Audience: Franklin University Faculty and Staff that have been granted IT permission to access work resources using their University-issued computer off-campus.
Disclaimer: The results and functionality of the following article only apply to the audience listed above.
Contents:
About VPN - When and Why We Use It
Why do we use VPN?
Establishing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows you to access secure information and applications while your University-issued computer is not physically connected to the University’s network.
- A VPN connection is required to access the following services when not on campus: Colleague, CRM, OnBase, virtual phones, and more.
- VPN is not required for some web-based services such as Email, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Canvas.
When and how to use VPN
1. My job requires regular access to VPN for services.
- When working remotely, use VPN during work hours as needed to access VPN-required services (listed above).
- Please be aware that idle connections are disconnected and you may find that you need to reconnect to VPN if your computer is idle or goes to sleep. In cases where you are having trouble reconnecting to VPN after your computer went to sleep, please restart your machine.
2. My job rarely or never requires access to VPN and I regularly work remotely.
- For extended remote work, make sure to connect to VPN at least once or twice a week for several hours in order to receive all necessary software updates.
- Without a weekly VPN connection or on-campus network connection, your computer will become disabled and entirely unusable. If you don't use VPN regularly in your daily role, connect your computer overnight to VPN. In such cases leave the computer on and locked after connecting to VPN.
To request VPN access, CLICK HERE.
VPN Instructions
Please note that VPN connection on Franklin University laptop often happens within the first minute after logging into the computer. However, if that connection is not established or needs reestablished, please see the instructions below.
1. Establish a Wi-Fi connection.
2. Open the FortiClient program on your computer's desktop.
3. Under "VPN Name" select FranklinVPN
4. Enter your Franklin Username and password. This is not your full email address.
- Example: Jane doe's username = doej
5. Save your password and select "Auto Connect". This will ensure that your device connects as it is powered on.
6. You should now have access to all internal Franklin Resources.
VPN Troubleshooting
If you are having issues getting on VPN to connect:
1. Always restart your computer as the first troubleshooting step. Sometimes, old VPN sessions are not fully terminated, such as when you are disconnected from VPN as the computer goes to sleep. This can cause hang-ups when re-connecting. A computer restart severs those old sessions. It also can correct any issues if your Wi-Fi driver didn't load correctly on the previous startup.
- One way to avoid this error is to regularly log out of VPN when not using it, or when your computer is inactive.
2. Please make sure that you have established a Wi-Fi connection. If unsure, please open a web page on your computer that you have not visited before to verify proper Wi-Fi connection.
3. Make sure to select “FranklinVPN” as the VPN Name when logging into FortiClient. Other VPN names will not establish a connection.
4. If you cannot access VPN, please contact the Help Desk.