FAQ: Information Management (IM) and Information Technology (IT)

Note: This page has been archived and is no longer in use. For the most up-to-date COVID-19 FAQs, please consult the new Defence Team COVID-19 FAQs web page.

IT Assets and equipment

If I’m working from both home and the office, can I keep my DND-issued tablet/laptop at my home office? Or does it need to be returned?

Personnel who received DND-issued tablets or laptops are expected to use them as workstations when in the office or when working remotely. The only exception is when an employee works in a secure zone, in which case they will have a desktop at work and can leave their DND-issued tablets or laptops at home, stored securely out of sight.

Will there be enough computer equipment for personnel to have duplicates for at home and at work (including monitors, keyboard, etc.)?

Extra computers will not be supplied. If you are using a DND-issued tablet or laptop and you work in an area where those are permitted, you will not receive a second device.

DND/CAF will also not issue a second docking station, mouse, keyboard, or additional monitors. As a general rule during the pandemic, personnel were provided a primary workstation (monitor, mouse, keyboard, and laptop/tablet with a docking station). This should be used wherever the employee does the majority of their work. For the secondary location, personnel are responsible for the cost of supplementing the mobile device (tablet or laptop) if they so choose.

Personnel can learn more about the use of personal peripherals on DWAN equipment working remotely.

Should I return my equipment, and if so, how and where do I return it?

If personnel were supplied with a DND-issued laptop or tablet, as a result of working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will only be entitled to one device when returning to the office. These personnel should return their mobile workstation (laptop/tablet) if they will be working at the office. If personnel will now be working from home, or if they are in a hybrid work agreement, they should return their desktop device in the office workspace. Personnel must submit an EITSM Ticket to coordinate the return of their hardware. Personnel may reach out to their managers, should they have any doubt about their IT assets.

I bought IT equipment to meet my remote working needs. Can I be reimbursed?

Direction was issued on 11 September, 2020 on reimbursement of work-related expenses incurred between 13 March 2020 and 30 September 2021.  Personnel are able to claim up to $300 before taxes for certain expenses. You can refer to this article for more information. Personnel who required equipment to meet their remote working needs were guided to first use existing processes to relocate equipment from their office space.

Where can I go for more information and assistance on IT equipment for setting up a hybrid office and GC Wi-Fi?

Please submit a ticket through the Enterprise IT Service Management (EITSM) Self-Service Portal – IT Service Information/Help.

Defence 365

Will D365 continue to be used in the workplace? If so, in what capacity?

D365 is now permanently available to all Defence Team members and complements the existing enterprise network’s Virtual Private Network (T-DVPNI). The platform offers the Defence Team a modern digital workplace that enables new, more effective ways of working, enhanced collaboration, and employee engagement and agility.

Post pandemic, personnel will be able to continue to connect to D365 via a personal device (as well as the through the DWAN and government issued phones) to complete work and collaborate with their colleagues, in the workplace and from home.

If I have access to both the DWAN and D365, which platform should I be using when I return to work?

D365 is accessible on both the DWAN and personnel’s personal devices. Post pandemic, personnel can continue to connect to D365 at the workplace or remotely to complete work and collaborate with their colleagues.

Whether at work or working remotely, Defence Team members will continue to have access to both the DWAN and D365. However, which platform personnel primarily use to complete their work will depend on the nature of the work and the discretion of your manager. Please note that D365 can only be used for work up to Protected A, with the exception of discussions on MS Teams up to Protected B (with conditions), and is not to be used as a corporate repository to store information of business value.

How can I migrate my files from D365 to DWAN?

D365 is not a corporate repository and information of business value must be transferred to an approved corporate repository. When on DWAN you can connect to D365 and download your files to your DWAN computer and network folders.  You can read the transfer instructions.  Please note, this process only works for downloading folders from D365 to DWAN. Downloading files to personal devices are prohibited by security.

At the office, will I need bring my personal devices to work on D365? Or can I work on work devices with DWAN and use D365 there?

D365 is accessible on DWAN, so you will not need to bring your personal devices to the office. If your work devices have access to DWAN, you can access D365 services.

Should I be using the DWAN for video calls and screen sharing, while at work?

You can use DWAN for video calls and screen sharing while at work.  Some locations with limited DWAN bandwidth may have poor performance. In these cases, we recommend using audio only to improve connections and/or save bandwidth.

Can I forward my DWAN emails to my ECN/JDCP account?

No, you cannot automatically forward your DWAN emails to your D365 email account, as the system does not enable the viewing of sensitive content. You can, however, forward D365 email to your DWAN account, and you can also manually forward emails individually with non-sensitive content from your DWAN account to D365 email address.

Can I forward ECN/JDCP emails to my personal email?

Yes, you can forward email to personal addresses. You can only automatically forward D365 emails to your DWAN email address. Forwarding emails automatically to non-DND mailboxes is against information security policies.

Can I send attachments from ECN/JDCP account to my personal email?

Yes, you can send attachments if you provide a business justification. You can refer to the Spring Updates for Defence 365 and Microsoft Teams for more information.

Do I need to securely destroy my information on D365 if I’m returning to work?

