Technology is an important enabler for us to continue to support the University whilst working remotely. With the majority of UQ staff now working from home, some IT services are seeing significantly more use than they do in a usual on-campus day. Zoom and the VPN are two such services.
To ensure that the services remain stable for all staff and students to use, please follow these useful tips.
Zoom
- Do not enable video unless it is necessary for the class or meeting being undertaken.
- Only start and keep meetings open when they are required.
- Close (leave) meetings when you have finished.
For current updates on the status of Zoom and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) please see the Virtual Classroom (Zoom) FAQ.
VPN
Some UQ resources can only be accessed by computers that are directly connected to the UQ network. If you're off campus, you can access these resources through a VPN (virtual private network). The VPN acts as a 'secure tunnel' from your computer to the UQ network. Once connected, your computer will behave as if it is on the UQ network.
When do you need to connect to the VPN?
It’s important that you only connect to the VPN when necessary to ensure that the service is available for those who need it. This means you should disconnect from the VPN when you have finished accessing the resources you need. You can re-connect to the VPN at any time should you need to access another resource.
Services which require VPN while off-campus:
- Network drives (also referred to as shared folders or file shares). Note: OneDrive does NOT need the VPN.
- UniFi
- Citrix applications including Aurion, SiPass and Raisers Edge
- Software centre
- Websites that are only accessible to computers on the UQ network
- Some library information and databases
Services which DO NOT require VPN while off-campus include:
- Zoom
- UQ email, Outlook and Office365
- OneDrive
- Confluence
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Microsoft Office Suite e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Excel
- Service CRM
Resources available from ITS Working remotely workshop
ITS recently held working remotely sessions for staff, covering accessing IT systems and software remotely. The session recording and corresponding resources from this workshop are located on the Current Staff website and include setting up network drives, installing VPN and Zoom, and accessing emails, Office 365 and UQ systems through my.UQ.
For more information contact IT Support.
