Skip to main content
Penn Information Systems & Computing Systems Home

Search form

Getting system status
  • Get Started
    • IT Staff
    • Faculty
    • Staff
    • Students
    • Alumni & Guests
    • ISC Staff
  • Services
    • — Services A to Z —
    • Accounts, Access & Security
      • Access Management Services
      • Active Directory
      • Identity Management Services
      • Information Security Services
    • Applications & Data Analytics
      • Application Development & Delivery
      • Data Analytics
        • Data Analytics at Penn
      • Integration Development & Delivery
    • Backup, Storage & Platforms
      • BackItUp
      • Cloud Solutions
      • Data Center & Colocation Solutions
      • Database & Application Platform Support & Consulting
      • Endpoint Management
      • Recovery Solutions
      • Storage
      • Virtual Desktop
      • Virtual Server Hosting
    • Community, Support & Learning
      • Classroom Technology Services
      • Desktop Engineering
      • IT Community Events
      • LinkedIn Learning
      • Tech Center
    • Consulting & Professional Services
      • Brokered Products
      • HireIT
      • Systems Support & Consulting
      • Technology Forecasting
    • Email, Calendaring & Collaboration
      • Classlists
      • Penn Email Routing
      • PennBox
      • PennNet Mailing Lists
      • PennO365
      • PennZoom
      • SMTP-Relay
      • Secure Share
    • Networks & Connectivity
      • Firewall Services
      • Network Design & Installation
      • PennNet
        • Network Names & Numbers
        • MAGPI (Penn's Internet2 Regional Optical Network)
      • PennNet Ethernet Ports
      • Wireless at Penn
    • Phone, TV & Video
      • Contact Center
      • Live Video Streaming
      • Penn Video Network
      • PennFlex Phone
      • Traditional Telephony
      • Video Content Management
      • Video Production
        • Producing Video Content
    • Web Hosting
      • Web Hosting Service
    • — Service Rates —
    • — Service Level Agreements —
  • Security
    • Office of Information Security
    • Security Services
    • Special Projects
    • Policies & Procedures
    • Training & Awareness
    • Penn SecureIT program
  • Collaborations
    • Computing Policies
    • Engaging Penn’s IT Community
    • Identity & Access Management
    • Penn IT Strategic Plan
    • Cloud First
    • Next Generation Unified Communications
    • Penn Bot
    • IT Advisory Groups
      • Common Solutions
      • IT Roundtable
      • Network Policy Committee
      • Penn Technology Investment Committee (PTIC)
        • About PTIC
        • The PTIC IT Development Fund
    • Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
      • Audio-Visual (AV-SIG)
      • Cloud Computing (Cloud-SIG)
      • Data Visualization (DataViz-SIG)
      • Developer SIG (Dev-SIG)
      • High-Performance Computing (HPC-SIG)
      • Instructional Technology SIG
      • Linux SIG
      • Macintosh Networking Group (MacNet)
      • Mobile Technologies (Mobile-SIG)
      • O365 Special Interest Group
      • PC Networking Group (PC-Net)
      • Project Partners SIG
      • Security SIG
      • Social Media SIG
      • Splunk Special Interest Group
      • Super User Group (SUG)
      • Web SIG
    • Technology Services Strategy Review Board
  • News
  • About
  • Hot Topics
  • Get IT Help

You are here

Home » Remote Work Tools & Guidelines
Eastward aerial view of Penn campus with Center City skyline in the distance

Photo: University Communications

Remote Work Tools & Guidelines

If your duties require you to work remotely, we recommend that you partner with your local IT support staff to take stock of your equipment (computers, chargers, etc.) and proactively test your capability for reliable remote access. This may include testing your home network connection and your ability to remotely access critical applications and on-campus systems, as well as applying necessary software updates. If relevant to your role, please leave work each day prepared to work from home the next day. That includes taking your laptop and any other equipment you may need to continue to work remotely.

If you do not know your local IT support staff please contact ISC Client Care for guidance. Students, please visit the Student Remote IT Support Page for more detailed instructions on accessing virtual instruction.


Communications Tools

The current system status of these tools can be verified using the links in our Vendor Status Pages list.

