Return to Campus Technology Readiness Checklist

If you are experiencing any issues with your computing equipment, please contact the Staff Service Centre .

The following checklist can be used as a guide to confirm your technology is ready for use:

►  Returning computers and peripherals to campus

If you brought computing equipment home there may be a few considerations now that the equipment is returning to campus. 

Important things to note:

  • Staff are only provided one set of equipment, regardless of whether or not they work in multiple locations
  • If you do not have a University or department provided computer, please submit a ticket with IST and we will assist you
  • IST only provides a loaner computer for staff who may have a device out for repair or warranty work.  If you forget your computer at home you will need to make other arrangements for a device or your work schedule.  

►  When returning to work full time:

  • Make sure you return all of your University equipment to campus. 
    • Your computer (desktop or laptop)
    • Your peripherals, which may or may not include:
      • Monitor, keyboard/mouse, webcam, power adapter and cables
    • Please contact your department if you require a list of the equipment you took to utilize at home
    • Reconnect your workstation at your desk
      • For Desktops: Connect your monitors via the video cables, followed by ethernet for network access, then any USB peripherals, followed by power.  
  • For Laptops: Setup your docking station or docking monitor if available.  Connect your monitors, ethernet, and peripherals to the dock, and then connect the docking solution to your laptop.  

►  When returning to work in a hybrid setting (at home and in office):

Staff working in multiple locations may face unique challenges when connecting on site.  Please take note of the following information to help you when working in multiple locations. 

  • Staff working in a hybrid setting will require a laptop computer
    • If you do not have a laptop device, please contact IST and identify that you are a ‘hybrid’ staff member.  We will work with you and your department to come up with a solution.  
  • Staff who do not have a dedicated office may be utilizing spaces designated for drop in.  
    • Modern laptops and docking solutions connect via USB-C, making connecting simple - one cable for everything! 
    • Older laptops may have proprietary docking connections and will need adapters or other solutions for connectivity.  
    • High performance devices, like Dell Precision laptops, require their own power adapters when docking in these spaces 
    • Connecting via ethernet is required to access department resources like network drives and printers; if you have to connect via WiFi you will need to also connect to the Campus VPN to access these resources

Once you’ve finished connecting your device, please power on the computer and login to the PC. 

  • Confirm that you can login without any issue 
    • Ensure that you have a network or internet connection
    • Make sure all your connected peripherals are functioning as expected
  • You may experience some challenges when logging in, particularly if you are accessing a computer that hasn’t been used in some time.  Some common issues are:
    • Your computer login password may have expired and need to be reset
    • Your computer login account may be expired or disabled
    • Your computer may have lost ‘trust’ with the domain and is preventing you from logging in
    • Computers or peripherals may have been disconnected or moved without your awareness
    • Please contact IST if you experience any issues logging in to your device after connecting your equipment. 

If your computer hasn’t been used in some time, it will likely require updates to both the Operating System and any installed software on the computer.  

You can expedite the process by manually checking for updates. Follow the instructions below based on the operating system you have installed:

Please take the following into consideration when installing updates:

  • Plan time to complete updates: If your computer is older, or it’s been a while since it was last used, updates may take longer and in some cases several hours.  
  • Avoid critical work during updates: Your computer will likely need to restart at least once during the update process; avoid critical work and save often!

Verify the applications you need are still installed and working as intended. Make a list of the applications you use regularly and test them one at a time.

  • Some applications will update automatically when open or may need to be updated manually.
  • You may notice software that requires a license purchase or subscription may have expired.
  • The following list of software is included on your Windows or macOS computer, and is required to be installed.  If you are missing any of these software components please contact IST and log a ticket.  
    • Windows 10 or 11: Click Start > Search > Type ‘winver’ and press Enter
    • macOS 12 (Monterey) or newer: Click the Apple logo > About This Mac
    • Microsoft Office
    • Cisco Secure Endpoint
    • Cisco Secure VPN 
    • Alertus Desktop

Check that any printers that you wish to connect to are installed in the Printer settings menu in Windows or macOS.  

For Windows: Click Start > Search > Printers and Scanners

For macOS: Click the Apple logo > System Preferences > Printers & Scanners

  • Network printers (Xerox) and copiers may have been replaced or even removed for cost savings.  Confirm with your department what printers are still available for use.  
  • If you have a shared network printer that is not printing, try turning the printer off and on again. 
  • A reminder that printers must be hard-wired by ethernet or USB; wireless printers are not able to be configured for use on campus

Verify that you can access files stored on network file servers (these are also often referred to as "file shares" or "network drives").  

To confirm the network drives you have access to click Start > File Explorer > This PC (left pane)

  • If you are missing any network drives, please log a ticket with IST here.  
  • Provide as much detail as possible.  If you don’t know the full drive path, the letter and name together are helpful.  
    • For example, saying “I need access to the R drive” does not provide us with enough information, but saying “I need access to the R drive named x” does

University employees may have access to landline phones, Cisco VoIP phones, or softphones installed via software on your PC.  

If you don’t have access to your phone, or you are having issues connecting to your phone, reach out to your Telephone Expense Management System (TEMS) contact to request assistance.  TEMS contacts will coordinate with IST to assist with phone issues.  


  • While your CCID doesn’t provide access to your computer, we recommend enrolling in Self Service Password Resets to ensure you can reset your CCID password as needed
  • It’s recommended to always connect to the wired network on campus where applicable; UWS and eduroam do not provide access to printer or network drive resources
    • When connected to the wired network, turn off your VPN services (unless it’s specifically required for your work function) 
  • When connecting to the wireless network, start using eduroam over UWS as the latter is being decommissioned
    • Some services may be accessible over wireless using your department VPN context