Computing and software availability at the University

Microsoft Office 365 is a powerful suite of tools that offers familiar applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive for storing and sharing documents, and Microsoft Teams for online meetings, chat, and online collaboration. It is used by staff and students and will be automatically available to you for the duration of your studies with us.*

Microsoft Office 365 gives you:

• full, installed Office applications - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and OneNote on up to five PCs or Macs
• Microsoft Teams for chat and online meetings
• Office on tablets and phones - for the Office experience on up to five tablets and five phones
• online versions of Office - including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• OneDrive for file storage and sharing

*Please note that Office 365 is not available for students on non-credit-bearing short courses unless required by the course.

Getting started with Microsoft Office 365

The University of Hertfordshire provides a wide range of software applications for staff and students for general and specialised subject-related use. Where licences permit, we aim to make all software as widely available as possible across all labs and the Learning Resources Centres (LRCs) so that you can use it both in your timetabled sessions as well as for independent study.

Specialist software is available to use on PCs in our Learning Resources Centre (LRC) Technology Suites.  We have two Technology Suites in the College Lane LRC and one in the de Havilland LRC.  PCs in these suites have been configured with specialist software and are prioritised for use by those students studying Creative Arts, Digital Animation, Computer Science and Engineering.

Students can use these PCs on a drop-in basis, anytime during LRC opening hours (normally 24/7). If you are off campus, you can still access a range of specialist software anytime, anywhere via our remote desktop service.

Find out what specialist software is available

In some cases, students and staff may use their own computers to freely access some of the same software you can find on University networked computers in the LRCs and teaching labs.

For further information see Software Availability at Herts

Prefer bringing your own device to campus? You'll find that many students choose to use their own laptops and other devices making good use of the widely available power sockets and Wi-Fi across campus.

When you arrive, we will help you get set up with University Wi-Fi. The eduroam Wi-Fi service is the best choice for staff and students and saves you time by logging in automatically whenever you are on campus.

We recommended that you:

• ensure your computer has an up-to-date virus checker installed
• attend a regular clinic that is run throughout the year to get you up and running if you need help

Find out more about how to connect to the Wi-Fi

If you are a student living in our on-campus accommodation you will also be able to connect your devices, including games consoles and smart TVs, to the internet using an ethernet data point. This is a wired connection which is usually faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi connections. Many newer (and thinner) laptops no longer come with an ethernet port so you may wish to buy an adapter to use a wired connection.

Find out more about how to connect using a wired connection

You can print, scan or copy documents yourself using our self-service devices available across both campuses, which you can find using our Campus Maps feature on the Herts Mobile app.

Once you print, either using your own device or a University computer in the LRC, your print will be available at any of our self-services devices, providing pick up is within 72 hours.

Find out more about printing, copying and scanning at Herts.

We also have a professional Document Services Team offering a wide variety of printing, binding, copying, and laminating services.

Desktop or laptop? Which operating system is best and how much memory do I need? These are things you may be thinking about if you are looking to buy a computer for studying here at Herts.

For more information, see our ‘Buying a computer for Uni’ guide

Smartphones are great for quick and easy access to your University of Hertfordshire online services and using your Herts Mobile app

• you can get special student discounts on phone contracts; shop around and choose the right one for you
• we highly recommend you choose a dual-band device that supports both 5Ghz band frequency and 2.4Ghz.

As part of our cyber security measures, all student accounts are protected using Microsoft Multifactor Authentication. You'll need to download the app for this to a compatible smartphone in order to confirm your identity when logging into University systems. You'll be guided through this process once you start.  Students who are unable to use a smartphone should contact the IT Helpdesk for further support and advice.