Supporting "Work at home" internet connectivity

[M3Fan]

1. If a user is working from home and can't connect their laptop to their home's wireless or wired router, would this be the responsibility of the user or the company to troubleshoot it? Assume the laptop connects just fine in other scenarios.



2. Further, where does your company draw the line between company/IT responsibility and ISP responsibility for a user's home internet connection? What about with Verizon/ATT/T-Mobile "air cards"?



Any other input you have on how your company handles supporting folks who are "working from home" would be great.

 

[Bandenjamin]

1. If a user is working from home and can't connect their laptop to their home's wireless or wired router, would this be the responsibility of the user or the company to troubleshoot it? Assume the laptop connects just fine in other scenarios.
- If it's just to the router it would depend. If the router is supplied by the company, then it should be the company. If it is the user's personal router, then it would be their personal problem


2. Further, where does your company draw the line between company/IT responsibility and ISP responsibility for a user's home internet connection? What about with Verizon/ATT/T-Mobile "air cards"?
- We provide a Dialer that allows people dial up access. They are welcome to use their own home internet connections but our helpdesk doesn't fully support it. We have a VPN client that connects to our network, the dialer is completely separate, so the big test is if the laptop can get on the internet, if it can, we troubleshoot to ensure everything is set up correctly (often using the dialer to confirm that it is not an issue with the laptop). If we are out of options, it's off to ISP to troubleshoot. Same basic thing with the "air cards". Though we will get involved with the provider and work with them as they are supplied by the company. If it is user supplied (ie personal card) then, again, its the user's responsibility

Hope that helps.

--Dan
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain

 

[SQLBill]

1. Users. Once the user reasonably feels it is not their system and that it is the company's, they work with the company helpdesk to resolve the issue.

2. The line is drawn at the company's equipment. They cannot control anything outside their business.

Bottom line, if the user wants to work from home it is their responsibility to make sure they can connect and do so. Otherwise, the company has desks and computers that can be used just fine at work. You have to prove that the issue isn't your issue from your computer all the way to the company's network.

The company I work from allows us to work from home one day a week since we can be on call for a week and it's a way to check our connectivity. But if we can't connect, we have to go into work. (After a reasonable amount of troubleshooting). The company is only responsible for their network. They provide VPN methods for us to use, but they can't help us with our personal computers, ISPs we use, etc. Once we get to their network, then they can help us.

-SQLBill

The following is part of my signature block and is only intended to be informational.
Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[AndrewTait]

This can be somewhat confusing - One place I've worked at, supplied a company laptop, and vpn access. We were responsible for these items, but the user/users ISP was responsible for the cable/ADSL connection.

We would only support the connection if they used one of 2 models of router, both netgear, one for cable, one for ADSL. We would then support it on a best endevours basis. If they went outside of this agreement, it was their problem.

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I got to the edge of sanity....then i fell off
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[rolm9751]

If it is in the company's best interest that the work be performed from home, then the company should at least utilize it's own resources to troubleshoot the problem. For example, our company has a branch "office" in Denver. But it's really just the Denver Ops Manager's house. And his garage is the "warehouse". All of the (well 1 or 2)techs that work for that branch file their tickets remotely from his house. If they ever had a problem connecting, it would be in the best interest of the company to help fix it.