Remember the Beast from the East? Hopefully, we won’t have as much snow as we had last winter, but this may be the time to think ahead and get prepared.
Staff who are able and have agreement from their department to work remotely, can find advice below on how to make sure you are ready to go, if/when the bad weather arrives.
Email access
Did you know that you can access your own mailbox and any shared mailbox(s) you may have access to from home without using remote desktop or VPN.
This can be really useful, as you may need to answer emails or even change the out of office message.
To open another mailbox to which you have access:
Login to Outlook Web App at https://mail.stir.ac.uk
> Click your name in the upper right corner of the window and select Open Other Mailbox dialog box.
> In the Open Other Mailbox window enter the name or alias of the mailbox that you want to open.
> If more than one match is found, OWA displays a list of possible matches.
> Click the name of the mailbox that you want to open.
> The mailbox opens in a new browser tab.
If you do not have permission to open the mailbox, the new tabbed window displays the following message, “Oops something went wrong, you don’t have permissions to open this mailbox.” This may be something to sort out now before you are caught out.
Connecting to Stirling VPN
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection is a secure connection between your home PC to the university network.
You will only need to use a VPN connection from off campus if you want to access your university filestore (home folder) or any other network folders.
For more information about setting up and using the Stirling VPN have a look at this Knowledge item http://stir.ac.uk/1ql
Remote desktop
A remote desktop connection allows you to take remote control of your office PC from your home PC. Using Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) you are able to operate your office PC via a window on your home PC. You will have access to all the applications, drive mappings and printers as if you were in front of your PC in the office.
To find out more about remote desktop have a look at this knowledge item http://stir.ac.uk/1s2
Box
If you only need to have access to documents and web resources to be able to work from home then you may consider saving your work to box.
Box is the University of Stirling’s cloud-based storage facility. It brings many benefits: easier collaboration, anytime, anywhere, any-device access to documents and unlimited storage space. You can download apps for Box on the various device stores.
To find out more about Box have a look at this knowledge item http://stir.ac.uk/1qq
Working from home essentials
Despite the surface toastiness of your house, sitting at a computer for any length of time will likely lead to one or more of the following:
- an overwhelming urge to drink hot cups of tea – make sure you stock up!
- cold toes – make sure you have an appropriate level of toasty house socks or slippers ready for the off
- overall feeling cold – we recommend the slankit, the hybrid of the blanket world. Combining efficient ergonomic thermal capabilities of fleece with sleek design, the slankit is not to be overlooked as a winter essential.
Note – this working position is not ergonomic. Try to find a table and chair.
Hopefully by following these tips, working from home will be a fulfilling and cozy experience. Please contact the Information Centre if you require any assistance.