Remote Meetings / Collaboration

At Penn, the tools you will use for remote meetings and collaboration depend on your home School or Center. View the Video Conferencing Tools User matrix to learn more about the leading available options.
(IT Staff please reference this Remote Work & Instructional Technology Summary and the Video Conferencing Tools IT Staff matrix. Also note that the authoritative place to update a user's email address is within the public view of the Online Directory.)

  • Schools: The Center for Teaching and Learning has published extensive guidance on teaching and collaboration tools (see details below). This includes information on individual School preferences for PennZoom, a popular campus solution for virtual meetings with video, voice, and screen-sharing.
  • Centers: Centers may be using PennZoom or Microsoft Teams. For help selecting the correct option, please contact your Local Support Provider.

Additional tools may include:

  • PennBox, a cloud-based collaboration service for securely managing and sharing files and folders.
  • Secure Share, a web-based application for secure file exchange available to Penn faculty, staff, and students.
  • Microsoft OneDrive, a cloud-based collaboration service for securely managing and sharing files and folders.
  • DocuSign, which provides a suite of services designed to help business owners collect electronic signatures and manage digital transactions.

Email

  • PennO365 is the University’s cloud-based email and calendaring service.

Telephone

  • PennFlex Phone is the University's enterprise telephony service that supports business operations for the campus, including phone forwarding and voicemail.
    Please be mindful of our limited capacity for call forwarding. If you do not need to answer live calls to accomplish your job, see this guide for instructions for receiving your voicemail via email, which you can then respond to at your convenience.

Teaching & Training Tools

  • The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Online Learning Initiative (OLI) have created a webpage with detailed instructions and guidelines for using the available online teaching tools (Canvas, Panopto, and PennZoom). Please take time now to familiarize yourself with this webpage.
  • On March 6, 2023, Workday Learning will replace Knowledge Link. University learners will not have access to job-related training between 5:00 p.m., Friday, March 3 and 9:00 a.m. Monday, March 6. University users with UPHS-affiliations will continue to have access to UPHS courses in Knowledge Link. See the Workday Learning Guide for more information. Workday Learning will connect University faculty, postdocs, staff, students and other workers with their required job-related training and other learning opportunities directly from Workday, the University's human capital management (HCM) platform.
  • LinkedIn Learning is an online training library that provides access to courses and tutorials covering a wide selection of topics and is available to faculty, staff, and students.

Security

  • Sophos Home, is the University's supported antivirus product for Windows and Mac OS operating systems. The software is site-licensed at Penn and available free of charge to members of the Penn community.
  • Firewall Services provide automated security tools used to filter out known malicious network traffic and protect server and end-user networks.
  • University Client Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides encrypted and authenticated access to the PennNet network using Two-Step Verification. (Learn more on getting started.)

Workday @ Penn

Penn workers have secure access to their personal information (compensation, pay, absence and leave, time reporting, and more) and related management responsibilities through Internet-enabled devices.

  • Access Workday through a web browser (Chrome is recommended).
  • Some self-service functionality is also available through the Workday Mobile App; access the download instructions on the Workday @Penn website.
  • Step-by-step instructions for all functionalities are available through the Workday@Penn tip sheets.
  • Non-exempt workers, managers, and timekeepers should continue to perform their time entry and timekeeping responsibilities during the period when the University recommends remote work.


Classroom Technology Services

ISC’s Classroom Technology Services provide numerous classroom AV options.


HR Guidelines

Work with your supervisor to determine if working remotely is an option.

Visit ISC on LinkedIn

Print
Security & Privacy Tips
  • Protect your Zoom sessions
  • Beyond Email: Safe Digital Sharing
Vendor Status Pages
  • Multi-vendor:  Downdetector.com
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Azure
  • Box
  • Canvas
  • DocuSign
  • Google G Suite
  • Microsoft O365 :: O365 Status Twitter :: (admin‑only info)
  • Panopto
  • Pantheon
  • Slack
  • VMware Cloud
  • Vonage
  • Zoom
  • Computing Policies
  • Tech Jobs @ Penn

© 2025 THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA — 3401 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 — Report accessibility issues and get help — For ISC Staff