Working Remotely

IT Services provides a number of tools that enable SU students, faculty, and staff to continue to be productive while working remotely.

Get started by reviewing the resources outlined below. There are many tools and methods to connect with colleagues and students remotely, but we encourage you to use the tools you know and need to keep your work going. 

• Preparing to Work Remotely
• Connect to Seattle U
• Use Tools to Collaborate
• Remote Work FAQ's

Preparing to Work Remotely

Students, faculty, and staff with laptops or personal home computers should verify that they are setup to work remotely by testing their ability to access Seattle University resources. Be prepared by doing the following:

Check Your Equipment - ensure you have the proper equipment to support working remotely (see examples below).

• Computer: If you are a student who needs to borrow a computer for spring quarter, contact the Lemieux Library.
  Faculty and staff should contact IT Services for all equipment needs. Faculty and staff with a university-owned laptop may choose to take their device home to work. Departments may choose to permit faculty and staff to take home their desktop computers as circumstances demand. Each department must maintain an inventory of computers sent home and note when they are returned.
  New computers and related equipment can be purchased through ProcureSU in the Dell (for PCs) or CDW (for Macs) catalogs. Please note that delivery times are typically several weeks for PCs; Apple has already announced supply disruptions and we expect further delays if the coronavirus continues to spread.
• Webcam: Recent laptops come with webcams, but older models and many desktops do not. A webcam will allow you to join videoconferences. Look for one with a microphone unless you already have a headset with a microphone. You can order webcams through ProcureSU (using the CDW and Amazon catalogs). IT Services has webcams available for campus to utilize, with faculty receiving priority for teaching. Contact Technical Purchasing for assistance. Faculty will receive priority for teaching online classes. Alternately, you may join a Zoom meeting using your cell phone or tablet.
  • Need help with installing your webcam? USB webcam installation for Windows 10 
• Peripherals: IT Services does not have any restrictions on peripherals the way we do for computers, although we do offer recommendations. You are free to purchase these items from Amazon and other retailers; please be conscious of return policies and counterfeit items. For delivery to your home, please obtain the proper financial authorization from your department, purchase outside of ProcureSU, and submit a reimbursement. For more information, please contact the IT Service Deskor Technical Purchasing.

Test Your Internet – ensure you have broadband access to connect to the Internet. 

• Low cost internet options are available for Seattle residents, so you can stay connected and complete work at home.
• FCC agreement stating that providers will waive late fees, not cutoff service for lack of payment, and open hot-spots.
• Internet Essentials program: 60 day free for qualifying families (then $10/month). Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, Internet Essentials will increase speeds from 15/2 Mbps to 25/3 for all customers in response to emergency measures associated with Coronavirus (COVID-19). This speed increase will happen automatically - no action is required by customers.
• Wifi Hotspot: You can use your mobile phone to create a wifi hotspot.

Test Your Access - verify and test that you can access your email and documents online; communicate with colleagues; and host or participate in online meetings.

Update and Share Contact Information - Use the Directory Update Form to update your on-campus phone number. This will be necessary to set up call-forwarding and Jabber, our softphone solution.

Review Online Security at Home – ensure your home network and any personal computers are set to protect you and SeattleU.

• Please take the lock that was issued with your laptop so you can secure your computer when working remotely. If you do not know the code for the lock, please contact the Service Desk.
• Review the Information Security website.
• COVID-19 Security Resources Library

If you are a faculty or staff member with specialized roles and responsibilities and think you have different needs, please consult with your department to determine their expectations for working remotely. If you feel you do not have the proper equipment to support working remotely, please discuss with your supervisor.

Prepare Your Computer and Software

Connect to SeattleU

Use Multi Factor Authentication (MFA)

Faculty and staff who want to use the new GlobalProtect VPN need to set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for their mobile phone to access the network and access administrative applications or data.

Follow the steps outlined on our Multi-Factor Authentication website to enroll in MFA. 

Access the Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a service available to faculty and staff that allows you to make a secure remote access connection to an organization’s network. SeattleU currently has two VPN options: Cisco’s AnyConnect application or the new GlobalProtect application.

Use the VPN: If you use shared drives (i.e. T Drive), Colleague, RDP to your desktop computer on campus, access servers on campus, access InformSU SSRS reports, or use the EMS desktop application, you will need to download and use the VPN.

VPN not needed: If you generally only use SeattleU online services i.e. Canvas, EngageSU, ProcureSU, Office 365 (including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, & OneDrive), Zoom, EMS web application, and SUOnline, you do not need the VPN to access remotely.

Access Redhawk Labs

Students, faculty, and staff can use a web browser to access a standard SU desktop, including applications for classwork and productivity as well as the T drive, and Colleague. Redhawk Labs can be accessed at desktop.seattleu.edu.

Current limitation: 500 concurrent licenses distributed across different use cases.  

Use Tools to Collaborate

There is a suite of tools to enable increased productivity and collaboration when working remotely.

Conduct/Attend Meetings Online

Zoom for Video Conferencing/Teaching Online

Zoom is a virtual meeting application that includes videoconferencing, screen sharing, and recording. It can also be used for conference calls. All faculty and staff are entitled to Zoom Pro licenses. Log into the SU Zoom portal with your SU credentials. There are instructions on the Zoom website as well as a LinkedIn Learning course called “Learning Zoom.” Zoom is now integrated with Canvas and available via the Course Menu. For information regarding Zoombombing and how you can protect your meetings, please click here.

NOTE: You need to login using single sign-on with your SeattleU credentials to access Zoom through the SeattleU instance.

Microsoft Teams

Teams is a communication and collaboration platform that includes chat, video meetings, and file storage. There is a Team associated with any Microsoft Group that you belong to (this may include departments, teams, classes, and cross-campus working groups). View training guides and videos to learn more about using Teams.

Access My Email and Calendar

SeattleU provides Microsoft Office 365 as a tool for accessing your email and calendar online.

More details are available on our Email & Calendar website.

Access My Phone and Voicemail

When you are away from the office, there are several options for accessing your calls and voicemail.

NOTE: Please use the Directory Update Form to keep your campus phone number up to date.

Store, Access, and Share Files

SeattleU provides Microsoft OneDrive for faculty, staff, and students as the recommended tool for secure storage and sharing of SeattleU data and documents. You need to login using your SeattleU credentials to access this tool.

When you save your files in the cloud using OneDrive, you can always access the latest version of your files no matter where you’re located as long as you’re connected to the internet.

In addition to OneDrive, each university department and office is provided with a unique, secure T (“Team”) Drive.  Access permissions to a department's team folders are managed by a T: Drive folder manager, usually a person within that department.  Any SU faculty, staff, or student can be granted access to a department's team folders by that folder’s T: Drive manager. 

NOTE: A Redhawk Labs session or VPN connection is necessary to access the T drive. For personal computers, you will need to map the network drives.

Gadget Finder

The CDLI Gadget Finder is a list of apps that have been recommended by SU faculty and reviewed by CDLI staff.  Many of these gadgets can also be valuable for staff. See the CDLI Gadget Finder page to browse the list.