Employee Remote Work Resources | Information Technology | BYU-Idaho

# IT Remote Work Resources FAQ

The resources and FAQs below will help you transition to working remotely. If you need more help, call I.T. at (208) 496-1411, or Live Chat with us on the BYU-Idaho home page. The Help Desk in the MC is also here for you.

## Staff/Admin FAQ

Zoom is the official BYU-Idaho tool for video conferencing and screen sharing. BYU-Idaho is licensed for an unlimited number of Zoom meetings with up to 100 participants. Zoom is deployed on a cloud infrastructure with an architecture that should scale well. However, video chat can consume a high amount of bandwidth, and this event is unprecedented in the world. We remain cautiously optimistic about Zoom and will be working with the vendor to monitor its load and capacity. If you have issues with Zoom, contact the I.T. Service Desk at 208-496-1411 or contact the Faculty Technology Center (FTC) for training. 
 
To learn how to add a Zoom meeting to any Outlook Calendar event, see the following article on integrating Zoom with Outlook Calendar.

Zoom has certain bandwidth requirements for audio and video calls.

Start a Zoom meeting and choose "Record to the Cloud" from the toolbar. When the meeting is ready to view, it will appear in your Zoom app under the "Recorded" section of the "Meetings" tabs. Open the recording and log in to create a shareable link. Anyone with this link can then view your recording.

The following questions should help you determine the right path forward: 

- Do you require access to resources only available from the campus network (i.e. Jenzabar, iSeries, Network drives, etc.)? 
 - If NO - you may use your campus-issued laptop or a personal device to access Canvas, Zoom, Teams, SharePoint, etc. 
 - If you do not have access to a campus-issued laptop or a personal device, call 208-496-1411 to request a device.
 - If YES - proceed to next question.
- Do you have a campus provided laptop? 
 - If YES - You may take it home. Submit a VPN request at the following link: Request VPN.
 - If NO - call 208-496-1411 to request a loaner device, as well as to request VPN access.
- If you require VPN access to the campus network and no other resources are available, you may be permitted to take your iMac or Desktop device home (with the approval of your direct supervisor).

As an employee at BYU-Idaho, you can save files to Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. It is recommended you save all your work to one of these products. Doing so will automatically back up your files and allow you to share them with others. You should never store any sensitive BYU-Idaho data or files on your personal device. As a side note, saving personal files to these platforms is not supported by the I.T. department. 
 
See the links below for additional resources on how to use these products. 
 
Using OneDrive 
 
Overview of Microsoft Teams 
 
Get Started with SharePoint

With your direct supervisor's approval, you can take your monitor, keyboard, mouse, and/or docking station home with your campus-issued laptop.

If you require a web camera for working from home, you should work with your department to acquire one through approved purchasing methods (i.e. Amazon).

Certain applications are protected via campus firewalls and are only accessible on -campus. A virtual private network (VPN) connection is required to access these from off campus. You can request VPN access by submitting a request or by calling the I.T. Service Desk at 208-496-1411. 
 
The BYU-Idaho VPN is provided by redundant appliances with a theoretical capacity of 5000 users. Cisco has indicated they will temporarily provide additional free licenses as needed. While the system should scale to many more users, only those who need access to on-campus systems should request VPN access.

You may forward your desk phone to a home phone or cell phone by pressing the "Forward all" button on your desk phone and entering the number you wish to forward calls to. 
 
You may also use the Cisco Jabber application to use your laptop or other device like you would your desk phone. You can learn how to setup Cisco Jabber on your device by visiting the IT Help Center. 
 
Cisco Jabber can turn any computer or cell phone into a BYU-Idaho softphone and is available for up to 1500 concurrent users. To request this capability, contact the I.T. Service Desk at 208-496-1411.

G Suite is a set of online productivity tools provided by Google. You can use G Suite for Education as an additional option to collaborate and share documents and files, and connect with others at BYU-Idaho through messaging and video conferencing. As an employee or student, you have access to use Google apps such Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Hangouts, and Forms. Please note that the official applications used by BYU-Idaho for email and calendaring is Microsoft Outlook. The official learning management system is Canvas. Therefore, Google's Gmail and Calendar are not available. 
 
Learn more about G Suite for Education.

To learn how to log in to G Suite with your BYU-Idaho account, please see our step by step guide. If you are not able to log in, please call 208-496-1411 for assistance. 
 
G Suite products are not administered or supported by the Information Technology department. To find answers to questions about G Suite products and to get support, see the Google for Education website.

BYU-Idaho is not equipped to provide Internet or network services to students or employees off campus. Because the facilitation of remote learning is considered an essential function despite the Idaho stay-at-home order, faculty with unreliable connectivity at home may continue to operate from their campus offices as appropriate.

## Contact Us

If you need more help, call I.T. at (208) 496-1411, or Live Chat with us on the BYU-Idaho home page. The Help Desk in the MC is also here for you.