Connect Remotely

Plan Ahead

Here's what you will need when working from a remote location. 

1. An active W&M Username and password (If necessary, you can update your password at changepassword.wm.edu)
2. At least one secondary authentication device for Duo (phone, token, etc.) 
3. A secure computer - laptop or PC
4. A telephone (personal cell or landline)
5. Microphone, speakers, and a webcam (if needed for face-to-face interactions)
6. An internet-enabled working environment (internet service, router, ethernet cable to connect your computer to the router)

Duo Two-Factor Authentication

Most IT systems require Duo Two-Factor Authentication. Make sure your secondary authentication method can be accessed remotely (like a cell phone, home phone or hardware token). 

If you need assistance enrolling a "remote-friendly" secondary authentication method, please contact the Technology Support Center.

Duo Enrollment Site

Equipment

Your Work Set-Up - Employees should avoid using their personal computers to conduct university business.  As an employee of the university you may be a target for phishing email or malware that could damage your personal computer or data. 

Given the pandemic circumstances, employees are now permitted to take home university issued equipment without prior approval.  Equipment will be tracked and must be returned undamaged after the university returns to normal operations.

Loaners - Loaner laptops are generally available, however, the due to the pandemic, all laptops have already been distributed.  For assistance using a loaner laptop, please email [[support]].

All Technology-Related Purchases (including MiFi devices) - For information about all technology-related purchases (including information about MiFis or Personal Hotspots) please see the COVID-19 Cost Containment Plan on the Procurement Website.

Best Practices 

1. When saving university documents, use cloud-based storage systems, like Box or OneDrive, to ensure university documents don’t get lost on or deleted.
2. Please limit use of the Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Virtual Desktop (VDI) environment.  These technologies have limited availability and are not necessary for accessing the majority of IT administrative and academic applications and services.
3. If using the Virtual Private Network (VPN) or Virtual Desktop (VDI) environment, please log out when you are not using these services to limit utilization of these services.
4. If you are using university issued equipment please only use it for university business.  Family members and friends should not be using this equipment, especially if you are logged in.
5. Remember to log out if you walk away from your computer.
6. Please do not put an auto-reply on your email unless you are unable to respond to email messages.  If an auto-reply is required to communicate a shift in business flow, please include http://www.wm.edu/coronavirus to communicate the current status of the university.

Chat & Video Conference

You can meet face-to-face even when located in different places. Learn about video conferencing options or check these out:

• Teams (Faculty & Staff) - Microsoft Teams provides a chat-based hub for teamwork and group-based collaboration. Have a conversation, share files, store files and notes, or hold a meeting in Teams. Teams is both easy to use and very useful. 
• Zoom (Faculty, Staff, and Students) - Zoom is an easy-to-use, cloud-based conferencing solution that provides both video and audio conferencing, mobile collaboration, screen sharing capabilities and online meetings. Zoom Pro is now available to all W&M faculty, staff, and students!  
• Google Hangouts (Faculty, Staff, and Students) - Google Hangouts is the videoconferencing tool in G Suite. G Suite Apps are now available to all W&M faculty, staff, and students!

Google is temporarily expanding its Google Hangouts offerings in response to the Coronavirus. Read more about how Google is Helping Schools Stay Connected.

Phone Calls & Voicemail

Many W&M faculty and staff members have a ShoreTel/Mitel phone at their desk. Useful work-remotely functionality is available through the Mitel Connect software package. It may already be installed on your work computer; if not, you can download and install it.

More information about the phone system is available at Phone Services For Departments. 

You can also use Microsoft Teams for interoffice phone calls or Zoom for videoconferencing.

Share & Store Files

W&M has several different storage and file-sharing options available: 

• Box (Faculty & Staff) - Box is a web-based application, with 100GB storage. Box is also the approved system for sharing sensitive data - but you must Secure Box Files and Folders before sending sensitive data! Students can access Box files by signing up for a free Individual Box account.
• OneDrive (Faculty & Staff) - Included in the Microsoft Office 365 suite of webapps is OneDrive, which offers an unlimited amount of data storage to W&M users. 
• Network Storage Drives (Faculty, Staff, and Students) - on-premise storage drives provide both a shared storage space for your department (G: Drive) and 5GB of storage of your own files (H: Drive). 
  We recommend transferring data from your H: Drive to a cloud-based system such as Box or OneDrive for easier access from home.
• Teams (Faculty & Staff) - Microsoft Teams provides a chat-based hub for teamwork and group-based collaboration. Have a conversation, share files, store files and notes, or hold a meeting in Teams. Teams is both easy to use and very useful.  
• Google Drive (Faculty, Staff, and Students) - Google Drive is the storage and file sharing tool in G Suite. G Suite Apps are now available to all W&M faculty, staff, and students!

VPN & VDI - When is it necessary?

A few systems, like advancement apps or TOAD, will require a secure network connection.  For those systems you can connect to the Virtual Private Network (VPN) or Virtual Desktops (VDI).

• The university's Virtual Private Network (GlobalProtect) allows for secure remote access to W&M technology resources. 
• The Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) allows you to log into a virtual desktop with a standard W&M computer image.  It's similar to logging into a lab computer or classroom podium computer.  Notes about VDI: 
  • There are a limited number of concurrent licenses for VDI, meaning only a certain amount of people can use VDI at any given time.
  • W&M faculty and staff are automatically provided access to VDI, however students will not have access unless previously authorized. 

