Technology tools that make it possible to work, study and teach when you can’t get to campus.


HR - Remote Work Resources

Resources for long-term onsite, remote, and hybrid work opportunities

Employees who are working partially or fully from home will need to complete a telework agreement with their supervisor.  




Accessing Your Work Remotely

Virtual Desktop

The VDI (Virtual Desktop Instance) gives access to a Windows Desktop from anywhere on almost any device. With a Virtual Desktop you can also easily access network shared drives as well as many other widely used resources on the University network.

Virtual Desktop service is not available at UAA

OIT Virtual Desktops are available for all Staff, Faculty, and Students and come preconfigured with centrally managed software such as Matlab, JMP, and Microsoft Office. With Virtual Desktop, you can also easily access network shared drives as well as many other widely used resources on the University network.

Virtual machines (VM) are UAS' chosen solution to allow staff and faculty to access their computer, software, and documents in a wider range of locations. The virtual environment allows customization and control, as well as being hardware agnostic (meaning you can use just about any device). Through the use of VMware Horizon View Client you can access your designated virtual machine from any configured computer. These VMs are supported by ITS to provide the most complete and reliable ongoing service.


Remote Desktop

Remote Desktop applications allow remote access to your computer from off campus using another device.
Use this method only as a last resort, if there is an application or data on your work computer that you have no other way to access. In all other cases, work from your device directly or by using the virtual lab.

Using VPN

When you are not connected directly to the campus network, VPN (Virtual Private Network) client creates a “tunnel” between your computer and the campus network that identifies you as a member of the UA community, allowing you virtual access to restricted networked resources. 

Blackboard, UAOnline and Google Apps don’t require connecting to the VPN. However, if you need to access software that requires connecting to the VPN, make sure that the VPN client is installed, configured, and tested on your computer.

Below are some of the most commonly used software applications that require a VPN login prior to accessing off-campus. Visit Software Downloads for details on university software not listed here.
  • Acrobat Pro
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • ArcGIS
  • Banner 8
  • Matlab*
  • Phone/Voicemail online self-portal
  • Qmenu
  • OnBase
  • Roxen
  • Toad
  • ZUAUSR

*There are multiple licenses available. If you are using a Staff or Student license from your Mathworks account and OIT’s license code, then you don’t need the VPN.


 

 


Widely-used applications

Popular Links

UA Learn- Login to Blackboard to access your class(es)

Google Mail - Access your Google Apps @UA email account

UAOnline - UA Online Services

ELMO - Manage your UA username and password

Banner 

 

Productivity Tools

Google apps

System-wide collaboration toolbox.  All content available globally.  Includes Gmail, Drive, Meet, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms.  Consider enabling “offline mode” if online access will be intermittent/limited.

Learn Google Apps

Work, teach, and learn from anywhere - Google collection of tools and resources to stay connected and productive

MS teams

Includes Word, Excel, Teams, OneDrive, OneNote, PowerPoint, Forms, Planner, Stream, Power automate, Delve, and PowerApps. The Office 365 ProPlus program allows current University of Alaska students, staff, and faculty to download the latest versions of Microsoft Office software at no cost. All available applications (dependent upon device) may be installed on up to 5 computers, 5 tablets, and 5 smartphones.

Learn Microsoft Office 365

Work, teach and learn from anywhere  Microsoft provides a variety of tools and resources to stay connected and productive anywhere, anytime. 

Office 365 Online and Office 365ProPlus:  Office 365 combines the familiar Microsoft Office desktop suite with cloud-based versions of Microsoft's communications and collaboration services - including Office Web Apps, Office desktop applications, SharePoint, Teams, and Skype for Business to help individuals be productive from virtually anywhere through the Internet.

 

 

Communication Tools

Zoom is UA’s most robust video conferencing platform. Zoom is excellent for larger and smaller meetings, live streaming, annotation, and meetings that may need to be recorded. Up to 300 may attend a UA Zoom meeting, and up to 10,000 attendees can participate in a Live event/Webinar.

Google Meet is a convenient option, accessible through Google Apps @ UA Gmail and the Google Meet webpage. This is an excellent platform for smaller, informal meetings.

Multiple people can screen share at a time. Meetings can be scheduled through Google Calendar to include a Google Meet. During COVID-19 Google has provided UA with Enterprise Features that include extending participants from 100 to 250, adding live streaming up to 100,000 participants in the domain, and the ability to record meetings directly to Google Drive.

Google Hangout Chat is  messaging platform built for teams. Meet face-to-face with Students, Faculty and Staff.   Hangouts Chat makes it easy for virtual teams to get their work done in one place.

Blackboard Collaborate Ultra is a convenient conferencing solution accessible from within Blackboard that can be used to deliver one-time or ongoing video conferencing sessions and recordings to attendees, be they students, faculty or staff.

 

Microsoft Teams is a robust collaboration platform, accessible through Office 365 @ UA. It supports audio and video conferencing, text chatting, file storage, and more. Teams can be used for one-to-one, and group chats, large and small meetings, live streaming, annotation, and meetings that may need to be recorded. Meetings can be scheduled with calendar invitations sent out to participants. Up to 250 may attend a Team conference meeting, 10,000 attendees can participate in a Live event/Webinar; additionally, up to 10,000 people can be a member of a Team.

audioThe audio conferencing service is provided through Two Rivers Conferencing for the University of Alaska system.

Note: If, during this time of high volume, you are unable to connect using the regular (866) 832-7806 Two Rivers line, please try (330) 595-1371, as this is the backup number.

 

 

 

 


Additional Resources

 


IT Policies & Guidelines

 

 

 

Corona Virus

University of Alaska is closely monitoring the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak

Visit alaska.edu/coronavirus for more updates