Overview
The official VPN software for the UGA campus is Cisco AnyConnect, supported by EITS. This VPN should be used for accessing campus network resources while working remotely and for accessing sensitive systems while on-campus. While off-campus, this VPN functions as a “split-tunnel”, where network traffic intended for campus is securely handled by the VPN and all other internet traffic is insecurely handled by the regular internet service provider. For situations requiring protections protection of all traffic from a remote location (E.g., working from a foreign country), the use of a full-tunnel VPN connection may be necessary to provide the appropriate level of network security of all traffic. The UGA Cisco VPN service can be configured as a “full-tunnel” back to campus for all internet traffic.
Cisco AnyConnect VPN and International Travel
Members of the UGA community who are traveling internationally may have a need to route all traffic through a “full tunnel.” This feature can be enabled on a case-by-case basis. Submit a ticket to EITS here requesting international VPN access for the specified MyID. The authorized account can then be used for connecting the Cisco AnyConnect VPN client to remote.uga.edu/international to use the full tunnel. Requests can also be submitted by the Office of Global Engagement on your behalf.
Third party VPN services
While most third party VPN services (E.g., NordVPN, ExpressVPN, SurfShark) also establish a single tunnel to their network, it is NOT to the UGA campus but to the provider’s network itself. This can help to mitigate security concerns of a local network (E.g., public wireless, foreign country, hotel business center) but it will not provide a secured tunnel to the UGA campus directly. Use of third party VPNs should be used carefully and risks fully understood to avoid putting data or systems at risk. At this time there are no policy requirements that prohibit the use of 3rd party VPNs for privacy reasons, provided the risks are understood and accepted by the individual. Submit a ticket to Franklin OIT for assistance installing the client.
Client software must be provided by the individual and Franklin OIT cannot offer support for a given service.
Links
EITS support page for Cisco AnyConnect VPN: https://eits.uga.edu/access_and_security/infosec/tools/vpn/
UGA Policy (08.01.007 3.d.a.) on use of UGA Remote Access VPN to access campus resources: https://policy.uga.edu/policies/#/programs/SyoT3w1La