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Cal Poly has several tech resources available to enable faculty and staff to seamlessly work from anywhere. Follow this step-by-step guide to ensure you have access to all the campus resources you need while working remotely:

1. Make sure you understand the requirements for using a personal computer or state computer (below), then decide which device you will use for remote work.
   - No matter which device you choose, it is recommended that any Wi-Fi network you connect to is password protected. Learn more about Securely Working from Home.
   
   

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   title State laptop
   Follow Steps 2, 3 & 4 in the

1. below list.

   
   

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   title State desktop
   Before you take your computer home, you must:  Read the Telecommuting Guidelines and sign the Telecommuter's Agreement. Manager approval is required.

1. Forms can be found at Forms

1. >

1. Telecommuting

1. .  Coordinate with your local tech support to ensure connection when off the campus network  Follow Steps 2, 3 & 4 and remember to re-boot your computer and log in.

   
   

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   title Personal laptop/desktop
   There are a few limitations when using a personal device for remote work.

1. Consider the following:  Read the Telecommuting Guidelines and sign the Telecommuter's Agreement. Manager approval is required.

1. Forms can be found at Forms

1. >

1. Telecommuting

1. .  Follow Steps 2, 3 & 4.  Level 1 and 2 data should NOT be accessed by personal devices.

1. Install current operating system updates for your computer from, Microsoft, Apple, etc.  Make sure you have Sophos Antivirus installed. If not, follow these instructions for redeeming your free Sophos Home license.  VPN should be turned off when other members of your household use the computer.

   
   

2. Make sure you have access to any files you may need.
- Use OneDrive & SharePoint. Sign in to OneDrive using your Cal Poly email and password at onedrive.live.com/about/en-us/signin/.
- If there are files you need to access that are only available via your department's shared drives (like the V: Drive), you will only be able to access them from a state computer. You will first need to enroll in Two-Step Verification (see Step 3), then get set up to connect to VPN (see Step 4). directly or via the My Cal Poly portal from the My Apps menu.

3. Enroll in Multi-Factor Authentication. If you're already enrolled, make sure your mobile device and/or home phone are set-up as factors of verification.
- If you haven't already, enroll in Multi-Factor Authentication (Duo), also known as Multi-Factor Authentication . MFA helps Cal Poly verify your identity and is required in order to connect to Cal Poly's VPN service.
- If you're already enrolled in Multi-Factor Authentication and are using your Cal Poly desk phone as a factor of authentication, make sure you add and authenticate your mobile device or home phone.

4. Set up VPN on your state or home computer and make sure you can successfully log-in.
- VPN is required in order to securely access certain resources, including the campus wiki and certain software titles including Autodesk, GIS Software (ESRI/ERDAS/Trimble), Maple, Mathematica, MATLAB/SIMULINK, and Solidworks. VPN will ensure your computer receives the latest security patches protecting you and Cal Poly resources and data.
- If you've never used GlobalProtect, Cal Poly's VPN provider, follow the step-by-step instructions to get set up.
- When state computers connect to the VPN, important security patches are automatically pushed to the computer, so it's important to use VPN when conducting Cal Poly business
- Ask yourself what tools and resources you will need access to while you're away from campus, then connect to VPN before you leave campus and test to make sure you are able to access them.

5. Make sure you have a plan for communicating with your department, colleagues and students.
- All Cal Poly faculty and staff have access to Office 365 email and calendar, and Web Conferencing (Zoom) which  which can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. Web conferences via Zoom can be recorded. To  To check voicemail off-campus, see the Voicemail Reference Guide.

6. If you need help, ask!
- If you need help with any of the services mentioned here, reach out to your local tech support or the ITS Service Desk.

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