VPN (Virtual Private Network) access allows faculty and staff to securely access Mercer networks from remote locations. Only current employees of Mercer University may request a VPN account. VPN connections are only to be used from Mercer owned and managed computer systems.
In this section:
Gaining Permission for VPN Access
Faculty and staff must formally request VPN access by submitting a completed VPN Registration Form. Requests must be approved by the employee’s dean or director, the IT network manager, and the chief technology officer. Allow at least five days for approval and setup of the account. Once the account is established, the IT Help Desk will provide instructions for accessing the network remotely.
Installing Required VPN Software
To install Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client, the software necessary to connect via VPN:
- Visit https://vpn.mercer.edu.
- Type your username and password (same as for logging into your computer) in the Username and Password fields.
- Select Faculty/Staff from the Group drop-down menu.
- Click Login. Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client will begin installing on your computer. You may have to install the ActiveX Control during the installation. When the installation completes successfully, you should see the following validation.
You will only need to complete this software installation process once. To access VPN in the future, see “Using VPN Access” below.
Using VPN Access
To use VPN access:
- Open Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client. (You may be using the former VPN client; however these instructions specifically pertain to Cisco AnyConnect.)
- Select vpn.mercer.edu as the network you would like to connect to.
- Click Select.
- Type your username and password (same as for logging into your computer) in the Username and Password fields.
- Click Connect.
- Use Windows Explorer to access the desired network resources.
If you have trouble connecting via VPN client or locating the desired network resources, contact the IT Help Desk.