Faculty and Staff Guide for Remote Work

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.
   
   

2. Make sure you have access to any files you may need.
- Use OneDrive. 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).

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 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 can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. Web conferences via Zoom can be recorded. 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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