Returning to Campus: Technology Considerations for Employees 

Just as it took some time to get your computer set up at home last year, it may take some time to get set up back in your campus office. Please expect up to a day of lost productivity for you, your staff, and colleagues. 

  • Gather your equipment and office furniture: Gather any office equipment that you took home. Possible items may include your computer, monitor(s), docking station, cables, keyboard, mouse, printer, headset, webcam, mobile hot spot, office chair, lighting, other. Carefully package your equipment to avoid damage. 

  • Update your computer:  If you took your work computer home and have not been regularly connecting it to VPN, make sure and connect it to VPN for about 4 hours to install the numerous updates that have come out regularly. Similarly, if you have work computers in your university office that have not been connected to power (e.g., laptops in a closet or on a shelf, desktops plugged into power strips that have been turned off), you’ll want to plug them in and turn them on to get updates before you return to campus. They will go through several downloads, installations, and reboots. If you use have wireless equipment (e.g., keyboard, mouse, headset), make sure you have fresh batteries. 

  • Coordinate with IT in advance: To avoid unnecessary delays and overwhelming ATUS or your departmental IT staff, coordinate plans with IT in advance, particularly if you anticipate needing assistance setting up devices. It will be very helpful to stagger your team's return to campus rather than returning all at once. If you will require furniture moves (e.g., office desk), coordinate with Transport Services first because your desk will need to be set up before your computer. 

  • Put your data in SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams: If you have been using a personal computer at home, make sure all your work files are in the appropriate cloud storage location so you can easily access them from campus. 

  • Update your mobile device with your password: You will have changed your password within the last 6 months, so you’ll want to update your Wi-Fi password on your mobile device to match. Otherwise, your device may make repeated attempts at connecting to the wireless network potentially locking you out of your account. The best solution is to “forget” the WWUwireless-Secure network, re-add it, and enter your username and current password. 

  • Still need help? If you are running into issues getting your computer setup or connecting to resources, please submit a ticket via the Get Help button on the ATUS Help Desk website or contact your departmental IT staff.