communication and collaboration
Communication and collaboration is available through the Office 365 suite, including all applications:
- OneDrive
- Outlook for email
- Microsoft Teams
All these applications can be accessed via Portal.office.com and signing in with your YSJ email and password
other apps
Some applications are available externally for Windows 10. This is provided by accessing https://appsanywhere.yorksj.ac.uk . Some applications are only available on campus and are not available externally are due to licensing or compatibility reasons. To check which applications are available contact IT Support.
AppsAnywhere is not compatible with Apple or Android devices, you must be running a full version of Windows 10 on a PC/Laptop. AppsAnywhere is not accessible from the Virtual Desktop
telephone system
Receiving Calls: Those who have an assigned telephone extension can login to the phone system whilst on campus to set up an auto-forward on received calls. This forward will work to any usual 01904 87xxxx numbers to a mobile or other number.
Making Calls: It is not currently possible to make outbound calls from the telephone system unless you are on the campus network.
Voicemail: From any other telephone anywhere, dial your own full external extension (DDI) number eg. 01904 87xxxx followed by “*” you will then be promoted for your mailbox password. On successful login, you can access the voicemail system for you fixed extension.
virtual Desktop
If you need access to the Universities U Drive and/or specific systems like SITS Client, Bond Client, KX Client or the Finance System you will need to use the Universities Virtual Desktop (VDI).
The Virtual Desktop (VDI) can be accessed via this link
We recommend that if you are using a University supplied device that you install the VMWare Horizon Client and if you are using your own personal equipment to use the HTML access. You can access the guide below.
A guide to Using the virtual desktop
(The VDI is currently on Windows 7 and is currently scheduled to be upgraded to Windows 10 on 17th March 2020)
Keeping in touch
How can I contact my colleagues?
Access to email is via the Outlook web app in Office 365. Login with your full email address and usual YSJ password.
If you want to have a quick chat, you can use Skype for Business, or Microsoft Teams to set up a 1-1 or group chat.
How can I access a shared mailbox?
To access a shared mailbox from Outlook web app, click on your account photo (top right) and select Open another mailbox. Type part of the mailbox name and select from the list. See Digital Training help on Using Office 365 Shared Mailboxes.
How can I work collaboratively on a project now I’m working from home?
Microsoft Teams offers the ability to set up a Teams space where you can work together with a group. There is a chat area in each team, a files space where you can upload and share files and you can create separate channels if there are smaller working groups within the team. This guide provides a quick introduction to the main functionality within Teams. For more detailed walkthroughs of Teams features, please select the relevant video in this list of video guides or watch the on demand training video on Mastering working from home with Microsoft Teams.
Top Tips for staying connected
- Set up a team with your colleagues to keep in touch while you’re off campus
- Pin important chats, hide or mute those you don’t work often in
- Manage notifications in your Profile Settings so you only get the notifications you need
Running meetings
How can I set up a remote meeting?
Set up Teams meetings easily from your Outlook Calendar by clicking on the day and time where you want the meeting to take place and then selecting Teams meeting as the location. See this guide on setting up Teams meetings for more guidance. Encourage people to turn their cameras on if they feel comfortable with this, as face-to-face interaction can help everyone feel a bit more connected.
How do I manage online meetings?
Ask people if they can mute themselves as they join the meeting if you are in a large group. This will help to keep sound down.
Suggest that people make use of the chat panel to ask questions if that is helpful.
Record your meetings if there are some people who can’t attend and would like to catch up afterwards. Make sure you let people know that you are recording if you do this.
What if I need to check something in a different Team during a meeting?
That’s okay. You can continue to use Teams during a meeting by clicking away from the meeting in the left hand menu and selecting a different team. You will continue to see a smaller pane with the meeting and to hear what is going on. See this guide for more details.
Top tips for meetings
- Use the meeting description to detail the agenda so people can prepare beforehand
- Use the chat section to share documents to read before the meetings
- If attendees are happy for the meeting to be recorded, this can be helpful for those who are unable to attend. You can also add automatic captions in Microsoft Stream.
- Use the mute all button if there are a lot of people in the meeting, to reduce background noise
Staying connected and bringing the team together
How can I stay connected with colleagues in other teams?
Make use of the chat feature in Teams to keep up conversations and continue sharing ideas with those outside your direct team.
What additional tools exist in teams to help my team work together?
Use Planner within teams to help your team set up and manage projects remotely.
Use the whiteboard in meetings to share and collaborate with your team. You will be able to access your whiteboard after the meeting through the chat menu on the left side of the Teams screen.
Top Tips for staying connected
- If you want to set up a meeting straight away, click on Calendar on the left side of the Teams screen, click on Meet Now at the top right of the screen. Once you’re in the meeting, start typing the names of attendees in the attendees box to invite them to the meeting.