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Background

On May 28, 2020 President S. David Wu charged the The Task Force for the Future with re-imagining how the College will deliver education and provide student services in the post-Covid environment.  On June 30, the Task Force issued its preliminary report with recommendations that apply to fall 2020 and build a foundation for the long term.  President Wu has assigned responsibility for championing the implementation of the recommendations regarding technology to Vice President for Information Services and Dean of the Library, Arthur Downing with the support of the Baruch Computing and Technology Center (BCTC).  Mike Richichi, the AVP for Information Technology who leads BCTC, is serving as a member of the Task Force.  This page will be one of the methods of informing the Baruch community about the progress of the implementation efforts.  Information here will be updated frequently. Questions and comments may be submitted to  [email protected].

Recommendations with Current Status of Implementation

Subcommittee 2 – Faculty Support

• “Students should be hired to provide remedial technical assistance to the instructor for each class and departments can designate a teaching mentor to work with faculty members who need less assistance: One suggestion is that a student be hired to assist the instructor (e.g., to be the Zoom host and operator) for each class, drawing on work-study or other funding. A way to help instructors less in need of intense remedial support would be for each department to designate a department “teaching mentor” or “master teacher” who would work with department colleagues individually or in small groups to address issues specific to disciplinary issues or pedagogies.”

Status: BCTC has posted a position for part-time student Zoom assistants on the Starr Career Development Star Search site.  BCTC is reallocating the portion of its student staffing budget that would have supported on-site lab assistants for this purpose.  The position description may be used by departments for hiring student assistants to support the use of Zoom and other instructional software.  BCTC has appointed a coordinator for this initiative and virtual training sessions for the student assistants will be provided.  Given that there will not be a sufficient number of student assistants to cover every course that needs one, BCTC is consulting with the deans of the 3 schools to identify the high priority courses.

Update (9/10): BCTC has hired and trained a team of student Zoom assistants.  Recruitment continues. The student assistants have been assigned to faculty based on matching the students’ schedules with the meeting times of the classes they will support. Student assistants are not  assigned to support courses they are enrolled in.  Instructors receive an email message introducing them to the student assistant.

Subcommittee 3 – Technical Support

• “Faculty without the minimum necessary hardware should be given Baruch-issued laptops as soon as possible.”

Status: The College’s equipment loan program will be expanded.  On July 16, we received another large shipment of iPads and Chromebooks courtesy of  CUNY Central. Although these items are intended primarily for students, they may be loaned to faculty to support online instruction as well.  We are also ordering laptops based on specifications that will meet faculty requirements. CUNY Central is working with vendors to obtain a quantity discount that will be 40% in the case of the model that we have chosen.   Although this has delayed the purchase slightly, it will yield more units for faculty use.  BCTC is working with the deans of the 3 schools to identify the full range of equipment needs and set priorities for the fall.  We expect to have the lists from the deans during the week of July 27.  Almost all of the new faculty who will begin in the fall have opted to receive a laptop as their primary device in lieu of a desktop computer.

Update 9/10: The College began shipping Chromebooks and iPads to the faculty who requested them on July 29.  The laptops and MacBook just arrived and are being shipped to requesters.

• “Peripheral devices should also be provided (e.g., inexpensive tablet/pen solution (e.g., Wacom) that can replicate whiteboard classroom experience.”

Status: Purchase requisitions have been submitted for 100 Wacom Intuos tablets  and 50 Apple pencils that may be used with the iPads supplied by CUNY.   BCTC is working with the deans of the 3 schools to identify additional needs.  The information received to date indicates that the following items are needed immediately (list is growing and will be updated):

Update 9/10:

• • • Headsets (50) – The school technology staff selected the Logitech H650e. Distributed to faculty who requested them.
    • Wacom Tablets (100) – Delivered to faculty who requested them.
    • Apple Pencils (50) – Delivered to faculty who requested them.
    • Webcams – Delivered to faculty who requested them.

• “We also need to develop a policy of what we expect faculty to have vs. what support the college is willing to offer.”

