How to Work Remotely
**This page will be updated if new information becomes available.**
If it is necessary for you to work or teach from home or from another off-campus location, this page provides the information you need to get started. Your TigerNetID login is required to access some resources. *Download this page as a PDF
- FHSU Phone/Voicemail Access
- Computer Access
- Online Services
- Communication and Collaboration Tools
- Online Teaching Tips
- Technology Support and Training
- Best Practices for Working Remotely
FHSU PHONE/VOICEMAIL ACCESS:
In order to access your campus phone remotely you MUST know either your Voicemail PIN or your CommPortal password.
- I know my Voicemail PIN
- I know my CommPortal Password
- I do NOT know my Voicemail PIN or CommPortal Password
If you know your Voicemail PIN:
- To Access Your Voicemail from Off Campus: Call 785-621-1234 > enter your 10-digit work phone number > press # > enter your PIN > press # > follow the voice prompts.
- To Forward Your Work Phone to Another Phone: * Call 785-621-1234 > enter your 10-digit work phone number > press # > enter your PIN > press # > press 4 > 7 > 3 > 1 > enter the 10-digit phone number you want to forward to > press #.
- To Remove Forwarding from Your Work Phone: * Call 785-621-1234 > enter your 10-digit work phone number > press # > enter your PIN > press # > press 4 > 7 > 3 > 2.
If you know your CommPortal Password:*
Login to CommPortal at voicemanager.nex-tech.com using your 10-digit work phone number and your CommPortal password.
- To Access Your Voicemail from Off Campus:
- To access your voice messages, click on the Messages and Calls tab.
- To forward your voice messages to your work email:
- From the CommPortal Home tab, scroll down > click on Message Settings.
- Check the box next to Forward messages as emails.
- Click Add an email address > enter your work email address > Add > click Apply.
- To Forward Your Work Phone to Another Phone: * From the CommPortal Home tab, under Phone Status / Summary / When I receive a call: Select Forward to > enter the 10-digit phone number you want to forward to > click Apply.
- To create a CommPortal Rule to answer calls using your cell phone but still receive voice messages on your work phone, see the Call Manager User Guide (Create Rule and Rule Example sections).
- To Remove Forwarding from Your Work Phone: * From the CommPortal Home tab, under Phone Status / Summary / When I receive a call: Select Ring my phone or Send to voicemail > click Apply.
* To answer or make calls from your office phone using your computer or personal device, MaX UC can be used. It must be installed on your computer/device and activated for your office phone number. To request this, submit a Technology Support ticket at www.fhsu.edu/technology/request-services-employee (select Relationship = Employee, and choose Phone Services (Caller ID, CommPortal, etc) as the Service Type). For example: "Please assist with installing MaX UC on my computer/device and activate it for my office phone number, ext. 9999."
If you do NOT know your Voicemail PIN or CommPortal Password:
Submit a Technology Support ticket (go to www.fhsu.edu/technology/request-services-employee: select Relationship = Employee, and choose Phone Services (Caller ID, CommPortal, etc) as the Service Type).
*WARNING: Do NOT forward your phone directly by using the buttons on your phone. This overrides all other forwarding methods, and you will have to return to your phone to change or remove forwarding.
For more information about using FHSU Campus Phones Services, see www.fhsu.edu/technology/telecom-services/.
COMPUTER ACCESS:
There are various options for working remotely, depending on the equipment you have.
What kind of computer do you have?
- I have a University-issued laptop
- I have a University-issued desktop ONLY and I have access to a personal computer
- I have a University-issued desktop ONLY and DO NOT have access to a personal computer
Instructions for working remotely if you have a University-issued laptop:
- VPN connection will be required for accessing the following:
- Network shared drives (N drive, U drive)
- Cascade CMS
- Some specialized software (IBM SPSS, ArcGIS, etc.)
- Some Library databases
-
Install and Connect with FHSU’s VPN: www.fhsu.edu/tigertech/internet-info-vpn
- VPN access is NOT required to access online applications. (Blackboard, Workday, OneDrive, O365, etc.)
