Audience: Franklin University Faculty and Staff that have been granted IT permission to access work resources using their University laptop off-campus. 
Disclaimer: The results and functionality of the following article only apply to the audience listed above. 

Working from Home

As a Franklin University staff or faculty member, you may need to work from home. Informational guides and tutorials for frequently used tools are included in the links below.  For additional support information, you may contact us at helpdesk@franklin.edu.

1. Have you logged into the computer that the IT Department Setup for you?

This is an important step, especially for those who are using shared laptops or new laptops. Any University-issued laptop will first need to be logged in to successfully on campus. Otherwise you will not be able to log into the laptop remotely. Logging into the laptop on campus caches the user profile, allowing for access elsewhere. The Help Desk does not have any workaround for accessing laptops without cached user profiles. If you don't fully log into the laptop the first time with your credentials while plugged into the network on campus, you will not be able to use it at home at all. 

2. Do you have VPN access?  VPN is used to connect you to University resources by establishing a virtual private network (VPN) through a basic internet connection, like home WiFi. After establishing a VPN connection, you can use your University issued laptop to access secure applications like Colleague, OnBase, CRM, virtual phones, and more.  You also need to be connected to VPN to receive critical software updates and to prevent your machine from becoming disabled.

Please keep in mind that you will not need VPN to access services like SharePoint, OneDrive, email, BlueQuill, Canvas, and some other applications. If you have questions about whether VPN is needed to access an application from home, please contact the Help Desk.  If you find that are able to carry most or all of your work disconnected from the VPN, please remember that you still need to connect to VPN on a regular basis to receive any necessary software updates and to keep your computer active on the network. 

For these reasons, we recommend connecting to VPN at least once or twice a week for several hours so that your machine is kept up-to-date and is not disabled. 

Instructions for using VPN on your laptop: CLICK HERE

To request VPN access, please have your supervisor contact the Help Desk with:

• A request for your VPN access (sent in by your supervisor)
• The business justification to access University resources from home.

3. Do you have your laptop charger? Seems like a simple one, but it can be pretty frustrating to lose power for your laptop when at home.

4. Phone configuration. 

The University supports two primary "phone" options for the personnel.  If you are not in a phone dependent role (direct student contact for some student facing-departments - not all), the Help Desk suggests forwarding your desk phone to your cell phone prior to working off campus. Click here for training. 

Certain roles necessitate a virtual phone? Virtual phones are a piece of software configured with the same phone line as your desk phone in your office (picture shown below). Virtual phones require VPN access to operate correctly. The interface allows you to place and receive calls using the audio devices on your laptop. It is best to use a USB (or other) headset for placing and receiving calls through your laptop when using a virtual phone. For training on using a virtual phone, click here. 

To request a virtual phone setup, please contact the Help Desk. It is best to request a virtual phone at least a week before it is first needed to allow time for the correct configurations. 

5.  Printing. You should avoid printing whenever possible while you are working from home. While connected to VPN, your office printers will be available. However, printing documents at home may inadvertently expose sensitive University data. 

Additional Links

For more information about VPN - Click Here

For more information about Using a Virtual Phone

Wish to log a request with the Help Desk? Use your Franklin University username and password to login: Log A Request