Clarification on Remote Work Options for Staff

March 18, 2020
Information Technology Solutions
March 18, 2020

The COVID-19 situation has required continuous response and accommodation, resulting in rapid changes. As such, many campus administrators may not have had the opportunity to ensure staff were prepared to work remotely. ITS is working diligently to provide the technical support required to keep campus operating, however, there are business protocol and decisions that rest solely with individual unit leaders.

Please note that the following must be true in order for a staff member to use the “Remote Desktop Connection” application to remote into a device on campus:

1.       The campus device must currently be powered ON 

2.       The user must know the name OR IP address of the device

3.       The campus device must be configured to allow Remote Desktop Connection OR the device must operate on a managed desktop (managed by ITS)*

4.       The user must connect to a campus Virtual Private Network (VPN) on their home device

5.        The user must have the “Remote Desktop Connection” application installed on their home device

If the above criteria are not met, your staff will be unable to remote into their workstation computer and your unit will need to develop your remote work plan accordingly.

*ITS has updated its systems so that all managed desktops are currently configured for Remote Desktop Connection. 

Please also note that staff will not need the ability to remote into a workstation if they have taken their campus laptop or desktop home. In this event, they will need to connect to their home internet and a campus VPN (see instructions above) in order to access secured campus resources, such as files and applications that must be accessed via the UCR network.

Resources to help staff work remotely, including instructions on remote desktop connection and VPN connection, can be found at https://keepworking.ucr.edu/.  

As with all other campus organizations, most ITS employees are working remotely and only a small number of essential personnel remain on-site. As such, ITS does not have the capacity nor means to enter locked buildings and configure devices. We thank you for your understanding and look to unit leaders and administrators to develop a plan of action specific to the needs and circumstances of their staff.

If you require additional technical support for remote work outside of the resources provided on the Keep Working site, please submit a remote work support ticket. Instructions can be found here.

Thank you for your continued partnership.