New Starter Guide

Owned by Elaine Keogh
Last updated: Mar 27, 2024 by Emily Carver

The University provides IT services from many different places and departments and it can be confusing for new starters to figure out where to go for help. This page has links to some of the common questions that we get asked. Click on the links in the table of contents below to jump to a section. These may in turn lead to other Guides, University or CSCS websites. There are many more guides than the ones referenced below. Feel free to go to the CSCS Guides homepage and search for other IT-related information.



Get Information or Help:

CSCS run a dedicated service desk Monday to Friday from 09:00 until 17:00, we are also working remotely but are still able to assist with the vast majority of issues and requests. If you need any technical support or advice, you can log an incident or request a new service using our self-service portal here: CSCS Service Desk

Other help and information:

CSCS Services

The Clinical School Computing Service offers many IT services, including computer support, email and file storage facilities. You can find a catalogue of all services and links to forms to request them here:  CSCS Services and How to Access Them.  Use of any services provided by the CSCS are subject to the Acceptable Use Policy.

CSCS Account

You may have been given a CSCS account to log on to a departmental computer. Before trying to log in to supported computers, you will need to set your initial password. You can do this here https://sspp.medschl.cam.ac.uk (the 'old' password will be the initial password given to you by whoever requested your CSCS account) and this can be done from any computer with an internet connection. If you have any problems with this, please contact the Service Desk.

RAVEN Account

If you are a University employee you will have a Raven account that is used to log in to University websites and applications like Teams, Lookup, Employee Self Service and other central services. In order to collect your Raven credentials you will need your D.O.B and the retrieval code - this should be provided to you by your departmental admin/whoever requested your account.

MultiFactor Authentication (MFA, sometimes also referred to as 2FA)

To add security to your accounts and University services, MFA is now used when logging in to most services such as Teams, Exchange Online email accounts, other Microsoft services such as OneDrive and University sites protected by Raven. More information on MFA and instructions on how to set it up are available here: Set up multi-factor authentication

Data and Backups

Your data should not be stored on the hard drive of a computer, external physical storage like a Terastation, or on a USB key as none of these devices are secure or properly backed up. They are also susceptible to data loss if the device fails. Instead you can save your files in one of the following locations:

OneDrive for Business: As part of your University of Cambridge Microsoft Licence, you can store files in OneDrive. This means your data can be accessed from any device, computer at work, home, or a mobile device, making it very convenient. Please see this page for more information: Microsoft OneDrive

CSCS Account Home Drive: Your CSCS account comes with a 50GB home drive. Ordinarily this would appear automatically as a mapped network drive when you sign in to a CSCS supported computer, however, if you are working remotely you may need to map this manually. Information on mapping the drive can be found here: Mapping a Drive

Department Group Drive: Most departments also have a 'Group' drive for sharing data between colleagues. If this is the case and you have been granted access, it may appear automatically as a mapped network drive when you sign in to a CSCS supported computer, however, if you are working remotely you may need to map this manually. Information on mapping the drive can be found here: Mapping a Drive

Connect a computer or printer to the network

Devices need to be issued an IP address before they can connect to our wired network. Equipment bought through us will have one assigned automatically, but anything you’ve bought or brought yourself you’ll need to tell us about.

If you are installing or moving a computer or printer to a new location, make sure there is a network socket available, and be aware that unused wall sockets are often not connected, so you’ll need to let us know beforehand. Please give us a minimum of 3 days notice for new networking requirements.

Wireless Networks

CSCS provides ‘MINTS’ wireless across the Addenbrooke’s site, and this can be used to access School and Departmental resources, such as network drives and printers.

‘Eduroam’ is provided to all members of the University, and is an easy way of accessing the internet, but it cannot be used to access departmental resources.

'SLCU Test' is a wireless network in use at the Sainsbury Laboratories only.

Configure Eduroam on my Device

Installing Printers

Information on how to connect to printers from supported and unsupported devices can be found here:  Printers - Adding a Printer

Access my information and systems remotely

The information and systems hosted by the University and Clinical School can be accessed remotely in a number of ways. See our Remote Working guides to help choose the best solution for your needs.

Mailboxes can be access via the below links:

Make a Purchase

CSCS will recommend, quote, purchase, configure and deliver hardware to suit your requirements. We keep stock of some commonly used Dell laptops and desktops with an institutional discount. We can also offer custom quotes for other hardware. If you would like to purchase any IT hardware, please see our purchasing advice here - https://cscs.medschl.cam.ac.uk/purchasing/purchasing-advice/.

In particular, please see our minimum requirements for the hardware you may purchase here

Telephones

The University Telecoms office is responsible for issuing telephone numbers and handsets can be purchased from them. Once a phone has been issued, the Clinical School Computing Service provides a network port for the phone to connect to. Make sure there is a network socket available, and be aware that unused wall sockets are often not connected, so you’ll need to let us know beforehand. Please give us a minimum of 3 days notice for new networking requirements.

Install or Upgrade my Software

CSCS does not provide or sell software licences, however we do have an installation library of commonly used academic software which can be installed on supported computers easily, without requiring administrator rights. Software licences for many of these applications can be purchased from the 'Academia for Education' portal. Further information can be found here: Purchasing Software

Manage my CSCS Identity and Services

Manage my University Identity

Manage your University lookup details, your phone settings and your Employee preferences here:

Find Someone in the University

The Lookup Service provides basic information on most people in the University. Most departmental websites also have their own staff listing:

Find University Training Courses & Review Policies

There are a number of University/Clinical School training courses & policies that new starters are required to review please see https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/policies-procedures and the links below

Browse University Training Courses



Find other University Systems Providers

Store Sensitive Data

Research studies wishing to work with Sensitive Personal Data must register with the School’s Information Governance Office and apply to one of the approved “Safe Havens” to store the data securely.