No, you will not need to destroy your work on D365. The D365 platform is currently intended for transitory information only. All official records stored on D365 will need to be migrated onto an approved corporate repository. You can find instructions on how to transfer your information. Please note this process only works for downloading folders from D365 to DWAN. Downloading files to personal devices are prohibited by security.

Can I request to close my D365 account if I’ll only be working on the DWAN?

Accounts on D365 mirror your DWAN credentials. It is not possible to separate your D365 account from your DWAN account.

Can I request to close my DWAN account, if I’ll only be working on D365?

Accounts on D365 mirror your DWAN credentials. It is not possible to separate your DWAN account from your D365 account.

Will I be able to email people outside of the GoC from my D365 account soon?

Currently you can send emails to people outside of the GoC from your D365 account.  However, there are restrictions on sending attachments to people outside the GoC. You can refer to the Spring Updates for Defence 365 and Microsoft Teams.

Will ECN emails always be in use? How will I know which email address to use when I go back to the office?

When returning to work, people can continue to use both their D365 and DWAN accounts in the same manner as they did when working remotely during the pandemic or via T-DVPNI.

Will leadership emails continue to use distribution on both ECN/JDCP and DWAN emails?

As Defence Team members continue to work on D365, leadership is encouraged to ensure emails continue to be distributed to both email addresses.

Where can I go for more information and assistance on D365?

For more information about D365, please visit DND/CAF’s Working Remotely page.

For assistance with D365, please submit a ticket through the EITSM Self-Service Portal. If you don’t have DWAN access, use the EITSM D365 Non-DWAN Service Request Form.

Personnel can also access the D365 My Info: Secure Self-Service Portal to reset their passwords, re-register their multi-factor authentication, perform a session revoke or account refresh.

Network

NDHQ Carling: Can I use GC Wi-Fi (provided throughout the common areas) to access D365 and the DWAN?

Yes, GC Wi-Fi can be used to work on both DWAN and D365.

Will the bandwidth be slower at the office when we all return?

Though this is dependent on any local upgrades to network infrastructure, users should expect that bandwidth will be the same at the office as it was prior to the pandemic.

Will T-DVPNI’s capacity be downgraded as people return to work?

There is no plan to downgrade the T-DVPNI capacity as people return to work.

Can I connect my personal device to T-DVPNI?

No, personal devices cannot use T-DVPNI. This IT gateway is designed to allow only DWAN computers to join the DWAN infrastructure.

Where can I go for more information and assistance for network issues, bandwidth and GC Wi-Fi?

Please submit an incident through the EITSM Self-Service Portal if you are experiencing issues. For information and help, please use the appropriate service offering through the EITSM Self-Service Portal.

IT Updates

Will there be any software updates that require me to go in the office if I am working indefinitely from home?

Currently, there are no software updates that will require users to go back into the office. We have been able to deploy all software updates to T-DVPNI users without requiring them to go in, including Operating System feature updates and security suite upgrades. We’ve also been including recovery programs when pushing out certain upgrades to minimize the number of users that need to go into the office after an upgrade.

Will passwords need resetting soon?

DWAN passwords periodically expire, regardless of Business Resumption, or your location of work, whether that is in the office or at home. We will be notifying users when the change is required and you will be able to update passwords from wherever you are working. Those with a government issued phone will also need to update their password on this device.

Personnel can change their passwords using one of the two following methods:

  • During a DWAN session, press your Ctrl-Alt-Delete keys (at the same time) and select “Change a password,” or
  • Use the Self-Serve Password Reset (SSPR) found at your login screen and if you have not already done so, please enroll soon.

Will my PKI card need any updates?

There will be no PKI card update required related to returning to the workplace or working from home indefinitely. There will be no need to update PKI passwords either.

IM/IT Security

How do I know emails about BRP are legitimate? I’m worried about phishing.

DND/CAF will only send emails to Defence Team members about BRP from official DND/CAF email addresses.

The DWAN and D365 have some protection against malicious email attachments and links, however personnel are asked to exercise caution in handling emails related to COVID-19 and BRP. This includes verifying the source of the email, its subject line, attachments, or hyperlinks. Users are also advised to be wary of potential social media pleas, texts, or calls related to COVID-19 and BRP.

The following precautions are highly recommended:

  • Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails and be wary of email attachments;
  • Use trusted sources such as legitimate government websites for up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID-19 and BRP;
  • Do not reveal personal or financial information in email, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information.

How is all the COVID-19 and personnel data DND/CAF has collected during the pandemic being kept secure?

All information is stored and archived pursuant to NDSOD chapter 6: Security of Information.

DND/CAF employees are trained and made aware of how to manage DND/CAF information securely, based on the level of sensitivity of the data. Information of business value is classified and saved on the appropriate platforms, such as GCDOCS, and protected with permissions. When other platforms are used, such as the DWAN file systems, all Protected B information is encrypted using PKI smart cards.

How do I find out who my Unit Security Supervisor (USS) and/or Information System Security Officer (ISSO) is to verify my building pass, ID card etc. are working?

In accordance with National Defence Security Orders chapter 1, every unit/directorate must have an ISSO and a USS. Management staff or supervisors should be able to assist. For users in the NCR, you can visit the NCR ISSO Contact list.

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