Employee Guide to Getting Started with VIU Technology
Are you a new employee coming to VIU? Here are the basics you need to prepare to work on campus and to get connected. Set up your account, access email, work remotely, and more.
Your employee computer account is created through an automated system and is based on the information that has been provided to the HR department. The basic form takes up to the first 8 characters of your surname followed by your first initial. In some cases additional initials or a numeric value may be required to differentiate between usernames. Your username is not case sensitive, so Joe Name's username can be entered as namej or NameJ.
New employees will receive their username, email address, employee ID number, and default password from their manager. If you have not received your employee number, please contact your manager to obtain this before contacting IT.
Make sure to pick up your employee ID card. This card will be used as a library card, building access card, printing card, and gym access card. Please note that due to the current public health situation the process for picking up employee ID cards has temporarily changed. Please contact the Library Service Desk at library@viu.ca for details on picking up your employee ID card.
You will need to change your password before you can log in. Visit reset.viu.ca
Need assistance setting up your computer account? Check out:
For more information on VIU employee accounts and what you can access with them, visit: How Do VIU Employee Accounts Work?
- All employees at VIU who have a computer account also receive a VIU email account. This email account can be accessed on-campus by using Microsoft Outlook or off campus by using VIU Webmail.
- For more information about your VIU email address and accessing email on or off campus, visit: How Do I Access My VIU Email?
Anyone's computer can get a virus before you use your personal computer on campus. Take some initial steps to protect your computer, your data, and your identity.
- Visit our Computer Security page for more information on keeping your computer up to date, installing antivirus software, protecting your password, and backing up your files: Computer Security for On and Off Campus
- Microsoft offers Office 365 and Office for MAC to employees for free.
- For more information visit: How do I Get Microsoft Office 365 Apps for Free?
Microsoft has an excellent series of Digital Literacy free courses available. You will thank yourself if you do: Microsoft Digital Literacy
CUPE Training & Development information:
Computer Training Courses (VIU Professional Development and Training)
Note: Fully funded "Introduction to Computers", which is over $300, as an exception for any VIU CUPE staff who wishes to take this course. It is a course that covers both an introduction to computers and to Microsoft Office. If you know of staff who may need this course please let them know it is available.
Tuition payment is available for any two Professional Development and Training courses for Casual, Term or Regular staff up to $300 per course to a maximum of $600 per fiscal year.
Applications are available on the CUPE Training & Development website under the Funding tab.
As a new VIU employee, it is important that you understand how to use the university technology safely and appropriately. Please read the below Use of Information Technology policy before using campus technology including computers and campus wireless access.
The VIU-Secure wireless network is available nearly anywhere on campus, and you can log in using your employee computer account username and password.
- For information on wireless availability and for advanced instructions for connecting your device to the wireless, visit: How Do I Connect to Wireless (Wi-Fi)?
Network shares are spaces set up on the server whose intent is to provide an easy method for sharing files. In this way files can be shared by a department, by a small group of users, between an instructor and their students, or between students.
When you map a drive, you associate a drive letter with a path. It enables you to instantly jump to this shared location without having to go through a series of time-consuming steps.
- For more information about connecting to a Shared Drive, visit How Do I Map to a Shared Network Drive?
Printing at VIU is easy:
- Pick up your employee ID card. Please note that due to the current public health situation the process for picking up employee ID cards has temporarily changed. Please contact the Library Service Desk at library@viu.ca for details on picking up your employee ID card.
- Print your document. Choose "findme" from the list of printers.
- Tap your employee ID card your nearest Ricoh printer's card reader. You may have to enter your VIU username and password the first time you print.
- For more information about printing on campus, visit How Does Employee Printing Work?
All VIU employee have 10 GB of free private storage that's accessible from anywhere.
To access your U drive on a VIU computer: Click on the folder icon in the Windows taskbar. In the left margin, select "Computer" or "This PC". The U drive should be listed here.
- For more information about your U drive, visit What is a U Drive?
For employees working off campus, there are some resources available:
VIU Email
You can access your VIU email from anywhere.
How Do I Access My VIU Email?
VIU VPN
VPN allows you to establish a secure connection to the VIU network.
How Do I Create a VPN Connection to the VIU Network?
Network Shares
You can map to share drives you have access to.
How Do I Map to a Shared Network Drive?
U Drive
You can access your U drive off campus.
What is a U Drive?
Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop allows you access your VIU desktop from home.
How Do I Create a Remote Desktop Connection from Home?
Microsoft Office 365 Apps
You can download Microsoft Office 365 Apps on your home computer for free.
How Do I Get Microsoft Office 365 Apps for Free?
VIUOnline Rooms (Zoom)
Some meetings at VIU are hosted remotely on Zoom. Zoom is provided and supported by our friends at the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning. Find out more about Zoom and how to create an account by following the link below.
How Do I Use Zoom?
For more information, visit: the Working Off Campus section on the Get an Answer and Find a Service pages.
The VIU IT Service Desk is your front-line resource for help and technical support with VIU technology. We can also provide advice and guidance for using your technology with VIU systems. We are available by phone or email Monday to Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm Pacific.
- Email ithelp@viu.ca
- Phone 1-236-362-1121
The IT Service Desk Client Portal provides access to the Service Management system used by the IT Department to track and respond to requests for assistance from the VIU community.
All requests for VIU IT service or assistance result in the creation of a "ticket" with a unique ticket number. The ticket is used to track all work performed on the request and to ensure proper resolution. During semesters, IT can receive over 100 requests a day from emails, phone calls, or visits from students, faculty, and staff.
Using the IT Service Desk Client Portal allows clients to:
- Create tickets and later add additional information to open tickets
- Check on the status of your active tickets and review previously closed tickets
Here is our instructional page on Using the IT Service Desk Client Portal
You can find the IT Service Desk Client Portal on the right-hand side of all Technology @ VIU webpages,
There are many services used at VIU that are managed and supported by various departments, such as Human Resources, Print Services, CIEL, etc. Here are links to help pages for some of these services: