Why do I need a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?
You need a VPN if you want to access certain resources on the University computer network and your computer is not plugged into a University network socket. For example you may need to use it if you:
- Work from home
- Travel on University business
- Use the campus wireless network
- Work on a remote site or NHS facility etc.
You may also need VPN when using certain external resources that only allow University addresses to access them, eg library journals.
A lot of University resources are globally available and, for these, VPN is not generally required. Email, for example, can be accessed by Outlook Web App (OWA), which is already secured using the HTTPS protocol. VPN could be used as a 2nd layer of security if the data being transmitted/received is particularly sensitive.
Resources on the University network
- Library catalogue
- University staff and student intranets
- P drives - not using the web interface
- Applications within Faculties and Schools that are restricted to IP addresses on campus