Following the email from the President, KITS is taking steps to support telework for the majority of NRC employees. This will be organized in phases over the week as we receive everyone’s IT requirements.
Government of Canada (GC) bandwidth
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is working with Shared Services Canada and departmental Chief Information Officers to maximize the federal internet bandwidth in order to support telework and prioritize network access tied to critical operations. Please follow these best practices in your use to ensure that everyone can use the network to do their work:
- Use mobile devices whenever possible to send and receive emails;
- Connect to VPN to get what you need from the corporate network and disconnect, which allows for others to do the same;
- Access only IT applications that you need to do your job;
- Limit the use of video conferencing on the GC network when audio conferencing will suffice as video is taxing on the network;
- Localize any files before leaving the office;
- Download large documents outside normal business hours; and
- Don’t forget to bring home your computer, charger, docking station, keyboard, headset if you require them to perform your work duties.
In addition, KITS is working on deploying collaborative tools this week onto our computers that are connected to the NRC network. Those tools should be used without connecting to the GC network via VPN.
When will I get all my equipment/access to the NRC’s network?
We have a number of scenarios that may impede employees from teleworking effectively, including basic access to email and/or to standard working environment. This weekend, KITS has been working to address those scenarios and, in collaboration with the Client Service Centre (CSC), established a dedicated team to respond and support employees who require assistance for working remotely.
- If you can currently work remotely:continue to telework by following the best practices guidance above.
- If you have devices with remote work capabilitiesbut have not used the devices frequently: please start this device and ensure it is connected to the NRC network in order that it can obtain the latest updates and patches. Please be patient as the updates may require some time and may require reboots. Contact the Client Service Centre at 613-990-0333 or 1-855-998-0333 for assistance if required.
- If you don’t have a device capable of remote work:Contact the Client Service Centre at 613-990-0333 or 1-855-998-0333 for assistance to make arrangements.
Additional updates and information on how to maximize collaboration will be communicated over the coming days.
Thank you all in advance for your flexibility and patience as KITS and SSC are working around the clock to ensure that all NRC employees can telework.
Paul Cooke
Deputy Chief Information Officer