Prepare to work from home in the event of adverse weather, illness, or other situations by following the steps detailed in this post.

Please practice these steps before you need to work from home. And if you need any help while testing or following these steps, please let us know.

Before Leaving Campus

If you have a laptop, please turn it on and log in to the laptop before leaving campus. This step ensures that your Unity login credentials are synced on the laptop.
Neglecting to log in to a laptop before you leave campus may require that you come back to campus to log in.
Set up your campus phone number with Single Number Reach (SNR) or use the instructions for your specific Cisco phone to forward the campus phone number.
- SNR allows your phone to ring multiple phones or devices with the Cisco Jabber app installed and can be turned on/off remotely.
Where possible, move data to Google Drive via drive.google.com or the desktop app, Google Drive File Stream. These files will be available securely anywhere with an internet connection.

At Home with an NC State Laptop

Most services can be used remotely with no additional controls or setup needed. For example, you can utilize NC State websites, MyPack Portal and Moodle from off-campus without any needed setup. Some services, like application license servers (MATLAB for example) will require campus network connectivity. To connect to the campus network remotely, use the VPN:

Authenticate to the NC State VPN with Duo

In the AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, type vpn.ncsu.edu and select Connect.
From the group drop down menu, select the appropriate VPN group for your needs or affiliation at NC State.
Enter your UnityID and password.

Select your 2-factor method:

Using Duo Push

In the Second Password field, type ‘push’.
Select OK.
You will receive a notification from the Duo app asking if you are attempting to sign in.
Select Approve.

By Text Message

In the Second Password field type ‘sms’.
Select OK.
Your phone will be sent a passcode via text message. The initial login attempt will say that it failed.
Enter your Unity ID and password again.
In the Second Password field, type in the passcode you received in the text message.
Select OK.

Using a Passcode from the Duo Mobile App

Open the Duo Mobile app.
Select the section labelled Duo Protected – NC State University.
Enter the 6-digit code that appears on your phone into the Second Password field on your computer.
Select OK.

It is important to note that U2F tokens and security keys will NOT work to authenticate into the VPN. If you do not have one of the methods above set up, you will need to call the OIT Help Desk at 919-515-4357 to have a code generated for you.

Send Voicemail to Email

Are you interested in receiving your NC State voicemail messages in your Google @ NC State email account? If your answer is yes, then you can set up your voicemail messages to be sent as email attachments (.WAV files) directly to your campus email address.

To set up this service, visit the Unified Messaging webpage. The Self Service page will allow you to choose to:

Receive your voicemail messages in both your voice mailbox and your email inbox
Receive voicemail only in your email inbox
Retain your current voicemail settings

Please keep in mind that the email message (containing the voicemail) will not be associated with the Message Waiting Indicator (MWI) light on your desk telephone, if applicable; therefore, checking voicemail via email will not extinguish your MWI light.

All voicemail received via email will be retained in accordance with the NC Public Records Law. For additional information on retention, see Office of General Counsel Public Records and the University Record Retention and Disposition Regulation. For additional information about this new service, send an email to oit_ct_uc@help.ncsu.edu.

Single Number Reach

The Single Number Reach service allows you to set one or more alternate numbers (e.g., your cell phone, home phone or any other phone you choose) to ring simultaneously when a call comes into your campus desk phone. In addition, Single Number Reach allows you to schedule the times you wish to receive calls.

Handling Paperwork

No Scanner, No Problem

Don’t have a scanner at home? Today’s cell phone cameras generally take very good images. Talk with your business office to see if they will accept images instead of scanned documents.

Skip the PostIt Notes

Rather than using paper PostIt notes, consider using the electronic equivalent instead — Google Keep.

Google Keep is a part of our Google Suite of applications and can not only be used in your browser, but comes with apps you can download onto your mobile devices as well.

To open in its own window, select the dialpad menu in Gmail, then select Keep:

You can also add it (limited view) to the sidebar when looking at your Gmail:

Tutorials:

Mathematics IT

Working Remotely