hotspots; often this service is included in existing contracts or can be added for a fee.
    • Contact the respective cell phone carrier for details.
  • Campus Access for Instruction
    • Instructors should develop and upload course content and hold virtual meetings from home whenever possible.
    • For specific and limited cases where it is not possible for instructors to record or upload course content from home, brief visits to campus may be permitted with approval of the unit head or director.

The following resources may be relevant for supervisors of employees who encounter internet access challenges:

Requesting Support

Franklin OIT Help Desk

Ticket: https://helpdesk.franklin.uga.edu 
Email: helpdesk@franklin.uga.edu
Phone: 706-542-9900

System Status Information