- Access your Outlook email, Workday, Workflow, Blackboard, and other FHSU services online using links on the Faculty & Staff Resources page: www.fhsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/ (Click FACULTY & STAFF at the top of any FHSU web page.)
Instructions for working remotely if you have a University-issued desktop ONLY and have access to a personal computer:
- Many online applications and software can be accessed without VPN from any computer.
- Outlook email
- OneDrive
- Office365
- Blackboard
- Workday, etc.
-
- Access these online applications from any personal computer using links on the Faculty & Staff Resources page: www.fhsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/ (Click FACULTY & STAFF at the top of any FHSU web page.)
- In order to do my job, I need access to Network shared drives and/or other special software.
- To use a personal computer with Windows 10 to connect directly to FHSU Drives from off campus, follow these instructions.
- Access your work desktop computer from home using Remote Desktop (RDP). RDP can be enabled for you by submitting a Technology Support ticket at www.fhsu.edu/technology/request-services-employee. Select Relationship = Employee > then OTHER as the Service Type.
Instructions for working remotely if you have a University-issued desktop ONLY and DO NOT have access to a personal computer:
- Technology Services has a limited number of laptops available for checkout.
- To request a laptop, submit a Technology Support ticket at www.fhsu.edu/technology/request-services-employee. Select Relationship = Employee > then OTHER as the Service Type.
ONLINE SERVICES:
- Access your Outlook email, Workday, Workflow, Blackboard, and other FHSU services online using links on the Faculty & Staff Resources page: www.fhsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/ (Click FACULTY & STAFF at the top of any FHSU web page.)
COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION TOOLS:
- Adobe Creative Cloud - Includes Adobe Acrobat. Available free for faculty and staff use at work and home. Per FHSU's licensing agreement, each user can install apps on a maximum of two devices, but cannot use them simultaneously. For details, see: www.fhsu.edu/technology/adobe
- Office 365 - Preloaded on all FHSU-owned devices. Free online access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and other Microsoft Office applications: www.fhsu.edu/tigertech/o365
- OneDrive - Share files and collaborate: www.fhsu.edu/technology/software-onedrive
- Software for Personal Devices: www.fhsu.edu/tigertech/software/
- Microsoft Teams - Collaborate with faculty, staff, and students using Teams to chat, send screenshots or files, and screenshare, if needed. Teams is often more efficient than making phone calls and sending emails: teams.microsoft.com/downloads
- Zoom - Video conferencing and calls: https://www.fhsu.edu/learningtechnologies/Collaboration/
ONLINE TEACHING TIPS:
- Facilitating Class Remotely: www.fhsu.edu/learningtechnologies/facilitating-class-remotely/
TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT AND TRAINING:
- Technology Support for Faculty/Staff: www.fhsu.edu/technology/support-employees
- Technical Training: www.fhsu.edu/technology/training
- Blackboard Support: www.fhsu.edu/learningtechnologies/Blackboard/
- Campus Phone Services/Telecommunications: www.fhsu.edu/technology/telecom-services/
BEST PRACTICES FOR WORKING REMOTELY:
- Make sure your computer is running Windows 10 or 11, or MacOS 14 - Sonoma (or newer).
- When using public Wi-Fi, always connect to FHSU’s VPN first: www.fhsu.edu/tigertech/internet-info-vpn.
- Use good Information Security practices: www.fhsu.edu/technology/security/ | Security Fact Sheet
- Do NOT save work-related files on your personal computer or device. Save all files in your FHSU My Documents folder, FHSU Teams/OneDrive, or in a network share location.
- NEVER send personally identifiable information (such as SSNs, birthdates, or passwords) via email or text.
- Use communication options that conserve Internet bandwidth. Video and audio require more resources than email, chat, or screen-sharing. If conferencing is required, opt for audio instead of video, when appropriate.
- If you use screen-sharing: Close any content displayed on your screen that you don’t want others to see.
- If you use audio or video conferencing: Be aware of external noise and know what is within your camera’s view.