Welcome to the University of Idaho Family!
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) welcomes you to the University of Idaho! We hope this guide gets you started using and understanding some the IT resources available to you. It is not comprehensive but meant as a starting point. There are many links to knowledge base articles to give you more information and links to different services so you can create a ticket to get help or make a request.
This Guide will cover:
- Locate your Tech Support
- Things to Know or Get Immediately for New Employees
- Technology in Classrooms
- Applications & Access
1) Locate your Tech Support
Technology Solution Partners (TSP) provide enterprise support solutions to the University of Idaho faculty, staff, and students across the state. TSPs coordinate with customers to better understand their technology needs to provide guidance and support for university departments and employees. See Technology Solutions Partners for more information and locations of TSPs across the state.
The OIT Technology Support portal is the best way to engage OIT to request services and report technical issues you are experiencing. By using the portal, you can use the OIT service catalog to quickly find and submit a request to engage your Technology Support Partner (faculty and staff), Student Technology Center, or other OIT team members. In addition to ticket submission, the portal home page lets you check status and comment on your active and completed tickets. You can also search the knowledge base to look for articles on solutions to many problems. See OIT Technology Support Guide for more information.
Bookmark these links:
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2) Things to Know or Get Immediately for New Employees
ID
The Vandal Card is your official University of Idaho ID card. It is issued to students, staff, faculty, and affiliated persons. Vandal Cards are used for door access on campus, dining plans, and admittance to athletic events. You can request a Vandal Card in the OIT Technology Support Portal.
Will you need access to any buildings on campus? Ask your department about adding building card access. Each department will usually have a designated gatekeeper who can add access to your Vandal Card.
Request Vandal Card assistance
Security
Your TSP or Local Support Team can also assist you in enrolling in DUO - Multifactor Authentication. This second layer of authentication is mandatory because it helps protect and secure university data. You can enroll or manage your devices by going to https://help.uidaho.edu/duo. Please follow the onscreen instructions to enroll. To use your smart phone, make sure to download the DUO Mobile App from the Android/ iOS app store. You will need it to link the DUO Mobile app to your U of I account by scanning the QR code that appears at the end of the enrollment process.
Will you be working with high risk data? If the answer is yes, your machine will need to be encrypted using Whole Disk Encryption technology. Your TSP or Local Support Team can help you setup your Bitlocker PIN on PC or FileVault password on MacOS. Think of these as a second password specific to a computer.
Email
Email is offered to all U of I affiliates through Microsoft 365 and can be accessed through a web browser, Outlook, other mail applications, and on mobile devices. Log into mail.uidaho.edu with your U of I account and password to access your employee email. All email tutorials, including how to set up and access email, as well as use other features within the program, can be found on our email and messaging tutorial page.
Request Login assistance
Request Email assistance
File Storage (Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams)
The University of Idaho uses OneDrive (individual) and SharePoint (departmental) for file storage through Microsoft 365. Microsoft Teams is not only collaboration application but can also be used to store files between individuals or by the department. Files are stored in the cloud so can be accessed from nearly anywhere on nearly any device. University computers are setup to save files to the individual's OneDrive for easy backup and restore. Sharing files from OneDrive is easy and can be done with individuals outside the UI system. See knowledge base article Use of Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint for more information.
Request OneDrive (Cloud Storage) assistance
Collaboration (Zoom and Microsoft Teams)
The University of Idaho uses Zoom and Microsoft Teams to collaborate with colleagues both within and outside the university.
Zoom
Zoom is an online audio and web conferencing platform. People use it to make phone calls or to participate in video conference meetings. We interact with Zoom through a browser webpage (zoom.uidaho.edu) or an application (available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android) to schedule, start and control meetings and classes. You can also schedule a Zoom meeting when creating meeting in Outlook. All faculty, staff and students have a Zoom account. For list of knowledge base articles see Zoom.
Microsoft Teams
Teams is a collaboration hub application that allows for chat, meet, call, and collaborate with a designated group of colleagues all in one place. The designated team could be a department, a project team, multiple units, or any combination of groups and people that need to work collaboratively across the University and outside the University as well. Collaboration tools include sharing screens in video calls, simultaneously editing documents, or getting feedback to materials via feedback tools.
From within a Teams environment, a person can communicate through group chat, individual chat, video or voice calls. It is a great resource for remote work teams as it’s uses the U of I Cloud environment including OneDrive, SharePoint, and other Microsoft 365 applications.
Request Teams, Zoom & Collaboration Assistance
MyUI
Your U of I account is set up, you will have access to MyUI. To access MyUI, navigate to my.uidaho.edu and login with your employee email and password. MyUI is where you will fill out your time sheet, complete the FERPA Tutorial, and view or update other important work and personal information. Having issues accessing MyUI? Reach out to your TSP or Local Support contact for assistance.
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3) Technology in Classrooms
If you are teaching in a technology-enabled classroom, we have a number of guides to help you use the equipment.
Using the Touch Panels in Multimedia Equipped Classrooms
Using the Video Conferencing Equipment in Certain Classrooms
Other Classroom Technology Resources
Reach out to your TSP or Local Support contact if you would like to schedule an in-person training or have any questions about using the different technologies available in classrooms. We recommend that you take the time to familiarize yourself with the technology prior to the first day of class to maximize success and minimize stress.
Technology issues can still happen in the classroom. The touch panels have an eHelp button instructors can use to send out an alert requesting assistance should an issue arise during class. There also is a shortcut on the Windows desktop where you can request immediate assistance in the classroom.
Request classroom technology assistance
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4) Applications & Access
Enterprise Applications
Do you know what applications you will be using? Banner? Famis? Work with your supervisor to request the necessary access and training for these applications.
Remote Work
Will you be working off campus? Certain U of I resources, such as Banner, can only be accessed while on the U of I Network. To access these resources while off campus, you will need to connect to the U of I network through the VPN. University computers have the Cisco AnyConnect Client installed on them. Check out our guide to make sure your technology setup is ready for remote work.
Other Applications available via Software Center (Windows) and Self Service (macOS)
University computers have additional applications available that you can install via Software Center (Windows) and Self Service (Apple macOS). Applications range from Adobe Acrobat Reader to file compression application (zipping files). See knowledge base articles How to use Software Center (Windows) or Installing Applications on Mac Computers via Self Service for more information.
Office 365 Suite
Download Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more through the Office 365 portal to use on your computer while you're working at the University of Idaho. Log in with your U of I credentials and follow our tutorial for your MacOS or Windows device. You can also use these applications online or on a mobile device. Your license will be valid for as long as you are employed at the University.
Request software assistance
Anti-Virus Software
The University of Idaho uses Sophos anti-virus software for university computers. It is highly recommended you protect your personal computer. Sophos offers a free home version but there are many excellent anti-virus applications. See knowledge base article Sophos Antivirus FAQ for more information.
Password Manager
A password manager is a software application that is used to store and manage the passwords that a user has for various online accounts and security features. Password managers store the passwords in an encrypted format and provide secure access to all the password information with the help of a single primary password. OIT Security highly recommends a password manager. See knowledge base article Password Managers for more information.
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Again, welcome to the University of Idaho! The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is here to help you with a wide range of technology needs. The most effective way to get help is creating a ticket in the OIT Technology portal for both students and employees across the state. You can call 208-885-HELP assistance. If you are unable to get in touch with support staff, please leave a message. Alternatively, you can email support@uidaho.edu with a description of your request. In both cases, a ticket will be created, and you will receive an email with the ticket number on it.