UCC Webex

Webex Overview

The NIH Unified Communications & Collaboration (UCC) team now offers the Webex Enterprise Suite as a key component of its UCC solution. This enterprise suite includes a wide range of web conferencing options for small and large-scale meetings. The suite uses Webex Meetings Desktop App to allow participants to collaborate using integrated Microsoft Office applications that enable access to a meeting, training session, or large-scale event via desktop software clients such as Cisco Jabber or MS Lync. Some meeting rooms are even accessible via a smartphone or tablet.

Our Webex Enterprise Suite is available with the following meeting rooms:

+ Personal Rooms (for recurring meetings)

+ Meeting Center (for internal and external meetings)

+ Event Center (for large-scale online events)

+ Training Center (for interactive online training and e-learning)

Get an Account

To setup a Webex account, submit a request to the NIH IT Service Desk including the following information:

	Your First and Last Name
	Your sponsoring Institute or Center
	Your official email address

NIH Login

Webex is fully integrated with NIH and Federated login. For Webex federated login, please refer to the “NIH Federated Login” section.

Instructions for Logging into Webex for NIH Users

To setup a Webex account, follow these steps:

1- Use your browser to navigate to: https://nih.Webex.com.
2- Select “Log In” from the right-hand side of the top navigation bar.
3- Log in with your NIH or PIV card credentials.
4- Download theWebex Meetings Desktop App (optional).
5- Once NIH or PIV card credentials have been verified, you will be able to create and host Webex meetings.

+ NIH Federated Login

Federated Identity provides NIH staff with the means to collaborate with colleagues from outside NIH, including those from universities, other Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Operating Divisions (OPDIVs), and other federal agencies.
Please use the following link for a list of federated institutions https://nihlogin.nih.gov/NIHfederation/

Instructions for Logging into Webex for Federated Users

For non-NIH users, the federated username and password is your institutional login if your institution is federated with NIH.

1- Use your browser to navigate to: https://nih.Webex.com.
2- Select “Log In” from the right-hand side of the top navigation bar.
3- Click the “***Federated users please click here to Login***” link below the login form and choose one of the following options:
a) HHS Staff
i) Select “HHS Staff” from the drop-down menu.
ii) Login using your computer username and password.
iii) FDA Users: You will need to login using your PIV card.

b) eRA Commons Account Holders
i) Select “HHS Staff” from the drop-down menu.
ii) Log in using your eRA Commons username and password.

c) Federated Collaborators
i) Select “Research Organizations” from the drop-down menu.
ii) Select your institution.
iii) Login with your institution’s username and password.

d) OpenID Account Holders (i.e. Google, PayPal, etc.)
i) Select “Social Login/OpenID” from the drop-down menu.
ii) Select your account provider.
iii) Login with your OpenID account username and password.
(1) Note: If you’re prompted by your account provider, you will need to allow nihlogin.nih.gov access to your username.

e) NIH External Account Holders
i) Select “HHS Staff” from the drop-down menu.
ii) Login using your NIH External username and password.

+ NIH External Account

Webex Cost

The Webex service and its features are available to the entire NIH community at no charge, with the exception of the closed captioning services. Fees apply for closed caption services because these services are provided through a third-party captioning service vendor (see below for more details).

Live Captioning

Note: Additional fees will apply for closed captioning services, which are procured through a third-party captioning service vendor. Fees range from $175 - $263 per hour, billed in quarter-hour increments. CIT must receive caption requests no fewer than three full business days in advance of the event to be captioned. While we make every effort to secure a captioner on shorter notice, there is no guarantee that we will be able to support your request within anything less than a three-day time frame.

Contact the Office of Research Services (ORS) - NIH Events Management for an estimate and work order number.
Email: nihevntsmgt@mail.nih.gov
Phone: (301)-496-9966

How to

Webex Meetings	Webex Events	Webex Training
Get Started	Get Started	Get Started
Schedule Meetings	Schedule Events	Schedule Trainings
Start Meetings	Start and Join Events	Start and Join Trainings
Join Meetings	Manage Audio	Manage Audio
Manage Audio	Manage Video	Manage Video
Manage Video	Record Events	Record Trainings
Record Meetings	Share Content	Share Content
Share Content	Communicate with Participants	Communicate with Participants
Communicate with Participants	Audio Broadcast in Cisco Webex Events	Manage Hands-on Labs and Breakout Sessions
Use Personal Rooms

