Working Remotely

Overview

• Prerequisites for working remotely
• Systems and Services accessible outside  the District's production network
• Systems and services accessible only inside the District's production network
• Frequently Asked Questions

Prerequisites for working remotely

• Internet connectivity - Most people have an Internet Service Provider (ISP).  ISPs include Comcast and AT&T.  For some people this is part of their cable TV package.  In some cases, some of you may have hot spots in stand-alone devices or within their cell phone through their cell provider.  In either case the hot spot can provide Internet connectivity through their cell provider's data service.  If you are one who is expected to work remotely and you don't have Internet access at home, please contact your supervisor or your manager and let them know of your needs.  The IS Department can work with managers to help support their needs.
• Computing device - Those needing to work remotely can do so using a District provided laptop or, if they wish, their personal computer.  In some cases, if your work needs aren't tied to a service only accessible within the SUSD network, then it may be possible to use other than a Windows 10 computer, such as an iPad or a Mac.  The table below provides details on which platform is supported with the listed service.  An X in the cell of the table means that the combination service-operating system (OS).
  
  Table 1.  Supported Services/Operating System (OS)
  

  Services/OS	Windows 10	Mac	Android	iPad
  Email (Outlook program/web mail)	X	X	X	X
  Colaboration (Teams, SharePoint)	X	X	X	X
  OneDrive	X	X	X	X
  BiTech (BusinessPlus)*	X
  LaserFiche*	X
  Synergy	X	X	X	X
  N Drive*	X
  U Drive*	X
  Online HelpDesk (https://helpdesk.stocktonusd.net)	X	X	X	X

  * Requires VPN connectivity to SUSD's network.
• VPN - This stands for virtual private network.  Remote workers who need to access certain services will need this program installed on their computer.  This is needed to remotely establish a tunnel to SUSD's network from the worker's computer.

Systems and Services accessible outside  the District's network

• Email - You can access District email (as well as calendars, contacts, tasks, etc.) through your web browser via https://outlook.office.com.  Simply login with your email address and password.  If you have an Android or iPad, you can add the Outlook app and configure it using your SUSD email address.
• Cloud Storage 💾 - Since Office 365 is the District's primary office program, your online or cloud storage--called OneDrive--will be accessible.
• Synergy - For those who work with our student information system (Synergy), this system can be accessed remotely. 
• HelpDesk 💻- We highly recommend using our online helpdesk system (https://helpdesk.stocktonusd.net) to report technical issues you may be experiencing, and if you are unable to access that, you can always call (209) 933-7090 ext 4357.
• Collaboration Tools 🤝 - SharePoint (build a common web site with common storage, calendars, and other apps accessible only to invited members), Teams (collaboration platform with chat, video conferencing, sharing, and other apps)
• Office 365 Training - Many applications you use in the office can be accessed through Office 365.  Go to https://portal.office.com/ to see all apps available to you.  Online training is available.

Systems and services accessible only inside the District's network

• BusinessPlus - There are two ways to access BuinessPlus: via your District computer, or via your office computer through a remote desktop connection.
• Via District computer:  If you have a district laptop, make sure to have the BusinessPlus Citrix client installed.  Once the VPN connection is established, you can launch Citrix to connect. 
• Via your office computer:  This is a more involved approach and requires more time to setup, as such should be a rare scenario.  But if you wish to use your office computer to access it, you can use your home computer to remotely connect to your office computer's desktop through the use of RDP (remote desktop protocol). You would run RDP from your computer at home, then give it the office computer name.  You'll then login with your computer credentials and you will get access to your office computer's desktop, just like you see it in your office.  In order for this to work, you will need to have your office computer configured for you to access it remotely, and your computer at home need to have the RDP program.  Microsoft Windows 10 has it built in. 
• LaserFiche - This service is best accessed through our office computer for convenience and for security/confidentiality reasons.  Use the RDP method discussed in the BusinessPlus section above.  However, it does work through a web browser.  Just go to the web version of LaserFiche (accessible once you have established a VPN connection).
• U drive - It is highly recommended that you begin using OneDrive instead of the U drive especially due to OneDrive's ease and convenience of accessing files.  In addition, OneDrive has file versioning...meaning that if you determine you had to go back to an older version of the file, you can restore that older version.  Note that if you are using a District laptop, you may initially see the U drive with a disconnected icon indicator, but if you click the drive, it will reconnect.  If you don't see the U drive, contact helpdesk and we'll see about how we can help you.
• Departmental storage shares (N drive).  After establishing the VPN connection, you may see your departmental drive as being disconnected.  Just click it and it will reconnect.
• Outlook personal folder (typically only accessible from your office computer).  It is highly recommended that you create actual folders in your email box.  Your Office 365 email has a significanlty larger capacity now.  So space is not an issue.  This allows you to access your personal folder regardless of where you are.  However, if you decide to leave your personal folder as they are, you will need to remotely access your office computer through RDP in order to see the emails in your personal folder.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I forward my office phone calls? Forward calls by logging into the phone forwarder (works only within SUSD's network; so you need to connect the VPN) then specify the external number where the calls are to be forwarded.
• How do I get technical support? There are two ways:
  1. You can log a service request through the online helpdesk at https://helpdesk.stocktonusd.net/,
  2. you can call (209) 933-7090 and press 1.
• Why do I see red Xs on my U and N (departmental) drives? When you first turn on your District provided computer at home, it cannot see your U and N drives. But if you connect to the VPN and double click on either drive, you will get access to those drives. If you continue to experience issues, make sure to contact helpdesk.
• I need a way to meet with my team, what tools exists to do this? Yes...Microsoft Teams. Since the District standard communication and office tools are under Office 365, Microsoft Teams is available for everyone to use. It can be used for chatting, Internet voice calls, and Internet-based video conferencing. For more information on Teams, visit the end user training for Microsoft Teams. Here's a short introduction video on Teams.
• Is there a list of URLs (aka links) for key services I need to work remotely? There is a tile-based page containing useful links, you can find it here. Make sure to book mark it on your browser.


As always, if you have any technical needs, questions, or issues contact the IS Department's HelpDesk (https://helpdesk.stocktonusd.net/).