Status: This is under discussion.

• “Cloud-based and/or remotely accessed software must be a priority, so that students and faculty can use it remotely: Funds are needed for licensing and maintaining cloud-based and/or remotely accessed software.”

Status:  Both the College and the University have preferred to license software as cloud-based (SaaS) rather than on-premises since the adoption of the CUNY Cloud Policy in August 2019.  The only exceptions have occurred when the vendor’s price for remote access  has been prohibitively high.  Student remote access to Adobe Creative Cloud is the recent high-profile example.  BCTC is implementing a method for students to have remote access to the software on 250 of the computers in the Kaplan Computing Center in time for fall 2020 classes.  CUNY continues to pursue enterprise agreements for software that the campuses  report as necessary for online instruction.  BCTC is working with the deans of the 3 schools to identify software needs.  The following new licenses are in progress (Updated 9/10):

• • VoiceThread – Requisition for 450 users has been submitted and integration with Blackboard  has been arranged.  The license agreement is under review by CUNY Legal.
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) – CUNY is in discusison with Amazon.
  • Zoom – A CUNY-wide license will eliminate the need for Baruch to continue to purchase on our own. The Baruch licenses will remain active until the CUNY license is in effect.
  • Online Proctoring – CUNY is working to license at least one product in time for use by final examinations, if not midterms.
  • Adobe Creative Cloud – CUNY continues to negotiate with Adobe to expand remote access for students.
  • Labster – Natural Sciences Department is now using Labster via the  agreement that CUNY negotiated.
  • JoVE – The College purchased the Biological Sciences package of JoVE to enable remote labs in Biology and Genetics courses.  It is no win use.
  • Minitab – The College is purchasing an unlimited license that will allow students, faculty and staff to install a copy on their personal devices,

• “Faculty must be provided with instructional design and technology help before and during the semester:
  • “Full-time staff must be available to provide synchronous and asynchronous teaching support to faculty members.”

Status: The availability of full-time staff for this work is a serious challenge at this time.  There are only 3 full-time positions in the BCTC help desk and 1 full-time instructional designer.  The Center for Teaching and Learning has only 2 full-time staff for its entire program of services and relies heavily on its part-time, primarily grant-funded, staff.  During the PAUSE BCTC has reassigned several full-time staff from other areas of its operation to the help desk.  BCTC is also strengthening its collaboration with the full-time technology staff in the 3 schools.

• • “Staff must be available not only during the day, but after-hours and during the evening to support faculty who are teaching interactively during those times.”

Status: The BCTC help desk was staffed until 8:00 p.m. during the spring and will resume its regular hours (8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.) in the fall.  We will explore a staffing plan for the fall that enables an “emergency” response to faculty who need assistance while teaching in a virtual classroom.

• • “Additionally, faculty members should be given access to a sandbox environment where they can test-drive their online courses.”

Status: This is being explored.

• • “Course templates on Blackboard would also be helpful for faculty members so that they have a baseline environment that they can fill in or further expand.”

Status: We are investigating what is already available to accomplish this.

• “New faculty (both full-time and adjunct) need to be given access to Baruch resources as soon as possible (even if HR onboarding isn’t entirely complete): There needs to be a minimum amount of information available to ensure both employment eligibility and the ability to manage accounts automatically.”

Status:  BCTC has just introduced an Account Management System (AMS) that has automated the creation of new faculty and staff accounts.  Users are now able to claim their Baruch system accounts the day after their record becomes active in CUNYfirst.  There is no longer any need to request access to systems or wait for approvals.

• “Classrooms need to be equipped so that classes can take place in-person with some students attending remotely:”

Status (9/10): BCTC met with the Deans’ offices and the instructors to identify exactly what they need in the classrooms.  The College set up the classrooms in the main gym and the auxiliary gym, where BCTC installed the necessary equipment.  Media support staff are attending the classes remotely to assist with the use of the equipment.

• • “To do this, the college would need cameras/mics in the classroom to capture the class appropriately.”

