Employee Tips for Working From Off Campus

Using a Personal Computer

To keep our institutional data secure, IT recommends using an APU issued computer whenever possible, and to never store any APU data on a personal device; keep everything in cloud services (such as Gmail, Google Drive, Canvas, home.apu.edu, etc) as often as possible

If you work with APU data / download files / process data, or work with the L and M drives, you will need to request an APU laptop through the Telecommuting Laptop Request Form and use VPN.

Requesting an APU Laptop

If you need to request an APU laptop to assist in working from home, please fill out the Telecommuting Laptop Request Form. This assumes you have already filled out the HR Total Access Interim Telecommuting Request.

Requesting Office Equipment

Various technology and furniture (e.g. office chairs, computer monitors) may be used at home through coordination and approval from your supervisor. Please note that your supervisor must approve request prior to filling out the following form: APU Remote Employee's Office Equipment Request Form

Dealing With Home Internet Issues

Dealing with slow home internet can be very frustrating , especially when working or taking classes remotely. While IT cannot assist with all the variables that may be causing issues, we do have some helpful Tips for Home Internet Performance.

Email, Files, Chat, & Video Conferencing

Use the following links to access your APU Gmail, Google Drive, Team Drive and calendar.

You may experience issues when accessing varies tools, including conferencing tools due to the increased number of remote workers. APU offers the following chat and video conferencing services:

Read this guide on "Netiquette" for tips on proper virtual meeting etiquette
Check out this guide for a comprehensive comparison of our video conferencing services.
- Google Hangouts Chat - An online communication app for individuals and teams.
- Google Hangouts Meet - For easy to join video calls already integrated into Google Calendar
- Zoom - The premiere, full-featured video conferencing platform for hosting meetings, classes, webinars, and more. All current APU employees and students have access to a free Licensed Zoom account by logging into zoom.apu.edu. For more instruction, check out Zoom’s 1-minute quickstart videos or their more in-depth video tutorials & trainings.

Phone Services

APU's Voice-over-IP (VOIP) system, Dialpad, allows you to access all the functions of our APU phone system from a desktop app, in your internet browser, or from a smartphone app.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Please note that most APU and cloud resources, such as Canvas, APU Gmail, Google Drive, HR Total Access, and home.apu.edu do not require the use of VPN.

The primary service that does require the use of VPN is APU shared network drives (L: and M: drives). Note: VPN is only permitted from APU issued laptops.

VPN Installation Instructions

You must have the VPN enabled before proceeding to map drives.

Mapping Network Drives

Personal and Departmental File Shares (L and M drives) are only available on the APU network. If you are working remote you will need to ensure you are connected via VPN before attempting to connect. After you have successfully installed and connected to the VPN, you can take the following steps to map your network drive:

Mapping a Network Drive - Apple Mac

Mapping a Network Drive - Windows

Note: though mapping network drives is possible from a Chromebook, we do not presently have VPN available for Chromebook devices.

Google Shared Drives

Google Drive and Shared Drives are available without VPN, so please take time to reassess your current work flow to determine if it would be beneficial for your team to being working on Google Drive. Shared Drives are available for team based work. We have an Google Shared Drives Article to help you get started.

E-Signature (Hellosign/Dropbox Sign)

Dropbox Sign, formerly known as Hellosign, is an e-signature service that enables documents and simple forms to be signed electronically, bypassing the need for printing documents or forms to sign traditionally. Signed documents can be retrieved in your email, Google Drive or through the HelloSign user interface.

If you are interested in this service, talk to your department admin, as they may already have a HelloSign account that can send out an unlimited number of documents for signature. You can also simply sign in with your APU Google account or use the Google Docs Add-On to send out 3 documents for signature a month without any special set up.

If you have a need greater than this please email [email protected]. A member from IT will contact you to discuss your Dropbox Sign needs in more detail.

Also see our Working From Home Guidelines.