Administration and Finance Technical Support (AFTS)

Contact Information

Administration and Finance Technical Support (AFTS)
23C E. Cullen Building
Houston, Texas 77204-3000
T: 713-743-6107
E: afts@cougarnet.uh.edu
Operation Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 5:00PM
*Notice * : If you need any assistance outside of the operation hours please refer to UIT Help Desk at 713-743-1411.

Disclaimer : This is the main contact for IT Support for Business Services, Human Resources, Budget Office, Risk Management, Treasury, Student Business Services, Cougar Card, Auxiliary, Postal, Parking and Transportation, Public Art, and Printing and Publishing. All other departments should contact their IT Support Team.

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Services

(Computer Lifecycle Plan, Desktop Support, Printing, Network, Security, Software, Hardware, Data backup and Recovery)

Computer Lifecycle Plan

Provide assessment, deployment, and provision.
Purchasing computers/laptops, scanners, and other peripherals.

Assistance in Setting up Departmental Accounts

Sponsored e-mail accounts.
Exchange.
Local computer accounts.
Password resets.

Desktop Support

Troubleshooting computer systems.
Provide technical support, including diagnosis and correction of software/hardware issues, hardware and software upgrades, and virus/malware remediation.
Assisting with preventive maintenance.
Provide information on how to use Microsoft Teams, Office 365, and some 3rd party software.
Providing recommendations for purchasing new computers.
Remotely assist to resolve computer issues.

Printing

Setting up departmental network and local scanners/printers.
Troubleshooting local printers and scanners.

Network

Troubleshooting network issues for computers and related systems.
Checking network ports for connectivity.
Informing and assisting department DBAs of any work orders that need to be made to telecom.
Assessing network infrastructures.
Consults with and assists the CTS networking team with network issues and problem resolution.

Departmental Conference Room Support

Assisting in the purchase of cameras, microphones, and projectors.
Troubleshooting hardware and software issues on conference room devices.
Providing support and instruction on how to use conference room equipment.

Mobile Devices

Providing information for UH VPN setup and configuration on handhelds.
Setting up and configuring VPN software and connection on handhelds.

Software

Installation, basic configuration, operability troubleshooting, and basic functionality. Installing and configuring specialty software and adhering to software copyright licensing policies.
Staying current on the latest software versions and informing and recommending to departments of software upgrades.

Security

Ensuring that all UH computers are fully patched and have the latest antivirus software updating daily.

Hardware

Troubleshooting any hardware issues on UH computers.
Assisting with maintenance, repair, and replacement of defective parts on UH computers, monitors, laptops, and printers.
Provide assessment, procurement, deployment, and provision.
Maintain inventory and determine the usability of outgoing hardware and surplus or repurpose hardware.

Data Backup and Recovery

AFTS highly recommends keeping all business-related data, such as desktop and documents on either OneDrive, SharePoint, or your departmental share drive, and not stored on your local C drive. This ensures that in the event of a hard drive failure you will not lose any data.

*Items Not Supported By Business Services Technology

Personally-owned computer equipment or any equipment not inventoried in the UH System and not used for work-related purposes.
Printer/Fax toner or ink cartridges are not provided by AFTS.
AFTS does not provide support for furniture moves or storage removal. Please contact Physical Plant at FIXIT (3-4948) for these services.
AFTS does not support inventory removal. Please contact Property Management at 3-8759 or visit Property Management for these services.

Working from Home

(Internet Connectivity, VPN, Remote Desktop, Video Conferencing)

Stay Secure Working from Home

Security Information for Working From Home

Best Device Security Practices Working from Home

Internet Connectivity

You'll need to have an Internet connection that is stable and fast enough to support your online work activities. To test your Internet connection from your remote location. 1.5 – 2 Mbps upload and download speeds are considered fast enough for most work activities. The best recommendation is to have at least 3 Mbps for one person.

Click here to test your internet speed.

Improve Internet Connectivity

The following link will help improve internet connectivity.

Enabling Mobile Hotspots

A mobile hotspot provides Internet access when wi-fi is not accessible. If your service provider offers this service, you can use your smartphone as a mobile hotspot. Use the instructions below to connect.

How to enable hotspot for iPhone or iPad
How to enable hotspot on Android

Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client

To access UH resources such as shared network drives, a secure secure connection or a VPN is required.

Link to UH VPN Download
Installation Guide for Windows
Installation Guide for Mac

Remote Desktop

To remote into your desktop please follow the guide below AFTER you have installed the Cisco AnyConnect VPN client.

Connecting to remote desktop instructions (Windows 11)

Video Conference Platforms

In order to have conferences remotely, particular software will need to be in use (example: Microsoft Teams, Zoom).

Zoom Instructions
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