Status: Completed.

• • “They would also need overhead video of any writing or handheld materials and a potential video of the class to match the online students’ usual learning experience.”

Status: Completed.

• • “Reliable wi-fi connections are also necessary to allow for dual teaching in real time.”

Status: This will not be an issue, because the classrooms are only in the Newman Vertical Campus.  BCTC tested the performance of wifi in the classrooms.

• “The college must develop a clear communication plan on all relevant procedures:
  • The relevant procedures include how to borrow equipment if needed,
  • what software/equipment are available and how they can be accessed,
  • what are the class-related student privacy policies,
  • and what are the expectations around accessibility.
  • We recommend creating a list of resources available and of potential need, then surveying faculty to match their needs.”

Status: BCTC will work with the Provost’s Office and OCMPA on a communication plan.

• “Students and faculty must be informed ahead of time of the technology requirements for their classes:
  • Students and faculty must be aware of the recommended minimum computing hardware,”

Status: BCTC has adopted the minimum requirements for a student laptop that were provided by faculty in the Zicklin School of Business as the basis for purchasing loaner laptops.  Those specifications will be shared and equivalent ones developed for other devices.

• • “suggestions for minimum network bandwidth for connectivity,
  • the use of existing CUNY and Baruch-based services,
  • and understanding of the most effective ways to access and use services.”

Status: These are being developed.

• “Faculty must adjust their expectations and workflow to the needs of online teaching: Faculty need to plan ahead and start preparing their online courses well in advance. They must also be prepared and willing to make changes to their course material and exams/assessments as needed for them to be successful in an online environment. Faculty should also be aware that they may not be able to receive support from the CTL and BCTC at a moment’s notice or right before their classes start. Therefore, early planning on their part will help provide them with timely support for their courses. Faculty also need to take advantage of all existing resources, such as the extensive library of content from the CTL, in preparing their courses and exams/assessments.”

Status: How to assist faculty toward these goals is under discussion.

• “Students must be provided with technological support as well:
  • Technological support includes dedicated Blackboard help desk support 24/7,”

Status (9/10): CUNY had licensed 24/7 Blackboard support through a third-party vendor in Spring 2020 and is continuing the service in the fall.  BCTC will raise awareness of the service among the faculty.

• • “training on Blackboard and other course platforms, and best practices support and training as well as basic skills training.”

Status (9/10): BCTC has begun to offer its fall training schedule.  This included 3 days of drop-in session on the use Zoom.

• “Accessibility is a policy concern that must be addressed by the college. The issue of lack of accessibility has become much more severe since courses have moved online:
  • It’s important for the college to ensure that all content created for classes be accessible for students with disabilities.
  • Additionally, staff support should be provided to faculty to help them make their course material accessible.
  • Lastly, the college should make faculty aware that accessibility is a priority and course content must be made accessible prior to the start of the semester.”

Status: BCTC will discuss with Student Disability Services and incorporate accessibility in the faculty support plans and communication plan.

One of the challenges we face in BCTC is configuring and enabling access to network resources for faculty and staff.  This requires creating an account for login to Baruch resources, which involves getting users their initial passwords; configuring the account with the correct access to the systems they need; enabling access to email, the wireless network, etc., and disabling access when the person leaves the College–but not so soon that they can’t complete their work for the College and University.

Until this month we were relying on manual processes for much of this work, and multiple account creators in multiple locations to do this work.  This meant rules were being applied inconsistently and accounts might not be created the same way every time.  It also meant that if off-boarding procedures weren’t followed properly that accounts might not be disabled in a timely fashion.  This causes numerous potential security and liability issues for the College and is unacceptable.

So our first goal was to automate account creation and centralize it so that it happens in a consistent and traceable fashion.  This requires an automated feed of new people to campus that can be parsed and used to stage new accounts.  It then requires a consistent, secure methodology for users to claim those accounts that does not rely on shared credentials.  It also requires that all people who need a Baruch account are in the feed, since dealing with exceptions would create the problems we’re trying to solve all over again.