	Quick Links
	How to setup the WebEx Scheduler Add-in for Office 365 (pdf)		NIH Zoom and NIH Webex Plugins Outlook for Mac (pdf)
	Join a Cisco Webex Meeting for Attendees		How to use Webex Assistant and Closed Captions
	Join a Webex Meeting from Windows 10 (pdf)
	Schedule a Webex meeting for another host		Initial setup for IT staff
	Using Personal Conference Numbers		Reserving conference rooms through Microsoft Outlook (pdf)
	Create and Enable Global Call in (pdf)
	Set up Webex Audio-Only Meeting
	Personal Conferencing		Webex Audio Dial-in Issue
	International Audio Conference Dial-in in (pdf)		Update the audio setting in Microsoft Outlook (pdf)
	Troubleshooting Meetings		Update the audio setting in Webex site (pdf)
	Webex Audio Troubleshooting
	Join a WebEx as a Skype for Business Participant (pdf)
	Join a WebEx Meeting using VTC Equipment (pdf)
	Reserve a CIT Conference Room for Webex Meetings (pdf)
	Reserve a conference room when scheduling a new meeting through Outlook (pdf)
	Reserve a conference room for an existing scheduled meeting through Outlook (pdf)
	How to View a conference room calendar in Outlook (pdf)
	Webex Features and Controls (pdf)

+ Data Protection

	NIH Webex is a non-FedRAMP webinar platform, it is Center for Information Technology (CIT), Unified Communications & Collaboration (UCC) recommendation, that NIH Webex hosts not share, record or file share sensitive information or data that contains; PII, PHI, or EHRs, through NIH Webex webinar application. For more information please see details HHS Rules of Behavior for the Use of HHS Information and IT Resources Policy . Please see below, additional guidance on usage and data sharing is offered below.
	Allowed Content/Data Sharing and Recording:
		Research data (at data owner's discretion)
		Information authorized to be available on NIH’s website
		Information in the public domain
	Prohibited Content/Data Sharing and Recording:
		PII data with exception of SSN. Data that appears to contain SSNs will be quarantined.
		Personal Health Information (PHI)
		The option to record meetings (audio and screen interactions and documents) is not approved for High Risk Data.
		Health Information, including Protected Health Information (PHI)
		Health Insurance policy ID numbers
		Social Security Numbers
		Credit card numbers
		Financial account numbers
		Using, storing, or distributing, unauthorized copyrighted or other intellectual property

+ Webex Toll-Free Number Restriction

The NIH Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) team is enacting a new policy that restricts access to all Webex toll-free phone numbers effective immediately. This means that while hosts and participants will still have free audio options for their meetings, toll-free phone numbers will no longer be available. This change will allow NIH UCC to continue offering Webex services without any additional cost to customers.

Is Toll-Free audio still available?

For free audio, hosts and participants can still use the Call Using Computer option and the Call Me option (free within the United States and Canada. Long-distance charges may apply to international callers).

How does this change affect the options in Webex?

The same audio options—Call Using Computer, Call Me, I Will Call In Domestic, I will Call In Global, and Personal Room teleconference—are still available in Webex. For the I Will Call In and Personal Room teleconference options, only regular toll phone numbers will be available, and carrier charges may apply. No toll-free numbers will be provided. This applies to all business centers: Meeting Center, Training Center, and Event Center. For more information, see the overview of pros and cons for Webex audio options.

The following table shows the audio (sound) options available in Webex, the type of line or connection method available for each option, and usage cost information for each option.

What do I need to do?

All Webex hosts who have recurring meetings scheduled have the following options:

		Update your recurring meeting after July 31 (recommended) – Updating your existing, recurring meeting after the toll-free number deactivation date (July 31) will remove toll-free phone numbers from the meeting. For more information about how to update recurring meetings, see the following:
		Removing toll-free phone numbers from a recurring meeting in Webex Meeting Center on nih.web.com (pdf)
		Removing toll-free phone numbers from a recurring meeting in Webex Training Center on nih.web.com (pdf)
		Removing toll-free phone numbers from a recurring Webex meeting in Microsoft Outlook (pdf)
		Do nothing and leave your recurring meeting as is (not recommended) - not updating your recurring meeting means that toll-free numbers listed in your scheduled recurring meeting will no longer be operable after July 31, 2017.

Available Calling Options

		Call Using Computer (Free): Allows you to call into a meeting using your computer. This is the highly preferred method for accessing meeting audio because it does not incur usage charges for NIH or end users.
		Call Me (Free within the United States and Canada. Long-distance charges may apply to international callers): Allows Webex to call you and connect to meeting audio through a number you provide. This is the call-back teleconferencing feature.
		I Will Call in (Call charges may apply): Allows you to manually dial into a meeting using a Webex-provided phone number. The numbers provided by Webex will no longer include a toll-free option, so some call charges may apply. For more information, see the following: Domestic Global

+ Storage Retention

	The UCC team will provide 250MB of storage by default to all Webex host accounts without date limitations. Hosts are responsible for managing their recordings and content within the allotted storage quota. Webex hosts can retrieve their storage quota information within the Webex centers under the following headings; “My Recorded Meetings”, “My Training Recordings”, and “My Event Recordings” areas. Webex is not intended to be used as a long term archival storage solution. Once the recording sessions have been completed, customers are required to remove the recordings from the Webex system to their alternative source. Customers who exceeded the 250MB limit will receive a warning notification indicating that they have reached the storage quota limit.
	Alternate storage options: To prevent exceeding the 250MB storage threshold, customers should make use of alternate options available for both types of Webex storage:
		From the Webex session choose to record the meeting to the local PC hard drive or other designated storage location.
		For existing recordings: Identify the recorded meetings you want to keep, and download the recoding(s) to your local PC hard drive or other designated storage location. Step-by-step instructions can be found at: Record your Webex Meeting, Event, or Session
		Webex storage can be retained for up to 6 months.

