Technical Pandemic & Disaster Planning Quick Guide

Information provided here is designed to help campus users maintain connection to vital systems in the event that access to campus offices or computers is not available.

Technical Pandemic & Disaster Planning Information for Administrative Staff - Service Catalog article

Technical Pandemic & Disaster Planning Information for Faculty - This article provides more information about using myGate, Canvas, and Zoom to communicate with students and deliver content material.

Quick Guide for Working Remotely

myGate & Duo

Add a second device. In some cases, you may have only setup your office phone or a landline to authenticate with myGate 2FA. We recommend having a second device, such as a cell phone or tablet, enabled for myGate 2FA. We have provided instructions in our "Add/Remove a Device in myGate 2FA" article.
Backup passcodes. In the event you have lost access to your device (stolen, lost, left elsewhere), we recommend always having a set up backup passcodes. We have provided instructions in our "Setup Backup Passcodes for myGate 2FA" article.
Know your passwords. If you have enabled your computer browser(s) to save your passwords, we highly recommend logging into myGate and setting new passwords so regardless of what browser or device you use, you will know your current passwords.

Business Documents, Network Shares, and Backups
It is recommended that Murray State staff and faculty save important documents to Network Shares, rather than their office desktops. Network shares are backed up on a regular basis by Information Systems, whereas most office computers do not have backups. In addition, when working remotely, it’s much easier for an employee to gain access to a network share when using VPN/Virtual Desktop. Murray State does NOT recommend saving any work documents to USB drives.

Accessing Computer Resources Remotely
In many cases, employees may need access to their office computer or other network resources to complete perform their jobs successfully. Remote work requires the written approval of the Vice President over that area. The VP will forward the approval to Human Resources. The supervisor can use the "Emergency Remote Access" service request to request access for the employee. Information including the types of remote access available is provided in the description on the service request page.

Communication Tools

RacerMail. Make sure you know your current RacerMail/Murray State Google password.
- If you have Google 2-Step Verification turned on, it may be helpful to check what devices are enabled with your Google 2SV. Murray State and Google have provided additional support and instructions.
Listservs. Many departments utilize listservs to communicate with their offices and other users. Make sure your listservs are updated with current email addresses. You can find listserv commands in our “Listserv Commands” article. You may also need to update your list of owners/moderators for your listserv.
Zoom. Cloud-based video conferencing tool. Can be used by faculty, staff, and students.
- Getting Started with Zoom - Instructions on creating a Zoom account and updating it to a licenses (pro) account. Includes a Zoom FAQ.
- Add Zoom to your Canvas Course Menu
- Schedule Zoom Meetings in Canvas
- Join a Zoom Meeting by Phone (Zoom Help Center article)
- Zoom Help Center
Departmental Email Accounts. If your department or office has only one staff member checking a departmental email account, designate several secondary staff incase the primary staff member is unable to check the account.

Communication Tips

VoiceMail. Depending on the nature of the situation, you may wish to enable your alternate greeting to advise callers on the status of the University or your department, or direct callers to other areas. For assistance with setting up voicemail, setting an alternate greeting, or checking your voicemail from home, use the instructions in our "VoiceMail on your VoIP Phone" support article.
MeetMe Teleconferencing. You may wish to setup a MeetMe teleconferencing phone number for your office staff to call into for departmental meetings. More information is in our "MeetMe Teleconferencing Instructions" support article. You may also need to request a MeetMe Teleconferencing Number.
Staff Directory. Your office or department may wish to create or update a list of staff member's cell phone or home phone numbers.
Use a support matrix to know who is primary, secondary, tertiary for office responsibilities. You may wish to use this Office Planning Worksheet (PDF) as an example.
Develop internal documentation in case some staff are unavailable. This could be anything from a step-by-step guide for completing a task or process, to a list of vendor or support phone numbers for your specialized software or contacts.
Agree upon communication mediums for your department or office, like Google Hangouts/Meet, MeetMe, or Zoom. Agree upon a schedule for checking in with your department. Perhaps a daily or weekly meeting for staff and supervisor(s) to communicate. Make sure this is documented and shared with your group.