Remote Access

A number of services (like PaperCut or Colleague) are only available on campus, but there are several ways of using these services as though your computer were on campus:

FortiClient VPN

FortiClient VPN is the best option for most Faculty and Staff. It works by creating a secure tunnel to the Luther network, allowing your workstation to behave as though it were on Luther’s network. Resources that can normally be accessed only while on campus can be accessed through the VPN tunnel. These include network places, printers, or applications.

The VPN software is installed by request on Luther College faculty and staff computers, and cannot be installed onto devices that aren’t Luther-owned. Learn more at our FortiClient VPN page.

VPN Web Portal

The VPN Web Portal is the best option for Faculty and Staff who are using their personal devices or who need to use Windows software from a Mac. The VPN Web Portal works by connecting to a server on campus that runs a virtual instance of a Windows computer. The VPN Web Portal is often faster than the FortiClient VPN when running programs that use local campus resources (e.g. Colleague).

The VPN Web Portal requires the same permissions as FortiClient VPN: If you already use FortiClient VPN, you already have access to the VPN Web Portal; If not, you need to request access. Once authorized, sign in with your Norse Key. More information can be found at our VPN Web Portal page.

Network Proxy

Unlike the methods mentioned above, the Network Proxy isn’t a piece of software or specific website that you’d visit before beginning your work. Instead, you might encounter the Network Proxy login page while trying to use certain services while off-campus, like restricted library databases or electronic journal subscriptions. Most Luther services don’t use the Network Proxy, so if you don’t encounter the login page, you’ll need to use one of the methods above. The Network Proxy uses your Norse Key to login.

In order to access the Luther College Network Proxy, you need to use the links incorporating the proxy link in their addresses. For example, when off-campus, do not go directly to the American Chemical Society publications page (http://pubs.acs.org/about.html). Rather, follow the links from the library’s home page (https://www.luther.edu/library/) in order to gain access to the resources through the proxy login.