To that end and in the culmination of over a year of work not just in BCTC but in coordination with Budget and Finance, Human Resources, and support from all administrative offices who hire new employees, we have implemented the first phase of the Baruch College Account Management System (AMS).  AMS tracks Baruch Active Directory (AD) accounts, and parses daily feeds from CUNYfirst (known as the 856 file) to automatically create new accounts for any new entities at Baruch.

New people are either full-time tax levy employees entered by HR, part-time employees for whom an ePAF is submitted to Human Resources and approved, or Persons of Interest (usually volunteer or privately funded employees like employees paid by the Baruch College Fund or CUNY Research Foundation.)  We have formalized the process for POIs so that all are entered into the ePAF system and are renewed manually every year.  Likewise ePAFs for part-timers are managed and entered into CUNYfirst every year based on their employment terms.  Full time employees are also entered by HR, who process both their start and end dates when appropriate.  By requiring all entities that need a Baruch account be entered into CUNYfirst by one of these methods we are assuring that we have a comprehensive feed of everyone “working” at Baruch.  This is critical for ensuring that everyone who needs an account gets one, and that only people who are authorized for an account gets one.

The 856 is then parsed nightly by a series of programs that put the important data into an administrative database, that AMS uses to do its work.  Every day it determines the new accounts that need to be created, and stages those accounts.  A notification is then sent to the user’s personal email address (collected as part of the application process or POI registration) telling them to create their account.  The link in the message expires after a day (after which a new message is sent) and the user must use that link to enter selected personal information to verify their identity.  This process can also be triggered manually if a person is visiting the Help Desk in person.

Once the person verifies their identity at the secure link, their account is created in AD, with the password they have specified.  They will then get a message to their personal email with account information, as well as to their (new) Baruch email address with additional resources and links.

Having a fully automated feed of employee data also allowed us to revamp the employee directory, which now has people automatically added to the directory when their account is claimed, and allows users to edit their phone number, office room number, and other information not stored in CUNYfirst:

AMS not only makes our account creation and claiming process much more secure, it reduces time spent manually creating accounts and distributing default credentials.

Now that Phase 1 of AMS is implemented, we are focusing on future projects which include:

1) Developing the mechanism for automatically disabling accounts based on 856 data.  To do this correctly we need to both receive account status information from CUNYfirst with effective dates; and understand overall account management policies that CUNY enacts for CUNYfirst access, since access to Baruch resources must be congruent with that.We also must incorporate all contractual obligations like multi-year adjuncts and other employment arrangements.

2)  Expansion of the Campus Directory functionality to allow groupings under official CUNYfirst departments (for instance, BCTC could have areas under it like “Infrastructure Services”), allowing for display of official and “business card” titles,  identification of employee managers (both for approval of changes and to allow for organizational chart functionality in the app) and additional personal information (cell phone number, social media accounts, etc.)

3) While our student account creation process is automated, most of the work was done a while ago and is in need of updating, and to make the account claiming process more secure.  AMS will be extended to creation of new student accounts so we benefit from the enhancements there as well.

In the longer term, CUNY is working on initiatives to streamline identity management overall, which will hopefully allow for automatic provisioning of Baruch accounts directly from CUNYfirst information, and perhaps even a single unified account that provides access both to CUNY and local Baruch resources.  We are in fact working with CUNY on the process to identify the needs and move to implementation now.  But until then AMS will do the job admirably.

Technology has been a critical part of Baruch College’s strategy to continue its educational mission despite the challenges posed by COVID-19. When instruction became fully online with short notice we used resources already in place and acquired new resources to support the faculty.  When staff were required to work from home we provided them with equipment, remote access to their desktop computers, and additional communication tools to enable them to keep the College’s operations running.  When students were faced with taking all their courses online we supplied them with the equipment they needed and remote access to support services.

Fortunately, we have have received tremendous support from the University, which has supplied hundreds of devices, shipped devices to students at home, negotiated free access to a wide range of IT services from vendors, negotiated deals on new licenses, and kept the network running smoothly during a period of escalating demand for access.

