Work remotely

Working remotely at Oxford University

If you have agreed with your manager or supervisor that you can work remotely there are some straightforward steps to set up your IT access. The three links below take you to the information you need to set up remote working:

• Preparing to work remotely
• Enabling remote working
• Services to help remote working and collaboration

After you are set up and are comfortable that you are working in a secure environment, check the 'How to access key services remotely' section to see which credentials you require to access our popular services.

We also have additional resources, including quick help guides, IT equipment guides, videos and online courses, designed to support you when working away from the University; see the links in 'Quick start guides' to the right.

How to access key services remotely

The following tables show commonly used services and indicate whether they are available using SSO alone, or also require VPN access:

For everybody

For data protection

For education (Undergraduate and Postgraduate)

For teaching and research

For administration

Preparing to work remotely

Many University IT services are accessible off campus. To ensure that you are able to work remotely when necessary, there are a number of steps you can take to prepare:

• Register in advance for any additional accounts or IT services you may require when working remotely (see How to access key services remotely). This may include accounts or services provided by your faculty/department or college
• Take care to keep your files safe when working away from the University, especially if you handle personal, confidential or valuable data. Make sure you have backups and anti-virus software installed and have registered an alternative email address. Laptops, tablets and USB sticks should be encrypted and protected by strong passwords (and not shared with family members). Follow the guidance from the Information Security team on working remotely securely
• Ensure your contact information is up-to-date and colleagues know the best way to contact you when you are working away from the University
• Know how you will access the files you need and how to share with other colleagues as necessary. Details of services designed to help remote working are available below.

Enabling remote working

You need to ensure that your files and data are safe when working away from the University, especially if you handle personal, confidential or valuable data. For the latest information on staying safe online refer to the University’s Information Security website.

Depending on what you need to access, there are three methods you can use to work remotely:

• Single Sign-On (SSO) – suitable for most IT services
• Virtual private network (VPN) – only certain IT services require this
• Remote desktop - managed staff desktop (CONNECT) users only

Using your Single Sign-On (SSO)

This is the simplest method. You can use your SSO account to access many key University services such as email, Canvas, eVision, OneDrive and SharePoint via the internet. You don’t need to do anything except log in as usual. Check the tips on Your University accounts if you’re unsure which of your different University accounts are which.

What you’ll need

• A Single Sign-On account
• Internet access

How to do it

1. Go online

2. Find the service on the web that you want to use (Services are listed in the Service Catalogue)

3. Log in with your SSO account

Using a virtual private network (VPN)

Most services can be accessed using SSO, however a VPN may be required for access to some internal resources. These include access to some University administrative systems via the internet, the University backup service, and shared drives. Please refer to How to access key services remotely. 

What you’ll need

• Internet access

• VPN access

How to do it

These are the steps for getting set up on VPN:

1. Activate your SSO account, if you haven’t done so already

2. Download the Cisco AnyConnect Client software from the Self-Registration website. iPhones and iPod Touch already include the software so iPhone/iPod users don’t need to download anything else.

3. Follow the instructions on the IT Help website

Using a remote desktop

If you’re a staff member with a managed staff desktop (CONNECT), you can set up a remote version to use at home: a virtual machine that will give you access to the network folders, files and software that you use in the office. 

What you’ll need

• A managed staff desktop (CONNECT) account – you will generally have this if you are a staff member in University Administration and Services (UAS) or Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM)

• VPN access

• Internet access

How to do it

You need to put in a service request to get set up. Once this is done, you’ll access your remote desktop through a VPN and log in with your managed staff desktop (CONNECT) account.

Services to help remote working and collaboration

A number of online applications are available to facilitate remote working, communications and collaboration. Information about the tools available to support collaboration can be found on our Collaboration web page.