Below is a collection of tools, resources, and tips to help ATC employees prepare for a successful telecommuting experience. If technical assistance is needed, please contact the Technology Help Desk at support@atc.edu or 803-508-7257.

Tips & Requirements for Telecommuting: 

Basic tips and requirements for working remotely.

VPN Access: 

VPN access extends your remote computer to the ATC campus network as if you were working on campus. This will allow access to internal resources such as Colleague and file shares or your office desktop.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), also known as Two-Factor or Two-Step verification. MFA is a security system that verifies a user’s identity by requiring multiple credentials. Rather than only asking for a username and password, MFA requires an additional credential, such as a pin code from a user’s smartphone, approval from a mobile app installed on a user’s smartphone, or a phone call to a specified phone number. ATC employees/students attempting to access their Office 365 account (email, OneDrive, etc.) from off campus will be required to setup/authenticate using the new security feature.

Call Forwarding & Remote Voicemail Access:

• Forward your calls from your office phone to another number (Must be setup from office phone).  
• Access your voicemail off campus.
• As of March 17th, every employee with an assigned phone number now has voicemail to email capability.

Skype for Business - Set up a Skype for Business meeting in Outlook: 

You can use Outlook or Outlook Web App to schedule a Skype meeting--the same way you schedule meetings normally but with one or two extra clicks. 

** The Skype button in Office 365 (web mail) is not fully functional. Users should download the Skype client from the menu option in Office 365 to access full video and audio capabilities.

** Note: In order to get full audio and video access for Skype Meetings, please open outside of the remote desktop. The Skype application on the remote desktop does not have access to the laptop’s audio or video applications.

  Blackboard Online Help for Instructors:

Online Blackboard help resources for instructors. 

Security Measures for Zoom

Blackboard Collaborate is the platform the College encourages instructors to use for online course meetings. Be sure to follow these best practice guidelines. We are aware that many instructors are using Zoom. Be aware that many security issues have been reported with Zoom, which is not supported by Aiken Technical College at this time. If you choose to use Zoom, please follow these guidelines:

1. Do not make meetings or classrooms public. In Zoom, there are two options to make a meeting private: require a meeting password or use the waiting room feature and control the admittance of guests.
2. Do not share a link to a teleconference or classroom on an unrestricted publicly available social media post. Provide the link directly to specific people.
3. Manage screen sharing options. In Zoom, change screen sharing to “Host Only.”  If screen sharing is needed by another individual (ex. Presentations), only provide that permission to the individual for that specific time period.
4. Ensure users are using the updated version of remote access/meeting applications. A recent update to the Zoom software, for example, both removed vulnerabilities in the application and enhanced the software with additional security features.