When (and when not) to use VPN

March 17, 2020

Why do some applications and services require VPN?

Yale’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a way to securely access Yale’s restricted on-campus services and restricted resources on the University or Yale-New Haven Health System (YNHHS) networks from a non-Yale internet source. 
 
While VPN provides excellent network security, it should only be used from an appropriately secured computing device and should NOT be used to access services that do not require VPN.

When do I need to use to VPN?

Services such as MyTime (Kronos) -including MyTime Lite, Banner student systems, Citrix (Epic), Yale Budget Tool (YBT), Hopper, and others require VPN. View the complete list of applications requiring VPN access (login required). Remote access to on-campus workstations via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) also requires VPN.
 
Remember to log out of VPN when done using a restricted Yale service or application.

Do not use VPN for non-restricted services

These include services such as Zoom, Canvas, Workday, Office 365, EliApps, Software Library, and any other services not included in the complete list of applications requiring VPN access.
 
IT also discourages the use of Yale’s VPN to stream any media that is not business-related.

Additional VPN self-help resources

IT requests that the Yale community only use VPN if it is necessary.