Remoting Into Your Office Machine
Sometimes it is more practical or even needed to use your own office machine. This may occur if your home computer is not fast enough to run a program you want or if you need to use software that is only licensed/installed on your office machine. Once your home computer is set up with the VPN, you can now remote into your office machine.
The method shown in this document allows you to access your office machine as if you are actually there in your office.
Please be sure you have followed the directions from the VPN Home Access Article before continuing to this section. This will not work otherwise.
Office Computer Requirements
If you plan on remoting into your home computer, You should also prep your office computer. The process will be the same as the Security section for your home computer. This means installing the latest security updates and scanning for any malicious programs. You will not need to install the VPN client on your office machine. You will need to know the name of your office machine which can be found in the control panel - directions for that can be found in the Finding Office Machine Name section below. Be sure to leave your computer on so you can remote into it from home.
Security
Updates
A great way to help prevent any unwanted incursions is to update your computer to the latest security updates.
MacOS: Open up System Preferences. Click on the Software Update panel. If you are not up to date then click on the Update Now button. Otherwise, it will say you are up to date and not offer a button to click.
Windows 7: Open up Microsoft Security Essentials and click on the Update tab. Then click on the Update button. Note: Microsoft does not support Windows 7 anymore. It is not recommended to continue to use this operating system. If you have a machine with Windows 7, please contact Technology Services at 816-271-4555.
Malicious Programs
You should be sure your computer is not infected with any viruses, malware, etc. before connecting to the campus network. To do this, run a full scan with whatever scan/removal tool you normally use. This document will provide instructions for the default Windows 7 and Windows 10 software that is installed with every machine. Note : If you use a different program to scan/remove malicious programs, the Windows default options will likely not work.
Windows 7: Open up Microsoft Security Essentials. In the home tab, there is an option for a Quick Scan or Full Scan. Choose Full Scan this time then click the Update button. This will likely take a while to scan the entire drive but will ensure there are no malicious programs on your computer. After this is finished, it is recommended to schedule a periodic quick scan and a less frequent full scan.
Windows 10: In the search bar on the taskbar, search for Windows Security. Click on the Virus & Threat Protection tab. Click on Scan Options and choose Full Scan this time. This will likely take a while to scan the entire drive but will ensure there are no malicious programs on your computer.
After this is finished, it is recommended to schedule a periodic quick scan and a less frequent full scan.
Finding Office Machine Name
MacOS
Go to your search bar and type in the word “Terminal”. A box will open up that will allow you to type commands. Type in the command hostname and it will show a name similar to
On your home computer, if you are using MacOS you will need to install the Microsoft Remote Desktop client from the App Store. The application will be free. Double check that the application is created by Microsoft and download it to your computer. We recommendthis article for using the application. Once remoted into your office machine, you should be able to view your desktop as if you were in your office. Before you can remote into any computer, be sure you are connected to the VPN.