Here are some of the numbers associated with our tech deployment:

• Zoom meetings held: 35,991
• Actively Used Zoom Accounts: 11,081
• COVID-19 Related Help Desk Requests: 1,411
• Active VPN Users: 889
• Active Blackboard Users: 6,818
• Laptops Loaned to Staff and Faculty: 133
• Equipment Loaned to Students (As of June 5, 2020)
  • • Chromebooks (provided by CUNY): 328
    • iPads (provided by CUNY): 553
    • Laptops, tablets, and MacBooks (provided by Newman Library, private donors, Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Assembly): 306
    • Peripherals (Keyboards, styluses, graphing calculators, etc. provided by private donors): 410

Faculty and Staff,

If you’re accessing your office computer with Remote Desktop via the VPN, you’re relying on the actual computer in your office being on and reachable over the network.  When you disconnect from the computer, it’s important you do not click the “Shut Down” option in the Start menu:

Don’t click on “Shut Down”!

This will actually power off your machine and make it unavailable until it can be turned on again.  You can call the Helpdesk–often we can turn it back on over the network, but in some cases we cannot and we need to ask Public Safety to restart the machine, which takes them away from other important work.

Click the “X” to disconnect without logging out or shutting down your office computer.

The best way to disconnect from a Remote Desktop session is just to hit the “X” in either the upper-right corner of the window, or in the drop down toolbar if you’re full-screen with the remote computer (to get this toolbar to pop up you just need to move the mouse to the top center of the screen and it will pop down.)

This will appear when you place your mouse at the center top of the screen when in full screen Remote Desktop.

When you click either of these “X”s you will get the following message:

If you click “OK” your computer will stay running and you can reattach to it later.

This is the safest way to end your Remote Desktop session.  (You can also select “Disconnect” in the “Start/Power” menu above, but there’s a chance you might click the wrong thing.)  When you reconnect to your Remote Desktop you will be able to restart your programs and apps where you left off as well. This is the equivalent of locking your PC when yo u go home, as opposed to logging off or powering it down.

If you do shut down your computer accidentally, or if it crashes or otherwise becomes unreachable, email the Helpdesk to troubleshoot.  If you have or know your computer name it will expedite the troubleshooting.

We’ve started to receive reports of something called “zoombombing”, which is the practice of people accessing Zoom meetings that may be publicly posted or otherwise made available, and posting obscene or disruptive content.  While Zoom makes it easy to access conferences and can be configured not to require authentication, this unfortunately also makes it easy for malefactors to access meetings as well.  The New York Times has reported on this phenomenon.

Zoom has some techniques that can be used to help minimize this from happening.  I’ll outline them below.

1.  Do not use your Personal Meeting Room for class sessions.  To schedule a meeting, use the “Schedule a Meeting” link on the top of the Zoom page when you log in.  Check the “Generate Automatically” button when creating the meeting.  This will create a unique number for that session and make it harder for people who are not authorized to attend the meeting to find it.
   

   A new meeting ID for each course or session will make it harder for people to access the meeting unauthorized.

2.  You can also use a meeting password  as seen above.
3. Don’t put links for class sessions up on public websites. Links in Blackboard are only accessible to students in your class so that is safer.  Links in email are safer as well.  Links could be copied or forwarded but it would have to be from an authorized user.
4. Restrict or limit screen sharing to only the host, or enable it only for specific attendees at specific times.  People are using screen sharing to post objectionable content.
5. Using the Zoom “Waiting Room” may help you screen participants and not let in people who you don’t recognize.  Limiting to authenticted users may also help:
   
6. If someone does come into your Zoom session in an attempt to disrupt, they can be ejected from the meeting.  See the Zoom help article “Managing Participants in a Meeting” to see some tips and techniques to remove people from meetings if they’re disruptive.
7. If you experience “Zoombombing” in a meeting, you can report the meeting to the BCTC Helpdesk and we can investigate.  In some cases we may be able to identify offenders and if they are Baruch students refer them to Student Affairs for followup.

