U Akron Implements New VPN Client for Secure Remote Access from 64-Bit Computers

The University of Akron (UA) recently acquired 1,000 IPSec VPN clients to provide its faculty, staff, and students with secure remote access to the university's network from 64-bit computers.

Remote access to UA's network is imperative for its personnel and students, who need to be able to access internal documents and data, work on research and assignments, and access other campus resources from home or in the field. However, the university's previous VPN clients were not compatible with 64-bit operating systems, such as Windows 7. The university selected NCP Secure Entry Client as its new VPN client because it provides the flexibility and compatibility they need while also supporting the university's security policies.

"With the advent of Windows 7, university members could not access the network because of the compatibility issues that 64-bit devices presented. They needed a solution and needed it quickly," said James Miller, lead network engineer, University of Akron. "The NCP Secure Entry Client was an immediate solution to the problem. The transition was seamless. Staff, faculty, and students purchased their new PCs, installed the VPN clients and continued working off-campus at the same level of efficiency as when on campus, if not more."

NCP Secure Entry Client is a universal IPSec VPN client that works on both 32- and 64- bit versions of Mac OS X, Windows, Symbian, and Linux operating systems, so faculty, staff, and students can use it to access the university's network from virtually any computer. The VPN client offers plug-and-play functionality to allow end users to install and set it up on their computers, even if they aren't technically savvy.

NCP Secure Entry Client also features a dynamic personal firewall, so university IT administrators can set policies for ports, IP addresses and segments, and applications. Data encryption, Friendly Net Detection, and one-time password token and certificate support through a public key infrastructure (PKI) further enhance the university's network security.

The University of Akron is a public research university located in northeastern Ohio. It serves more than 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • student reading a book with a brain, a protective hand, a computer monitor showing education icons, gears, and leaves

    4 Steps to Responsible AI Implementation

    Researchers at the University of Kansas Center for Innovation, Design & Digital Learning (CIDDL) have published a new framework for the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence at all levels of education.

  • glowing digital brain interacts with an open book, with stacks of books beside it

    Federal Court Rules AI Training with Copyrighted Books Fair Use

    A federal judge ruled this week that artificial intelligence company Anthropic did not violate copyright law when it used copyrighted books to train its Claude chatbot without author consent, but ordered the company to face trial on allegations it used pirated versions of the books.

  • server racks, a human head with a microchip, data pipes, cloud storage, and analytical symbols

    OpenAI, Oracle Expand AI Infrastructure Partnership

    OpenAI and Oracle have announced they will develop an additional 4.5 gigawatts of data center capacity, expanding their artificial intelligence infrastructure partnership as part of the Stargate Project, a joint venture among OpenAI, Oracle, and Japan's SoftBank Group that aims to deploy 10 gigawatts of computing capacity over four years.

  • laptop displaying a phishing email icon inside a browser window on the screen

    Phishing Campaign Targets ED Grant Portal

    Threat researchers at cybersecurity company BforeAI have identified a phishing campaign spoofing the U.S. Department of Education's G5 grant management portal.