About the IU VPN

• VPN basics
• VPN at IU
• Connecting to IU's SSL VPN
• IU Groups VPN

VPN basics

A virtual private network (VPN) allows you to temporarily create or join a private network across an existing public network by creating an encrypted tunnel between two hosts. The encryption protects the data your computer or mobile device transmits and receives over the Internet, enabling secure remote access to restricted online resources.

Many public wireless networks (e.g., those provided by hotels and restaurants) are not encrypted, leaving transmitted data unprotected and vulnerable to electronic surveillance. Even data originating from a secure network (e.g., one provided by your employer or school) may be vulnerable if they are being transmitted to another secure network over the public Internet. To prevent data from being intercepted (especially confidential financial data, or data protected by federal laws, such as FERPA and HIPAA data) businesses, government offices, universities, and other institutions use VPN systems to encrypt data transmitted between their secure networks and remote users.

VPN at IU

At Indiana University, UITS delivers a centrally managed, fault-tolerant SSL VPN service for use by all IU campuses. (Your campus may have additional or alternative VPN options; if you have questions or need help, contact your campus Support Center.)

Establishing an IU VPN connection creates a secure tunnel between your off-campus computer or mobile device and the IU network, allowing you to access online services and resources that are configured to refuse connections from outside the IU network (e.g., IU Print queues, certain library databases, and most network storage devices). Also, you need an IU VPN connection to make a remote desktop connection from off-campus.

Connecting to IU's SSL VPN

For the greatest reliability across the widest range of platforms and network configurations, UITS recommends using the Pulse Secure SSL VPN client (produced by Pulse Secure, LLC), where available, to connect to Indiana University's SSL VPN. The Pulse Secure client is the official replacement for the Junos Pulse client previously used at IU. However, Pulse Secure is not available for Linux or some older mobile operating systems.

For instructions for connecting to IU's SSL VPN, see:

• Windows or OS X: Connecting to IU's SSL VPN for individuals and groups from a Windows or OS X workstation
• iOS: Connecting to the IU SSL VPN with Pulse Secure on an iOS device
• Android: Connecting to IU's SSL VPN from an Android device
• Linux: Connecting to IU's SSL VPN using the OpenConnect client on a 64-bit Linux workstation
• BlackBerry: BlackBerry devices from the Priv model (released 2015) and later use the Android OS; use the instructions in Connecting to IU's SSL VPN from an Android device for these devices. Earlier models running the native BlackBerry OS cannot use Pulse Secure.

If you have questions or need help, contact your campus Support Center.

IU Groups VPN

IU's Groups VPN provides dedicated VPN IP space for teams needing to restrict remote access to their internal administrative environments. Access permissions for Groups VPN IP ranges are controlled with Active Directory security groups. All users must authenticate via Two-Step Login (Duo). A VPN IP address from a team's dedicated IP space is assigned only if the user is a member of the appropriate AD security group. For more, see How do I use the IU Groups VPN to restrict remote access to my team's administrative resources?