You might have a softphone (e.g., Skype, Microsoft Teams and/or Cisco IP Communicator) on your laptop/tablet, or you can use your county-issued or county-reimbursed cellphone. If you are using a personal device for work, remember to ensure that it is patched to the manufacturer’s and industry best practice standards (e.g., updated to the latest operating system). If possible, you should also forward calls from your desk phone to your cellphone and make sure that your voicemail message is professional.

A broadband high-speed internet connection (Min 25Mb/s download) is preferred, although 100Mb/s or higher recommended. Remember, applications are slower to respond when working remotely via internet links versus being in the office. Large files and print servers do not perform well across slower internet connections. Larger neighborhoods with shared infrastructure tend to have slower connections during peak hours. Streaming internet and TV can drastically slow a connection, so you might need to reduce other household use of your internet bandwidth while you are working remotely.

Users only needing Office 365 and/or OneDrive will not need to utilize VPN (virtual private network) access. The Office 365 suite of tools, which includes email, SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive can be accessed via a web browser. Users are encouraged to disconnect VPN connections when not needed.

This will depend upon your work assignments and projects, but if it isn’t, consider disconnecting the VPN until access is needed again.

The Office 365 suite is available, including Microsoft Teams & OneDrive.  Microsoft Teams is excellent for messaging as well as audio and video conferencing. 

If deemed necessary and approved by County Manager, telecommuting may be approved for all County employees if recommended by department directors to reduce personal contact.

The Guilford County Information Technology Department does not recommend using a personal device for telework, however, if you must, ensure the device is patched to the manufacturer’s and industry best practice standards (will be required to have latest Operating system with anti-malware protection installed with latest updates).