Devices
Collaboration Tools
Network Resources
- Departmental Data Storage
- Personal Data Storage
- Data Management
- Virtual Private Network Access (VPN)
Security
Additional Resources
Devices
Your Computer and Active Directory
Your Mercer computer is purchased by your department and maintained by Mercer IT. We partner with Apple and Dell to provide several computing options to Mercer employees. For more information, visit our page on Purchasing. IT provides technical support, free of charge, during specific life cycles as outlined per our Computer Equipment Service and Support Policy. Our support covers setup and configuration of your system, Mercer software application installations, and general computer troubleshooting and assistance.Active Directory is a central database containing information about Mercer employees that is used for authentication purposes to provide access to Mercer's secure network and resources. Your Active Directory account is your ticket to most Mercer systems and resources. Your username is typically your last name followed by an underscore and your first and middle initial (example: doe_jm). Your username and password will be used to access your computer, email, the wireless network, Mercer Applications, Workday, and others.
Your department purchases your Mercer office phone. IT will establish telephone service for you upon request from your department. For more information, visit our page on the Cisco Telephone System.
Mobile devices may be used to connect to Mercer's network and email system. Due to the plethora of personal devices on the market today, we cannot guarantee connectivity or provide support above general access and configuration.
Note: Changing or resetting your password changes your password for the following systems: Windows computers, email, MyMercer, Mercer Applications, the MU-Secure wireless network, CampusNexus, and Workday, and others.
Mercer IT uses Microsoft Exchange Online to manage and store email, contacts, and calendars. As a result, Microsoft Outlook is the most compatible, reliable, and robust email client to use. IT installs and configures Outlook on all Mercer computer systems. Your email, contacts, and calendar items reside on the Exchange Online server for the purpose of security, back-ups and ease of access from multiple devices.
You are provided with 50 GBs of storage space on the Exchange Online server.Practicing regular email maintenance will assist in keeping you under your 50 GB email quota. For more information and frequently asked questions, visit our page on Email.
You can use https://www.office.com to access your email, calendars, contacts, and tasks when you do not have access to the Microsoft Outlook desktop application.
Phishing scams are attempts to trick you into releasing your email, bank, credit card, or other private information to an unidentified individual. They are usually carried out via email, but can also occur via phone calls where a scammer claims to be a representative of your school, bank, or some other organization. For more information, visit our page on Phishing.
If you receive a suspicious email, click here to review a current list of known phishing attempts. If your email is not shown in the list, contact the IT Help Desk immediately.
Collaboration Tools
The following
collaboration tools
are available for use by all employees. Most of these tools can be
used with
mobile devices and without a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
connection. For more information, visit the
Collaboration Tools
website.
Canvas is an online course system that supports supplementary learning tools in an online environment. Instructors can share course materials (e.g., course syllabus, supplemental readings), post announcements, edit course calendars, track and calculate grades, or start online discussion boards using Canvas. Canvas accounts are created for all new employees during the IT employee setup process. For more information, visit our page on Canvas.
Mercer IT offers access to Microsoft Teams to all faculty, staff, and students. Microsoft Teams is cloud-based team collaboration software that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite of applications. Microsoft Teams accounts are created for all new employees and installed on your office computer during the IT employee setup process. For more information, visit our page on Microsoft Teams.
Mercer IT offers access to Zoom to all faculty, staff, and students. Zoom Video Conferencing is a simple to use cloud-based video solution that offers many features including integration with Canvas, hosting online meetings, video conferences, webinars, questionnaires within meetings, and much more. Zoom accounts are created for all new employees and installed on your office computer during the IT employee setup process. For more information, visit our page on Zoom.
All faculty, staff, and students receive free Zoom cloud storage. In order to maintain this free service, per the Zoom Cloud Storage Policy, all Zoom recordings over 180 days are automatically deleted at the end of each semester.
Network Resources
Departmental Data Storage (M: Drive)
Many departments at Mercer have shared network resources. Shared network resources, located on Mercer’s secure servers, are a set of files and folders with materials available to everyone in your department. Mercer IT will provide you with access to these shared resources during your new employee setup process.
