Information Technology Services (ITS)

If you are a non-Digital Workplace client, please refer to EASI's remote guide for non-managed desktop users. This resource will answer your questions about devices and accessing work-related administrative systems, software and files.

Please refer to EASI's remote guide for non-managed desktop users.

UTORvpn is available to all community members who have a UTORid. It provides secure access to university networks from off-campus. To connect, follow the instructions in the VPN and secure remote access usage guide.

AdminVPN provides secure access to select enterprise applications (e.g. Repository of Student Information, Administrative Management Systems). It is available to active University of Toronto staff, faculty and librarians who have been granted access to AdminVPN protected resources. For more information, refer to KB0012987: How AdminVPN Works.

Remote Desktop Gateway (RDG) protects remote desktop connections between Windows systems. It replaces some of the historical uses of VPN services. Contact your local IT help desk for support.

Some university units operate unique VPN services for their own communities. Contact your local IT help desk for more information.

AdminVPN allows the owners of administrative and academic systems as well as department administrators to enforce strong authentication and secure connections. Access to AdminVPN is limited to those authorized to access the systems it protects.

Please email vpn@utoronto.ca and include your department file share server network information.

The University offers video conferencing solutions such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and others. Find out what enterprise video conferencing solutions might best suit your needs.

Microsoft Teams provides free, on-demand video conferencing that staff and faculty can use to host and run virtual meetings, presentations and office hours.

You need a faculty or staff UTORid to create a Teams meeting. However, participants do not have to have a UTORid to join Teams meetings – you can invite people from anywhere.

Visit the knowledge base for Microsoft Teams to learn more.

The capacity per meeting is 1,000 participants. For meetings over 1,000, meeting organizers should contact their divisional IT department for assistance, or Campus Events for assistance in using technology.

If you have questions related to Teams, please contact need.team@utoronto.ca.

Yes. Dial-in audio conferencing is available for all University of Toronto staff, librarians and faculty who are not able to connect to a Teams meeting through the app on their laptop or mobile device. Anyone who has the dial-in number and conference ID can join a Teams meeting, unless the meeting organizer has locked the meeting. Users do not need to be a member of a Team to join Teams meetings.

The University has identified the minimum technical requirements needed for students to access remote/online learning.

At a minimum, U of T's Information Security Council and Chief Information Security Officer recommend:

• Enroll in UTORMFA.
• Use supported versions of operating systems.
• Patch and update the operating system and software/applications with respect to security vulnerabilities.
• Have fully enabled, automatically updating anti-virus software for Windows computers where possible.
• Protect devices with strong passwords and/or biometrics.

For more information, review the information security remote work guidelines.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Canada’s authority on cyber security, provides advice and guidance for employees who are working remotely. Review these cyber security tips for remote work to ensure you are working safely.

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), an organization committed to developing and implementing policies that support Canada’s internet community, has a free cyber security course focused on security for remote workers.

To protect yourself from the dangerous effects of malicious software:

1. If you use a Windows computer, install Microsoft Defender (anti-virus for Windows); it is available at no charge on University-owned or leased equipment.
2. Enable automatic updates on your computer.
3. Only download and use products and software that are approved by your department.
4. Learn how to protect yourself from phishing attacks.
5. Promptly report incidents to your IT personnel.

If you suspect a phishing attempt:

• Do not interact with the sender. Do not click on links, download attachments, provide personal information or forward it to your contacts.
• If in doubt, call or ask the sender in-person to confirm if the email is really from them.
• Report the email to report.phishing@utoronto.ca and then delete it from your inbox.
• If you already engaged with the sender or clicked on a link or attachment, please contact security.response@utoronto.ca immediately for assistance.

The U of T Information Security Council and Chief Information Security Officer recommend:

• Enroll in UTORMFA.
• Encrypt data when stored on devices.
• Report to your local IT management and security.response@utoronto.ca any lost, stolen or compromised devices holding University data or those enrolled in a University authentication system as a trusted device.
• Use secure connection methods that are encrypted, such as a virtual private network (VPN), secure shell protocol (SSH) and transport layer security (SSL/TLS) to connect to University systems before accessing data.
• Store data on University-managed systems. Office 365 is considered a University-managed system for this purpose. Your department may have others.
• Do not share your devices with people other than those authorized to access the data.