+ Service Accounts Restriction

	NIH Webex inquiries regarding establishing Resource and/or Service accounts (such as a shared mailbox) for the sole use of NIH Webex account(s) by a group in lieu of multiple host accounts poses a security risk. Also, these accounts obscure who’s using the service and can make communicating service information to Webex account holders more difficult. For these reasons, the Center for Information Technology’s (CIT), Unified Communications and Collaborations (UCC) discourages customers from using Shared and/or Resource accounts to “effectively” manage the application within a group or IC. Here are some alternatives to Service Account recommended by the UCC:
		Scheduling a WebEx Meeting or Meetings on Behalf of Another Host This WebEx feature enables you to schedule and start meetings on someone else’s behalf. You, as the scheduler, must also have a host account and have permission in both the hosts Microsoft Calendar as well as WebEx site in order to schedule meetings as the host. If you host WebEx meetings regularly, you can delegate meeting permission, so someone else can schedule, edit, cancel, and start meetings for you. The delegate must have a host account and have WebEx Productivity Tools installed on their computer. To give someone permission to manage your meetings, give them scheduling permissions on your WebEx site, and share your calendar with them in Microsoft Outlook.
		WebEx Alternate Host An alternate host is someone who has permission to host your Personal Room meetings when you cannot host them yourself. If you are not able to attend one of your Personal Room meetings, an alternate host can take over the host role for you. The alternate host can start, manage, and record the meeting. If the alternate host records the meeting, the recording will still appear in your My Media.
	If you still feel the alternatives presented above do not adequately meet your criteria and would like to proceed with opening an NIH Service Account for your group, please contact your ISSO for permissions, NIH Security and Policy guidelines.

Have questions?

If you have questions or concerns about this change to Webex, contact the NIH IT Service Desk online at http://itservicedesk.nih.gov/support or by phone at 301-496-4357 to speak to a service desk agent or to submit a ticket for further assistance.

For an overview of Webex usage statics and updates to NIH Web Collaboration Service policies such as storage, toll-free restriction, and Adobe Connect retirement, please see this presentation to the NIH IT Service Desk Advisory Group (pdf) from March 22, 2017.

Best Practices for Securing Webex Meetings

Use the following guidelines for securing your Webex meeting to ensures the confidentiality of your meetings and helps prevent fraud.

	Scheduling Meeting and Handling Invitations and Information:
	- Setting up a PIN for your Webex Meeting
	- Change or View the Host PIN for My Personal Room
	- Setting up Meetings and Participant Registration
	- Ask your participants not to forward invitations. Instead, directly invite the new participants to the meeting yourself.
	- Avoid posting meeting information to publicly available locations and websites. Publicly available information can be exploited to gain access to your meetings.

	During Your Meeting:
	- Use entry and exit tones to let you know when attendees join and leave the meeting (pdf)
	- Lock your meeting once all attendees have joined
	- Expel unidentified meeting participants from a meeting
	- End your meeting once it has completed (pdf)

System Requirements

Microsoft ended support for Windows XP in April 2014, and Cisco ended support for Webex running on Windows XP in January 2015. Because of this, Cisco no longer provides updates for Webex running on Windows XP or fixes for Windows XP-related issues.

To avoid issues running Webex on Windows XP, Cisco strongly recommends upgrading to a supported version of Windows.

Contacting Webex Support

If you are experiencing interruptions with any Cisco Webex services, including Webex Messenger and Meeting services, please call the Webex Help Desk at +1-866-229-3239 or +1-408-435-7088. You may also open a ticket online at Webex support.

Webex System Requirements

	Minimum System Requirements for Webex
	System Requirements for Webex Meetings for Mobile Devices:

Downloads and Add-ons

	Install Cisco Webex Meetings for Mozilla Firefox
	Install the Cisco Webex Meetings Google Chrome Extension
	Install and Set Up the Cisco Webex Meetings Desktop App

Troubleshooting

You can quickly fix problems you might experience in a Cisco Webex meeting by visiting the Cisco webpage on Addressing Technical Issues.

Self-Service Technical Support

To submit a support case:
1. Login to http://nih.Webex.com
2. Click the “My Webex” tab located on the top menu bar. Select “Submit a Support Request” from the left-navigation menu.
Webex Knowledge Base: https://help.webex.com/?language=en-us
Submit Support Case: https://help.webex.com/contact?language=en-us

Customer Service

For questions related to product features and functionality, contact Webex Technical Support at 1-866-229-3239 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
For account related questions or other issues, contact the NIH IT Service Desk at http://itservicedesk.nih.gov/support or call (301) 496-HELP (4357), 301-496-8294 (TTY), or 866-319-4357 (HELP).

Test a Webex Meeting

Want to make sure Webex works on your computer? Try a test meeting. (Login Required)

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