Resources listed here provide help with working remotely. See Remote Resources for Students if you are attending a program at CUIMC.
Only Medical Center resources should be used for remote access, conferencing, etc. when conducting University business. Programs and resources on this page meet all levels of data protection requirements except where explicitly noted.
For Microsoft 365 apps such as Teams, SharePoint, Office, Outlook, and OneDrive, this typically means signing in to https://www.office.com with your full CUIMC email address (uni@cumc.columbia.edu) and email password rather than a personal Microsoft account.
See our video for quick help setting up CUIMC VPN.
CUIMC VPN is required only when accessing CUIMC on-site systems (i.e., a computer via Remote Desktop) and data from a remote location (network drives). A VPN is not needed to reach apps.nyp.org to access Epic, myColumbia, RASCAL, Teams, many medical journals, etc. You will be able to access most CUIMC campus resources without using a VPN connection, especially those that prompt UNI to log in via your web browser.
The three common remote work situations that require the use of a VPN are:
About CUIMC VPN provides an overview and links to instructions for set up and use on computers and devices, or see video instructions. You must have set up CUIMC Duo (links are also included in the VPN instructions) to use CUIMC VPN.
Zoom at CUIMC is HIPAA-compliant web conferencing software with free Basic Accounts for Columbia faculty, researchers, admins and staff. Pro, Shared, and Event accounts can be requested using our form. See Zoom Video Conferencing for account and support details, or get help with training, guides, and security best practices.
Remote Desktop is a feature of Windows computers, allowing you to use an off-campus computer to connect to and use your on-campus PC, including any stored files and installed applications.
Call forwarding from most campus desk phones/extensions can be invoked by one of two methods:
Call forwarding can be canceled by entering #22 or pressing the FORWARD key on the desk phone.
Your campus phone greeting can be updated to advise callers of any changes to your availability or contact details, and your messages can be retrieved from off-campus. See Using Voice Mail for full instructions. You can also now Request Call Forwarding from Off-Campus.
Columbia faculty with a CWID and appointment at NYP can request access to WebEx for online conferencing by contacting the NYP help desk: Ext. 4-Help (212-746-4357) or servicedesk@nyp.org. User guides are on the NYP IT Operations page (log in with CWID if prompted).
Current CUIMC faculty, staff, and students can use HIPAA-compliant Teams for real-time communication and collaborative work, including chat, web conferencing (up to 250 people, video and audio), shared document libraries and more. Individuals create and manage their own Teams via intuitive web and app-based platforms as well as scheduling via Outlook. Full details, including links to help and tutorials, are on our Microsoft 365 Teams page, the Microsoft Teams for remote workers quick guide (PDF), and instructions for copying files to Teams.
SharePoint sites provide HIPAA-compliant collaboration for intranet communications, teams, and projects, including document libraries for file sharing and storage, lists for tracking items, and web pages for communications. Individuals can create a site and assign access and apply different levels of permissions to others at CUIMC.
You can easily copy the files your team is working on to a SharePoint Site or Team Site to facilitate remote work. See instructions here.
OneDrive for Business is HIPAA-compliant file storage for your individual files and folders, providing 1TB of space. It is easy to access from any internet-connected computer or device via a web browser or the app and can be used to share files with others at CUIMC. Be sure to review all User Responsibilities. It is not intended to replace departmental network drives, SharePoint, or other solutions that provide centralized permissions, ongoing collaboration, etc.
Not all emails need #encrypt; it is only required when sending ePHI (in the message or as an attachment) to an email address that does NOT end in @cumc.columbia.edu, @nyp.org, or @med.cornell.edu. For full details, see When is Secure Email Required. Redacting PII or other sensitive and confidential data is not necessary if shared with Columbia University or stored internally via approved methods listed on this page (SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Network Drives). Please be sure to use specific sharing permissions for access to other users or groups.
It is good practice to password-protect documents with PII that are likely to be broadly shared but not necessarily used for internal operation. IMPORTANT: Password-protected documents cannot be sent or received via email; instead, please use #encrypt. See Secure Email for details.
BYOD (bring your own device) mobile devices can be set up for secure access to some clinical programs. See instructions to install Ivanti at Work on an iPhone/iPad and Android device, and visit the Mobile Device Management page for help with ordering and setting up mobile devices for clinical use.
The NYP StoreFront, which replaced the External site ITA, can be used from off-campus for secure access. It works from any current web browser. For this to work, you must install Citrix. Please see Remote Access for NYP Apps.
Columbia Research's COVID-19 pages include Communicating with Research Subjects Remotely for guidance on apps that can be used to contact research subjects. Note that:
Online journals, books, and other Health Sciences Library resources are available from off-campus through any web browser. You must start from a link in the HSL website, such as the Explore Resources page, then log in with your active UNI and password when prompted.
The Aruba WAP Request form can be submitted for CUIMC Call Center or Customer Service staff needing the devices for remote work.