OVERVIEW
Target audience: McGill faculty and staff.
If you need to conduct McGill-related work from home, this article provides a useful compilation of the many resources accessible to you.
- For most faculty and administrative staff, accessing McGill resources (including departmental drives) via their web-based interfaces should be sufficient.
- Virtually no additional configuration is necessary if a managed, McGill-issued laptop is used both at home & on campus.
For tips on optimal ergonomics and safety when working from home, visit the Telework page on the Environmental Health and Safety web site.
In this article:
IMPORTANT: McGill issued computers
Employees provided a McGill University laptop are expected to use this device while working from home.
If you require full access to McGill resources (including specialized software), establishing a Virtual Private Network connection McGill VPN may be necessary.
Unless otherwise specified, employees are responsible for providing computer equipment and accessories (such as headset, camera and microphone; office space; telephone; printing equipment; internet connection) at their Work From Home location, and will not be reimbursed by the employer for these expenses.
First steps
Take security precautions
When working from home, it is your responsibility to ensure that any confidential information or McGill resources you have access to are not accessible by anyone else.
- Do not save your McGill username / password on your personal computer.
- Instead of storing McGill files on your personal computer, save them on Microsoft 365 cloud-based services, such as OneDrive, SharePoint Online or in the Files tab of a Teams site; these files are easily accessible from any computer with an Internet connection.
You may also store files on a departmental network drive, which can be accessed from off campus with a VPN connection. - Securely delete any files you may have temporarily copied to a personal (non-McGill) computer. If you print out McGill documents at home, dispose of them securely by either using a shredder, or returning them to the office.
- If your home computing environment uses a wireless router, make sure that it is password-protected, uses encryption and that you change the default SSID. See Secure your connections from the Government of Canada's Get Cyber Safe site.
- Keep your operating system and software up-to-date. It is important that computers used to work from home are fully up-to-date. In particular, you should ensure that the Operating System (OS) and any other software has all available security updates installed.
- You must report any lost or stolen equipment, such as USB keys, that contain McGill data. Additionally, if you believe that your McGill accounts have been compromised through working at home.
- If sharing a computer with others, set up and use your own user account to avoid unauthorized access to McGill information.
No additional configuration required for these systems:
myMcGill |
The myMcGill web portal is a useful resource for working at home. Sign in and access the Faculty & Staff page for links to Minerva, myCourses and frequently used Staff forms and sites. |
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Minerva |
Minerva can be accessed from anywhere by clicking the Login button under Students, Alumni, Instructors, and Staff for those with a valid McGill username and password. Please note that if you have a valid McGill username, your McGill ID and PIN will eventually be phased out, so it is recommended to use your McGill username to login across all applications. For more information, see Minerva for Faculty and Staff. |
Email & Calendar using Outlook on the web |
Go to Outlook on the web and sign in with your McGill username and password. No setup required. |
Microsoft 365 portal |
Go to the Microsoft 365 portal and sign in with your McGill username and password. In addition to Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint, and all the Microsoft Office online apps. Click All Apps to access resources such as LinkedIn Learning and Gartner technology library. |
Additional configuration required for these systems:
Email / Calendar and Public Folders |
Set up the Outlook app on your home computer to access your McGill email You may also access Public Folders, shared mailboxes or view shared calendars, if needed. |
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Banner |
To access Banner from home, you must first set up a VPN connection. When using VPN, be mindful to disconnect when done, as available connections are limited. You will also require to use the remote desktop application installed on your McGill provided laptop. If you have a mac computer, you might need to install Windows App (Remote desktop application) from the Mac App Store. |
Departmental network drives |
You can access all the network drives that you currently access on your work computer by mapping a network drive on your personal computer. Requires a VPN connection. |
Microsoft 365 apps for enterprise |
McGill IT Services provides Microsoft 365 apps for enterprise at no charge to all students, faculty and staff members (except casual staff). Online training for the Microsoft Office Suite is also available. |
Remote access to onsite computers:
Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) |
If you are working from home without a McGill laptop, you may be able to connect to a work desktop computer through a Remote Desktop Connection (RDP). This type of connection is also required to access Banner INB. This allows you to have access to an onsite work environment, including email application, network drives, and software applications. Talk to your LAN Administrator to see if an RDP connection will work for you. |
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