University of Maryland Emergency Preparedness Information
Accessing University of Maryland Electronic Resources During an
Emergency
If campus is closed due to an emergency, many
University of Maryland (UM) electronic
resources such as e-mail, online course materials, and administrative systems
can still be reached via any connection to the Internet.
Secure Connections
No matter how you connect to the Internet, the Virtual Private Network
(VPN) client software can provide a secure, encrypted "tunnel" to the UM
network. It is always a good practice to use the VPN, but in some cases it
is required. The
Office of Information Technology (OIT)
Help Desk provides
additional
information and a link to download the software.
Due to a recent security bulletin affecting previous versions (prior to
version 4.8) of the VPN client, you are encouraged to download and install
the version currently available from OIT.
University of Maryland E-mail
E-mail may provide a vital link to colleagues and loved ones, as well as a
channel by which the University can supply you with timely information.
Pointers for accessing your UM e-mail,
(provided that you already have some form of Internet access) can be accessed
through the links we have available on this page.
Academics
There are many options available for staying connected with your students to
provide continuity for your course during a closure. They include:
Information on getting started with specific learning technology tools in case
of a closure can be found at the
Learning Technology
Emergency Preparedness page.
In addition, many academic journals and databases are accessible from
off-campus through the
UM Libraries Research Port.
Mainframe Administrative Systems
Employees who need administrative access to SIS, FRS, ARS and other mainframe
systems can do so securely with the
VPN
client (see above) or the
UM3270
Web based terminal emulator.
While VPN software has been available from OIT for some time, an additional
VPN profile (called UMapps) is now included that will provide encryption
for communication with systems in the OIT Data Center without impacting other
network uses.
Both methods of accessing the mainframe meet state audit requirements requiring
the restriction of direct access to the system and the encryption of sensitive
data.
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