The majority of positions at SVA require employees to be on campus to interact and collaborate with faculty, staff, students, and other members of the SVA community. That said, many departments at the college have embraced a hybrid approach to work. Additionally, if a public health crisis, weather emergency, natural disaster, or personal circumstance requires it, you may have to work from home for an extended period of time, depending on your position.
Security Tips for Remote Workers
There are steps we can all take to protect ourselves from cybercriminals. Everyone who is working remotely is encouraged to carefully review these security tips.
Think Before You Click. Cybercriminals are exploiting individuals seeking information about timely and pressing matters. They often distribute malware campaigns that impersonate organizations like the HHS, WHO, CDC, IRS, and other reputable sources by asking you to click on links or download relevant materials. Slow down. Don’t click. Visit a reputable website directly to access the content.
Lock Down Your Login. Create long and unique passphrases for all accounts and use multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible. MFA will fortify your online accounts by enabling the strongest authentication tools available, such as biometrics or a unique one-time code sent to your phone or mobile device. For your myID login, MFA is mandatory. We recommend using OKTA Verify or Google Authenticator apps, both of which are available for iOS and Android.
Secure Hardware. Home routers should be updated to the most current software and secured with a lengthy, unique passphrase. Employees should not connect to public Wi-Fi to access work accounts unless they are using a VPN to encrypt and secure their network traffic. *If a staff member frequently needs to connect from public internet locations or from restricted locations that limit the functionality of the college's remote services, a VPN account can be requested through the Help Desk.
Virtual Desktop Connectivity. IT can enable access to virtual desktop services via a couple of different approaches, should a staff member's computer be found to be underpowered for their remote work, and/or if there are potential security risks involved from running older operating systems and browsers. Please contact your manager to forward such virtual desktop requests.
Separate your network (optional) so your company devices are on their own Wi-Fi network, and your personal devices are on their own.
Keep devices with you at all times or store them in a secure location when not in use. Set auto log-out if you walk away from your computer and forget to log out.
Limit access to the device you use for work. Only the approved user should use the device (family and friends should not use a work-issued device).
Use company-approved/vetted devices and applications to collaborate and complete your tasks. Don’t substitute your preferred tools with ones that have been vetted by the company’s security team.
Update your software. Before connecting to your corporate network, be sure that all internet-connected devices ‒including PCs, smartphones, and tablets ‒ are running the most current versions of software. Updates include important changes that improve the performance and security of your devices. Pay special attention to operating system updates and patches (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android OS).
Accessing Work Remotely
Sign in to the myID dashboard at myid.sva.edu. Most applications are web-hosted and equally accessible when remote as they are when on campus, from the SVA and Apps sections on the dashboard. A few applications hosted on campus require access via the Working Remote section.
Available applications include:
- Google Workspace: SVA Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive
- Microsoft 365 Desktop and Cloud: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Teams
- Adobe Creative Cloud: Acrobat DC, Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, Lightroom, Fonts
- Resources Pages: informational sites for students, staff, and faculty with operational policies and forms
- MyServices: student and employee information, benefits enrollment, purchase requisitions, department budgets
- Canvas LMS: online learning management system and course materials
- Zoom: video conferencing and collaboration
- SVA Library databases
- LastPass: Enterprise password manager and secure vault
- Grammarly Premium: Grammarly helps users compose bold, clear, mistake-free writing through an AI–powered writing assistant
- IT Help Desk and Support Portal: ticket entry, AI chatbot, and helpful resources for tech needs
Mobile Applications
- GoSVA: Explore the campus on the go: access to academic information, facilities, department contacts, and campus maps; billing, SVA Library databases, Canvas LMS, Papercut, Campus Store, IT services and more. Visit go.sva.edu to get access to download links for iOS and Android.
Call Forwarding / Access to Cisco Voicemail
In the event employees are advised to work remotely, it is recommended that employees forward their office phones.
Staff and faculty members who have a Cisco IP Phone in their offices have access to Jabber. Think of Jabber as an extension of your phone. With Jabber on your iPhone, iPad or Android phone, you can make and receive calls as if you are in the office. Jabber can also use the camera in your computer or smartphone to make video calls with other Jabber users or with people who have video capabilities on their Cisco IP Phones. Jabber has text instant message capabilities but cannot record conversations.
Don’t have the Jabber client? You’ll still receive voicemail messages as an email attachment, so you’ll always know if someone has left you a message. If you’re on the road and need to let callers know you’re not in, use the Jabber application to access your voicemail, or use your mobile phone or a landline to set an extended absence greeting.
Call your campus phone number.
- ● When your voicemail message picks up, press *
- ● When prompted for your mailbox, enter the last four digits of your phone number, followed by #
- ● Enter your voicemail PIN. If you have forgotten your PIN, contact the help desk, and they will help you reset it.
- ● Follow the prompts to set an extended absence greeting, starting with Settings — option 4 from the main menu
Contact information
For help with myID, email, or any other campus system, visit support.sva.edu or contact the SVA Help Desk at 212.592.2400 (option 1) or helpdesk@sva.edu. The Help Desk is available Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.
In the event of any cybersecurity or privacy concern or to report suspicious activity, please email privacy@sva.edu. If your device has been compromised, please email us from a separate device and shut down (power off) the compromised device immediately.