Zoom is a powerful tool, and has been used with great success by many Baruch faculty.  With some precautions we should be able to continue to use it without disruption.

The Kaplan Lab will be closed March 18th.  It will reopen on March 19th from 8am-8pm, and then be open according to building hours of 8:00am-8:00pm Monday-Thursday for Baruch use.  Please note that the building will be monitored by Public Safety but there will be no BCTC lab assistants in the space.  The Newman Library will also be open for access to lab computers.

All Helpdesk support is moved to online only–there is no walk-up or phone support.  Customers can email [email protected], which will be monitored by additional staff.  We are using our available technologies to support off-campus learning as much as possible, and are exploring additional ways to do so.

As we prepare for more faculty and staff having to work from home, we are getting a lot of questions and confusion about how to use VPN access to do your jobs remotely.  This post will attempt to sort all that out.

• What is VPN, anyway?  It stands for Virtual Private Network.  In our case it’s a piece of software (GlobalProtect) that runs on your computer and connects to the campus firewall, and creates an encrypted connection between your computer and the Baruch network.  This connection means that your computer can access resources that are normally only available if you’re actually on campus. For us this is primarily campus desktops (from which you can access share drives) and Baruch and CUNY-specific servers.
• You do NOT need a VPN to access any of the following:
  • Baruch email (either through Outlook Web Access or by installing the Outlook client on your home computer)
  • The Baruch website
  • Any Baruch or CUNY resources available from the “Quick Links” menu on the Baruch homepage, including Blackboard
  • Any files stored in Office 365 or Dropbox
  • CUNYfirst, except for the reporting instances.
  • Access to library databases (this is provided automatically through the links from the Library homepage which are configured to require a Baruch username and password.)
  • Videoconferencing solutions available to the campus, including Microsoft Teams (https://teams.microsoft.com/ through Office365), Zoom (https://baruch.zoom.us, use Baruch username and password), or WebEx (https://connectcuny.webex.com, use your CUNY Logon credentials)
• You need the VPN to access:
  • Data on your office computer’s hard drive (in the My Documents folder)
  • Data on network share drives (usually off the S: drive)
  • CUNYfirst reporting instances
  • Specific servers that for security reasons are only available from on-campus.  This used to apply primarily to technical staff, but there are some  academic systems that are not available from off-campus, and in June 2021 we configured HRAssist to only be available from on-campus or the VPN to enhance security.

The VPN is used to connect to your office computer via Remote Desktop Connection.  This software comes with most versions of Microsoft Windows, and is available in the Mac App Store, as well as for iOS and Android phones and tablets.  (The GlobalProtect VPN software is available for all those devices as well).  The instructions for VPN access are available at https://baruch.cuny.edu/vpn.   These instructions will work for Macs and PCs, and you will basically be connecting to the VPN portal and downloading the VPN client software and installing it.  You can access the VPN from your personal home computer.  We do ask that you are using a current version of your operating system and that you have working antivirus software and a firewall (the VPN connection will inform you if you don’t have that when you log in.)  Please also note that you may not need the VPN for the full workday if you’re doing work from home, and you can connect and disconnect as needed.  While we believe our firewall can handle the additional connections, we may need to conserve resources and bandwidth if we see issues.

We have simplified VPN access and it should be available to users without making a call or email request to the Helpdesk.  You should also be able to access your computer via Remote Desktop without BCTC having to do any additional configuration.  You will need to know your computer name however.  Computer names are usually your room location, a dash, and a 6-digit alphanumeric code.  You can get it by looking at your My Computer icon which has a name like “My Computer name is H930-Bxxxxx”  (“xxxxx” is a number).  You can also go to “Settings/System/Projecting to the PC (or in some versions Remote Desktop)” and reading the address on that page which will be in the format H930-Bxxxxx.bc.baruch.cuny.edu.  You should not need the “.bc.baruch.cuny.edu” part but it will work if you type it in.