For more information, review the information security remote work guidelines.

To ensure a quality audio and video connection:

• Make sure you are connected to high-speed internet and try to remain in close proximity to your Wi-Fi modem.
• Connect directly through an ethernet cable when possible.
• Disconnect from remote desktops or VPNs for the best connection quality.
• Join meetings from the Teams app (the version installed on your laptop, mobile device or desktop) as it has the greatest functionality.

For more information, review these good practices for Teams meetings and learn how to join a meeting and adjust your settings.

If you can’t hear or you can’t be heard by others, check your computer’s audio settings.

On a Mac:

• Navigate to System Preferences > Sound
• Use the output tab to set volume
• Use the input tab to set microphone

On a Windows PC:

• Navigate to Control Panel > Sound
• Adjust input (microphone) and output (speakers) as needed

If you experience choppy audio or video delays during a Teams meeting, you may not have enough bandwidth available from your internet connection. Try troubleshooting with these tips:

• Turn off the video feed from your camera (click on the camera icon on Teams until it is crossed out).
• Disconnect from any virtual private networks (VPN) or remote desktop connections. You do not need these to participate in a Teams meeting and they may slow down your connection.

Microsoft Teams is protected by the same security standards as Office 365. Details about security and compliance to standards are provided in Microsoft’s trust centre and have been reviewed by the University.

Teams customer data stays within the tenant, and the application enforces Team-wide and organization-wide authentication through active directory and encryption of data in transit and at rest. Files are stored in SharePoint and are backed by SharePoint encryption.

Learn more about Teams privacy and security and privacy for Microsoft 365.

All Teams users can make calls and receive calls from other Teams users. U of T staff and faculty who have an individual VoIP line that has been migrated to Teams have access to Teams Phone, which includes VoIP features such as call forwarding, voicemail and much more.

Visit the Teams Phone resources page and the Teams Phone migration FAQs for more information.

If you don't have a VoIP line and need one assigned to you, please speak with your manager.

No, it is recommended that clients do not connect to VPN services when using audio and video conferencing tools. Connecting to a VPN could result in poor audio and video quality.

Instructors can pre-record videos before the class or record live sessions. Self-service platforms such as Teams, Zoom and TechSmith Snagit are available, as well as technician-supported options with the Learning Space Management team.

Learn more about capturing lectures and other recording and sharing options.

Recorded lectures can be shared with students using various applications such as MyMedia, Microsoft Stream and other steaming services.

Learn more about capturing lectures and other recording and sharing options.

Information Technology Services offers a variety of U of T-integrated systems and tools to enhance your team's hybrid work experience, such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Review the videoconferencing solutions for more information.

Review these questions to ask yourself before planning a meeting room design and the pros and cons of using a Microsoft Teams Room or bringing your own device.

Contact your division's IT department for support, as they may have already developed meeting room configurations including setting up wired internet connections.

If you are interested in a more robust, formal meeting room set-up, the University has pre-approved suppliers for AV projects.

For meetings over 1,000 participants, meeting organizers should contact their divisional IT department for assistance, or Campus Events for assistance in using technology.

• Information Commons help desk
• University of Toronto Mississauga Information & Instructional Technology Services (I&ITS)
• University of Toronto Scarborough Information & Instructional Technology Services (I&ITS)
• Local IT help desks

• Faculty of Arts & Science, Information & Instructional Technology hub
• Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education – security tips
• Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering – Education Technology Office
• Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)

• Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation (CTSI)
• Course design
• CTSI consultations
• Educational technology
• Tool guide menu
• Online learning resources
• Online proctoring

Visit U of T’s central Information Security website for cyber security and privacy resources, news and guidelines.

• Enterprise videoconferencing & video meeting resources
• Virtual meeting backgrounds