Remote Working FAQs
This site gives answers to some of the most frequently asked IT questions relating to working from home. If your question isn't answered here then please email MDBS-IT@qub.ac.uk or MDBS-elearn@qub.ac.uk
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Microsoft Office and its applications
Microsoft Office
- There are two versions of Microsoft Office available to QUB staff, Office 2016 (this is the version most staff will have installed on their work PCs) and Office 365 (this is the online version of Microsoft Office). Office 365 includes the core Microsoft Applications - Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook etc and also newer collaborative products such as Microsoft Teams. To access Office 365 go to https://office365.qub.ac.uk and log in using your staff no and password.
- As a QUB member of staff you can install Office 365 on 5 devices (PCs, Macs, phones or tablets). The license remains valid as long as you remain a member of staff. To install Office 365 onto your PC - log in to the site above and click the Install Office option which appears on the top right hand side of the Window.
- On work PCs that have been taken home you may start to get a pop-up message saying that Microsoft Office will expire in x days. This is because the campus version of Office is licensed automatically over the network. To relicense Office you will need to connect to the campus network via the VPN (see below).
- If you have Office 2016 installed you do NOT need to upgrade to Office 365. You can download individual apps such as Teams without having to upgrade to Office 365.
- Further information and links to training materials can be found at the IS website - http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/InformationServices/Services/Office365Queens/
Microsoft Outlook
- There are 2 versions of Microsoft Outlook. The full version which runs locally on your PC and Outlook Web Access (OWA), which is accessed using a web browser.
- It is possible to install and run the full version on a home PC. For details on how to do this please email MDBS-IT@qub.ac.uk.
- Conversations
By default, in Outlook, your messages are displayed in Conversations. A conversation includes all messages in the same thread with the same subject line.
To turn Conversations off :
In the full version of Outlook select the mail folder e.g. inbox, select View > Show as Conversations to toggle Conversation view on or off.
In Outlook Web Access. Click the Settings icon and scroll down and set Conversation View to Off. - Generic accounts
With the full version of Outlook your generic email accounts will appear automatically in your list of accounts on the left hand side. In the OWA version to access your generic accounts click on your account name (top right of Outlook window), click Open another mailbox, enter the email address of the generic account, select the account when it appears in the suggested contacts list and click Open. The generic email account will open in another tab in your browser.
OneDrive for Business
- OneDrive is Microsoft’s online file storage system. All Windows 10 PCs have OneDrive automatically installed. Versions of OneDrive are also available for Apple and Android devices.
- QUB staff get 5TB of disk space.
- Before configuring OneDrive please ensure that all Windows updates have been installed. This greatly eases the installation.
- With OneDrive you can sync your files across multiple devices. You can select which folders to sync to which device. This is strongly recommended as otherwise you may find OneDrive eating up all available free space on a particular device.
- OneDrive has an automatic version control feature. This means you can view and restore previous versions of a document.
- OneDrive has a recycle bin similar to the one available on a Windows PC. Deleted files are moved to the recycle bin and kept for 93 days before being purged.
Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft Teams is the online meeting tool which is part of Office 365. In its previous versions it was called Skype for Business.
- In Microsoft Teams you can be a member of multiple teams. In addition each team can have multiple channels. A channel is dedicated to a particular topic or project.
- 29 Tips on using Microsoft Teams - https://www.med.qub.ac.uk/download/29-Time-saving-Microsoft-Teams-Tips-v2.pdf
- Citrix / VPN
Citrix
- Citrix is a way to connect to the QUB campus network from home. Its main use is to remotely access and control your work PC however it can also be used to access QFIS and a generic windows desktop. To access Citrix open a web browser and go to https://offcampus.qub.ac.uk ; Login using your staff no and QUB password.
- Citrix can be accessed via a “light” version (which doesn’t require any additional software to be installed) or via the Citrix Workspace app. The main difference between the versions is that with the light version you do NOT have access to local resources such as printers.
- The Citrix Workspace app is available from - https://www.citrix.com/downloads/workspace-app/
- When running Citrix you may get an Add Account Accounts are not used by QUB so always click the Close button.
- It's recommended that you access Citrix using Chome or Firefox. If possible do not use Safari as this can be problematic.
- To switch to using the light version. Log in to https://offcampus.qub.qc.uk
Click our name (top right of window) and click Change Citrix Receiver
Click Use light version at the bottom of the window - Using Citrix to access QFIS - https://www.med.qub.ac.uk/download/Citrix-QFIS.pdf
- The university has a limited number of Citrix licenses so please only use it when you have to access on-campus resources and remember to logout to free up your license for someone else.
VPN
- A virtual private network (VPN) is a way to directly connect to the QUB campus network from home. Once connected you can access all campus based network resources as if you are actually on campus. This includes your network drives (H: and S:) and websites (e.g. QFIS, tick@lab) which are not accessible off-campus.
- To register for VPN access please send your staff no and computer name to MDBS-IT@qub.ac.uk
- VPN Setup Guide (includes how to access files on your H: and S: drives) - https://www.med.qub.ac.uk/download/VPN(MDBS).pdf
- Only connect to the VPN when you have to access on-campus resources and remember to disconnect when finished to free up resources.
- Mediasite
Mediasite is a software tool which allows staff to create, manage and distribute video content, presentations and podcasts. Mediasite is fully integrated with Canvas.
Mediasite FAQ - https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/web-support-team/mediasite/Resources/FAQs/
Mediasite Training Sessions - https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/web-support-team/mediasite/
- Healthy Workspace
COVID-19: Staff Health and Wellbeing Guidance - https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/StaffGateway/Filestore/Filetoupload,957572,en.pdf