Remote Desktop Connection computer entry screen

If you’ve logged into the VPN and connected to your computer with Remote Desktop, you may get a few different screens.  This one may show up on newer versions of Windows 10:

Dialog asking you to trust your computer for Remote Desktop

You can click “Don’t ask me again” and then “Connect” here.

You will then get a popup about a certificate warning:

Message telling you to accept certificate

You want to click “Don’t ask me again for connections to this computer”  This message is because we use internally signed certificates, it does not mean the connection is not secure–it is fully encrypted end-to-end.

You will then get the login screen.  Note this is after clicking on the “More Choices” text that you can dimly see here. Also note this is on a computer running Windows 10 in dark mode; other computers might display this box different but it will generally have the same information:

This is where you type in your username and password.

You will need to enter your username as “bc\username” to connect to the Baruch domain, since the computer you’re connecting from isn’t on the Baruch domain.  Once you type in your password you will get a popup window (or a full-screen window) and will see a Windows login similar to what you see in the office.  You will then get your Windows desktop just like you’re at work:

This is just like you’re in the office!

To discounnect your Remote Desktop session when you’re done, you can either click “Log Out” from the Start menu, or just click the “x” on the upper right corner of the window, which will give you this message:

This is the same as locking your computer but staying logged in.

You can do this, since it’s the same as locking your computer in your office instead of logging out.

Hopefully this post helps demystify some of the VPN process, and will help you use it if you need it.  Again, remember that for much of your work-at-home work you won’t need a VPN at all.  And as always the BCTC Helpdesk can answer questions, and can work with you on a remote support session to help configure your home computer for VPN and Remote Desktop, as well as help you find your office computer name to connect.

(This post will be updated with more information as it becomes available.)

The College’s critical business functions are managed by systems that staff can access remotely.  With some advance preparation staff will be able to perform their necessary work from offsite when authorized.  This guide is intended to remind staff of the resources that are available to support their work and communication.

Remote Access to Systems – The “Quick Links” drop-down menu on the College’s home page provides up-to-date links to access all our major systems, such as CUNYfirst, Email, HRAssist, PRAssist, ePAF, etc. Using “Quick Links” ensures that the address of a site is the most current.

Email – Baruch College email is the primary means of communication among faculty, staff, and students and will continue to be in case staff must relocate from their usual work areas.

Document Storage – All staff have access to both a CUNY Dropbox and Microsoft Office 365 OneDrive account. These resources are accessed via your CUNY Login. The Dropbox account has no storage limit.  Staff may store documents that do not contain sensitive or confidential information in either of these spaces. Please consult the CUNY policy on Acceptable Use of University Data in the Cloud for definitions and details.   Staff who need to access confidential or sensitive information from a shared drive on the College’s network or from their office desktop computer will need to use VPN to access it (see next item).

Remote access to office desktop computers –  There are some cases where a staff member may need remote access to their office desktop computer.  The College’s VPN service must be used in those cases.  No other method of remote access is permitted. Other examples of a need for remote desktop access are:

• A staff member who needs access to special software that is installed only on the office computer.
• A staff member who needs to work with confidential information, such as employee or student data, that cannot be stored on Office 365 or Dropbox.
• Data downloaded from CUNYfirst Reporting, as the reporting instances are currently only available from within the CUNY network.
• A web content manager who needs to use Contribute to update a department’s web site that has not yet been migrated to WordPress.

Every full-time and part-time employee of the College has access to the College’s VPN service. The user must download the VPN client to the off-campus computer by following the instructions on the web site: https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/bctc/vpn/index.htm.  VPN is not necessary for staff who only need to access CUNY/Baruch systems (email, CUNYfirst non-reporting, etc.) or want to access/share materials and other non-private information. Note:  Users who need access to data defined as “Confidential” by the CUNY Acceptable Use of University Data in the Cloud policy need to take extra precautions when accessing data via the VPN.  This can include only using data on the office computer via Remote Desktop, and/or encrypting the computer from which the VPN is being accessed.  In either case users must acknowledge their need to access sensitive data and consult with BCTC on the best way for the user to ensure they are taking precautions to keep such data secure.

