IT resources for communication between employees

Now that remote work has become part of our everyday lives, a lot of employees need to be able to work from home. On this website, we have collected a number of the resources which can make it easier to work from home.

Meetings and collaboration

Skype for business

Skype for Business can be used by all employees at AU. On most computers, it is already installed and ready for use.

Skype for Business is a valuable tool for virtual meetings in small groups and can also be used for telephony, chat and screen sharing.

Teams

Microsoft Teams is part of the Office 365 package and allows you to hold meetings and chat/conduct conversations with each other.

Teams can be used to work together in a department/unit or on a project where you can chat, conduct conversations, hold virtual meetings and share files with each other.

Read more about how to get started with Teams

Virtual meeting rooms

In the current situation, the virtual meeting room facilities are under pressure. The virtual meeting rooms (Vmeet) should therefore only be used if no other options are available.

In connection with all other virtual meetings, we recommend to use Skype for Business. Our Skype for Business solution does not have a capacity limit as long as the number of participants in the individual meeting does not exceed 250.

Learn more about virtual meeting rooms

Access to AU's services

VPN connection

You can use VPN to access some of AU’s services from home even though these services are usually only available when you are on the university’s network.

When you log on to the virtual private network (VPN), it’s like working on a computer at AU: you have the same level of protection. In other words, your internet connection is encrypted, which makes it invisible to anyone who might want to intercept your data.

Read more about how to get VPN access

To academic staff

Use the VPN as much as possible when working from home.
But note than you may only use the VPN network if you’re working on AU equipment – that is to say, equipment provided to you by AU, such as your work computer.
If you can’t work on AU equipment but have to work on a personal pc instead, for security reasons, do not install or log onto VPN.
If you are currently using your personal computer but you have an AU computer at the university, you are allowed to go to campus to pick up your equipment.
If you are teaching remotely, you should temporarily log off the VPN network during the teaching session to ensure the best user experience. We also ask you to be careful not to share sensitive personal data and confidential information while teaching remotely, because your data isn’t encrypted when you’re not logged on the VPN.
Be aware that the VPN can cause problems with online meetings, for instance. Log off during your meeting and log in again afterwards.

To administrative staff

Use the VPN as much as possible when working from home.
But note than you may only use the VPN network if you’re working on AU equipment – that is to say, equipment provided to you by AU, such as your work computer.
If you can’t work on AU equipment but have to work on a personal pc instead, for security reasons, do not install or log onto VPN.
If you are currently using your personal computer but you have an AU computer at the university, you are allowed to go to campus to pick up your equipment.
Be aware that the VPN can cause problems with online meetings, for instance. Log off during your meeting and log in again afterwards.