Personal Data Storage (P: Drive)
Mercer IT also provides personal network resources. Personal network resources, located on Mercer’s secure servers, is a folder that can be used for data storage and only accessible to you personally. You are provided with 1 GB of storage space on your personal shared drive (P: drive). If you require more storage space, it can be purchased through IT. For more information, visit our page on Services & Fees. Mercer IT will provide you with access to these shared resources during your new employee setup process.
Data Management
It is a vital part of your job here at Mercer to respect and
protect all personal data collected on our students and employees.
Therefore, all Mercer data should be stored in either a
departmental or personal network location. When you log into any
Mercer computer, your M: and P: drives will be automatically
mapped to these network locations. If you are a Mac user, Mercer
IT will create an alias to these locations on your Mac desktop.
Virtual Private Network Access (VPN)
In order to access a shared network resource off-campus, you and your computer must be set up with VPN access. IT can assist select employees with establishing this access. For more information, visit our page on VPN Access.
Security
Your Mercer username and password grants you access to many different Mercer resources. Keeping that password secure is very important. Listed below are some common best practices.- Never share your password with anyone else.
- Never write your password down.
- Never leave your computer unattended without locking or logging off of your system. You can quickly lock your system by using the Windows key + L.
- Change your password periodically.
Your department provides you with a computer system to make it
easier for you to accomplish the tasks associated with your job.
You should not download and/or install any software, which is not
work-related. The most typical way in which viruses and malware
infect a system is through downloaded software. If you have a need
for a software package which was not installed by Mercer IT,
contact the
IT Help Desk
to ensure you get a properly licensed, legitimate copy of the
application. For more information, visit our page on
Security Best Practices.
Mercer IT attempts to protect you from spam, viruses, and other scams by filtering spam emails, automatically installing software security patches, and constantly updating our antivirus software. For more information, visit our page on Virus and Spam Protection.
Mercer's IT department has implemented industry-standard network and system security measures to ensure our employees and students are protected from computer security breaches and vulnerabilities. We have also compiled a list of security best practices to help you help yourself. For more information, visit our page on Security Best Practices.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is an authentication method that allows access to an application or website after successfully presenting two or more verification factors. Instead of using just a username and password, MFA requires additional verification to help keep your accounts secure. This extra layer of security means that if your password is hacked, your account will remain secure. MFA is used with Mercer applications, including mobile BearCard ID, Canvas, Workday, Zoom, and Microsoft 365.
Additional Resources
CampusNexus Student is a fully unified academic and administrative enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution used to service students at every stage and touch point of their academic experience, from admissions to alumni relations. For more information, visit our page on CampusNexus Student.Mercer IT offers access to Echo360 to all faculty, staff, and students. Echo360 is an active learning platform that allows instructors to capture, edit, and distribute lectures and screencasts. Classrooms across Mercer's campuses are being equipped with Echo360 which can be used to record live classes, including audio, video, and more. Echo360 accounts are created for all new employees and installed on your office computer during the IT employee setup process. For more information, visit our page on Echo360.
The IT Self-Service Portal is used to request technology services, report an incident, check the status of existing tickets, and view IT announcements, all in one convenient location! You can access the portal at https://ithelp.mercer.edu. When prompted, enter the same login credentials used to access your computer and/or MyMercer.
MyMercer
is a unified academic and administrative platform used to service
students at every stage and touch point of their academic
experience, from admissions to alumni relations. All current
faculty, staff, and students use MyMercer on some level to perform
day-to-day functions and access data. For more information, visit
our page on
MyMercer.
Workday
Workday is Mercer's cloud-based financial, Human Resources, payroll, benefits, and budgeting software system. In Workday, Mercer employees will have access to a variety of self-service options. That means you can view, update and manage your personal information, multiple job-related tasks, and much more. For more information, visit the Workday FAQ website.
On-demand training materials, including quick guides and videos, are available in Canvas. You may access these resources at any time and learn from them at your own pace. Visit Canvas: https://canvas.mercer.edu and log in using your Mercer credentials.