Typically, when a new employee begins at Union they will automatically be given access to common department network folders. These folders are housed on servers at the college and are not the same thing as Shared Drives within Google. If an employee doesn't have access to a shared folder within the ZEUS or UFILES servers, a Help Desk ticket can be logged to have permission granted.
Once permission is granted, you can access the folder in the following ways.
Accessing a Network Folder
Windows
The easiest way to browse directly to a network folder is to open [File Explorer] (through the Start Menu or press Windows Key + E) and enter the folder path in the top bar and hit Enter. The folder path should be similar to this example.
Windows Shortcut
You can also make a shortcut to this folder on your desktop by right-clicking your desktop background and selecting [New] > [Shortcut]. Then simply paste the folder path in the box and click [Next], and then [Finish].
Mac
Doing the above on a Mac computer takes a few more steps than Windows.
1. You can either launch [Finder] then select [Go] > [Connect to Server] or press the Command + K keys.
2. Enter the folder path in this format (note that it uses forward slashes and has 'smb:' in front) and click [Connect], and then [Connect] again on the next screen.
3. You may then get prompted for your credentials. Use your Union username (not email address) and password to complete the connection.
4. You should be able to now access this folder from the [Finder] window going forward. However, if you want to make a persistent shortcut to it, please read the below.
Mac Shortcut
First you need to make the network folder Persistent (meaning it will reconnect every time you log onto the computer). There is a handy video on YouTube here that documents this, but you can also read below.
1. Go to [System Preferences] > [Users & Groups]
2. Click the [Login Items] tab, unlock the settings, make sure your username is selected on the left, then click the "+" button under the current applications list.
3. Browse to the network folder you just connected to earlier and click [Add] to add it to the list of things that run when you log in. Lock the settings and exit.
4. To create a shortcut on the desktop, open [Finder] and then select [Preferences].
5. Check the box for [Connected servers] and close the window. Now you should see the network folder on your desktop, and it should reconnect automatically when you're on the Union network.