Traveling outside Canada and using OC resources

Traveling outside Canada?

In advance of your travel plans, preferably 3 days notice, notify IT security / services of your travel plans so your account won't be accidentally locked.

  • Monitoring systems will flag / block foreign access to services and this may cause your account to be locked.

In the ticket, please identify:

  • Destination(s) (including Country).
  • Starting and ending dates of your trip
  • Who is travelling (especially if more than one)

 

When traveling outside Canada, please be aware of the following:

  1. Ensure you connect only to WIFI networks you can be confident are trustworthy. This is not a guarantee they are secure, just a higher chance they are not compromised. For example:
  • official hotel WIFI
  • published airport WIFI networks (usually advertised by the airport authority or mobile carriers responsible.)
  • known businesses
  1. Always be cyber-aware - review latest cyber-security training from the college or trusted online sources.
  2. Protect your passwords.
  3. Use VPN whenever possible.
    • Be aware some countries ban / have criminalized the use of VPNs.
  4. Ensure you have enabled multi-factor authentication on your OC Microsoft 365 account.
    • And any other accounts you will require access to.
    • Don't rely on your cell-phone receiving text messages until you have tested it.
    • If you have an international phone number, you can add that to your M365 account as another verification method.
  5. Be aware of the time zones - sometimes IT schedules maintenance work for after hours Pacific Time.
  6. Avoid using devices not your own or ensure to change your passwords upon your return.
  7. All OC IT services should function the same as when you are at home or on campus.
    • Some OC applications will only work with VPN when off-campus.
    • If an application is asking for information or behaving different than normal, sign off and ask IT to check your account security.
  8. Avoid accessing sensitive OC material or applications from insecure or public locations.

 

OC VPN outside of Canada?

Before leaving Canada, please notify IT Services of the country you will be visiting, the dates you will require access to the OC VPN, and which specific VPN you will be using, as Okanagan College has several.

Due to IT security restrictions, a temporary access exception will be created to ensure you can connect to the appropriate VPN during your time outside the country.

 

 

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IT Security
The IT Security department within the IT Services portfolio is OC’s center of expertise for cybersecurity advising and activities including assessment, auditing, monitoring, investigation, technology selection, awareness training and incident response.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Starting in spring 2022, Okanagan College will begin rolling out Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) to all faculty, staff, and students for Microsoft 365 and OC applications. MFA adds an additional layer to the login authentication process. In addition to the account username and password and third piece of validation is required typically from a time sensitive phone application.
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