To get VPN access, open a ticket with the Helpdesk who will then consult on your need and provide instructions to ensure your office desktop is available via Remote Desktop and that you can install the VPN client software on the computer you will be using while off-campus

Teleconferencing – Each division and school has at least one account of the College’s teleconferencing service.  Vice Presidents and School Deans have dedicated account on the College’s teleconferencing service.  Each division and school will decide how to use the account to maintain their internal communication.

Videoconferencing – The College has an enterprise license for Zoom, which staff may access from the “Quick Links” on the College’s home page. In addition, every staff member has access to Microsoft Teams as part of the Office 365 suite, which is also listed under “Quick Links”.   In addition, CUNY has secured access to Cisco WebEx available at https://connectcuny.webex.com/  Access to Zoom is via your Baruch username and password; the last two services are available via CUNY Login

Equipment Loans – Some staff may need to borrow equipment, such as a laptop, to be able to work offsite.  As part of the advance planning for business continuity, Vice Presidents and Deans have identified the equipment needs of staff in the event of relocation.  The equipment will be provisioned and available for pickup from the BCTC help desk by the staff member who will be using it.  While at the help desk the borrower will be asked to test and confirm that the equipment is working as needed as accessing the resources that will be used.

Forwarding Office Telephone Calls – While on campus an employee can forward calls to a home phone or personal cell phone by following the instructions To Call Forward Your Extension.  However, only a BCTC administrator can implement call forwarding from off-campus. If the staff relocation occurs before an employee was able to put the forwarding in place, a request will have to be made to BCTC via [email protected].  Users can also update their voice mail greeting from off-campus to provide instructions to callers on how to best reach them by following the instructions on the voice mail web page.

Staff Checklist: What to Start Doing in Advance of a Closing

√ Make sure that you can log into all the Baruch systems that you might need—Office 365, Dropbox, CUNYfirst, etc.  Please keep in mind that some of the resources you will need require a CUNY login while others use a Baruch username/password.  Contact BCTC if there is a problem.

√ Find out from your supervisor how your department will communicate with one another as a team. You may choose to do a department wide teleconference.  You may wish to use a video conference.  You may wish to create a departmental group in Microsoft Teams.

√ Update your personal contact information in CUNYfirst through Employee Self-Service as soon as possible.  You also may want to have an internal departmental contact list, containing personal phone numbers and email addresses in the event of disruption of CUNY services.  It may also be useful to share CUNY Login usernames to provide access to Office365, Dropbox, and Webex services.

√ Check your access to technology from off-campus using your personal devices. For example, can you use a personal desktop, laptop and/or mobile device such as a phone or iPad to access our systems remotely? This is a good opportunity to make sure that all your operating systems are up-to-date and compatible with any software you might use. Contact BCTC or your school technology team if there is a problem.  Specifically, if you’ve been configured with VPN access, make sure you can access your office computer before you need it in a critical situation.

√ Practice forwarding your office phone calls to your home phone or personal cell phone and changing your office voice mail message.

√ Understand if your job regularly involves the use of “Confidential” data as defined by CUNY policy, and think about additional steps you would need to take to secure that data in the event you need to access it remotely.

Staff Support during a Campus Closing

The College’s usual support services will not be increased during a campus closing. They will instead face the additional challenges presented by the closing (e.g., working remotely and separately from work colleagues; inability to repair local systems when access to campus is restricted; possible incapacitation due to being sick). It is important for staff to prepare in advance of a closing when support staff will have a greater opportunity to work directly with them.

The following types of support are planned to help ensure that faculty are able to use College resources, circumstances permitting.

• BCTC Help Desk – In the event of a closing staff should contact BCTC via email using [email protected]. Please do not try to phone the help desk, because callers are unlikely to get through due to high volume.  BCTC will be assigning all available staff to provide support in the event of a closing.  Support will be primarily through the Helpdesk ticketing system.