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Use VPN for a Secure Connection

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NUIT has completed a required upgrade to the University’s traditional Virtual Private Network (VPN) that increases the overall capacity of the service. The old traditional VPN concentrators will continue to be available through October 2012. If you would like to update your existing NU VPN settings early or setup a new NU VPN profile using the updated platform (new vpn host server address and shared passkey) please use the instructions provided below.

Virtual Private Network (VPN) establishes a "secure tunnel" for your computer on the Northwestern network. You need to use VPN for accessing certain Northwestern resources from locations off campus. Most operating systems for computers and smartphones have a native VPN client that you should configure and use for VPN access.

For security, VPN provides strong encryption, enables authenticated access to the NU Network from external and untrusted environments, and proxies your network traffic so it appears to originate from within the NU Network.

NOTE: In the event of a University-wide campus closure, instructions for accessing emergency VPN will be available for you.

Set Up VPN

Mac OS X
- Mac OS X
Windows
- Windows 7
- Windows XP
Mobile
- iOS
- Android
Linux
- All Variants
- Chrome OS

Use Cisco AnyConnect VPN if you experience difficulty connecting with native VPN due to a firewall, NAT (Network Address Translation) environment, or a blocked VPN protocol due to service from an Internet service provider.

Install and Configure Cisco AnyConnect VPN