Please note! The systems below are readily available and do NOT require a secure VPN or VDI connection. Please save those limited resources for the systems that do have that requirement.

• Advance (Web App)
• Banner Admin
• Banner Self-Service (except W-2s, which are available via VPN)
• Blackbaud 
• Blackboard
• Box (Storage & File Sharing)
• Email (O365 & Gmail)
• eVA (Procurement)
• FAMIS (Facilities Management)
• G Suite (Google Tools)
• HPC clusters at W&M and VIMS
• Microsoft O365 Web Apps (including Teams and One Drive)
• Qlik Reporting
• Panopto (Lecture Capture)
• Salesforce (including Target X and Marketing Cloud)
• Works
• Zoom (Videoconferencing)

Banner Self-Service

Need to input grades or access course schedules? Banner Self-Service is accessible from off-campus through myW&M.

Blackboard

Blackboard is W&M's academic learning management system. You can access Blackboard directly at blackboard.wm.edu or use the Blackboard icon found on myW&M.  

Find lots of information about using Blackboard on our Blackboard Help for Faculty website.

You can also access Blackboard on your mobile device. 

G Suite (Google Tools)

G Suite provides access to a suite of Google tools, like Google Drive (storage and file sharing) and Google Hangouts (videoconferencing). G Suite Apps are now available to all W&M faculty, staff, and students!

Google is temporarily expanding its Google Hangouts offerings in response to the Coronavirus. Read more about how Google is Helping Schools Stay Connected.

Instructional Resources

The Instructional Resilience website is full of great advice from the Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation to help instructors teach their classes remotely.

W&M Libraries Resources page provides expert help and guidance on library and instructional services for working at home.

Panopto - Lecture Capture

Panopto is an easy-to-use tool for recording presentations and video screen captures that can be easily distributed to others. To access Panopto, connect to Blackboard and navigate to the Tools section.

Hardware:

• Webcam (like the camera generally built into laptops)
• Microphone
• Panopto recorder (provisioned after creating a folder within Blackboard)

Instructions for setting up Blackboard Course for Panopto

For Students: How to view Panopto videos

Poll Everywhere (Student Response System)

Poll Everywhere (PollEv) is a web-based student response system (SRS) that works on any Internet enabled device. Instructors can choose from a variety of question types to display via a mobile-friendly website and ask students to engage with the content by responding to the questions on their devices.

Students can set-up an account using their William & Mary credentials by visiting https://www.polleverywhere.com/login.

Zoom - Videoconferencing

Zoom is an easy-to-use, cloud-based conferencing solution that provides both video and audio conferencing, mobile collaboration, screen sharing capabilities and online meetings.

Zoom Pro is now available to all W&M faculty, staff, and students!

Hardware:

• Webcam (like the camera generally built into laptops)
• Microphone
• Zoom client (provisioned at start of first session)

Don't have a webcam on your computer? You can also use the mobile app from a smartphone!

Blackboard & Panopto

Blackboard is W&M's academic learning management system. You can access Blackboard directly at blackboard.wm.edu or use the Blackboard icon found on myW&M.  

Find lots of information about using Blackboard on our Blackboard at W&M website. Blackboard Test Taking Tips can be found here.

You can also access Blackboard on your mobile device. 

For Students: How to view Panopto videos

Course Planning & Schedules

• Need to access course schedules or register for classes? Banner Self-Service is accessible from off-campus through myW&M.
• DegreeWorks can help you planning courses for next semester.

G Suite (Google Tools)

G Suite provides access to a suite of Google tools, like Google Drive (storage and file sharing) and Google Hangouts (videoconferencing). G Suite Apps are now available to all W&M faculty, staff, and students!

Google is temporarily expanding its Google Hangouts offerings in response to the Coronavirus. Read more about how Google is Helping Schools Stay Connected.

Microsoft Office 365 

Install a free licensed version of Office 365 to take advantage of the numerous productivity tools.

Zoom - Videoconferencing

Zoom is an easy-to-use, cloud-based conferencing solution that provides both video and audio conferencing, mobile collaboration, screen sharing capabilities and online meetings.

Zoom Pro is now available to all W&M faculty, staff, and students!

Hardware:

• Webcam (like the camera generally built into laptops)
• Microphone
• Zoom client (provisioned at start of first session)

Don't have a webcam on your computer?  You can also use the mobile app from a smartphone!

Technology Support Center (TSC)

If you have any tech-related questions please contact the Technology Support Center (TSC) for help.

• For non-urgent questions and concerns, email: [[support]]
• For urgent technology support, call: 757-221-4357 (HELP), Monday - Friday 8am-5pm (except holidays)
• Walk-in support is currently unavailable.

Law School

For technology support at the Law School, contact:

Matthew Rouette
IT Manager, Law School
Email: marouette@wm.edu
Office phone: (757) 221-1596

Robert Jordan
Technology Support Engineer
Email: rhjordan01@wm.edu
Office phone: (757) 221-7507

School of Business

For technology support at the Mason School of Business, contact the Mason TSC help desk at 757-221-3401 or [[m|help]].

The Business School also provides access to Business-specific resources through the MyMason intranet.

School of Education

For technology support at the School of Education, contact: 

Daniel Norton
Manager, Client Services Professional Schools
[[dpnorton]]

Brandon Corbett
Technical Support Engineer
[[bbcorbett]]

Mark Eaton
Technical Support Engineer
[[mxeato]]

Off-Campus Internet Connection Tips

Want to improve your home or off-campus internet connection?  Here are things that can help!