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University Technology

VPN Requirement for Off-Campus Access to Â鶹´«Ã½P and Â鶹´«Ã½ Reports

In order to improve the security of accessing mainframe data, a VPN is required to access data from Â鶹´«Ã½P from off-campus.

What is a VPN?

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a network that provides remote users secure access to their organization's network. The goal of a VPN is to provide the remote user with the same capabilities as the local user, using existing technology and infrastructure. For more details on a VPN and the benefits of using one, visit wiu.edu/vpn.

How Does This Affect Me?

Â鶹´«Ã½P

If you access Â鶹´«Ã½P from your home computer, a mobile device connected via a cellular connection, or any other non-Â鶹´«Ã½ internet connection, you are required to log in to Â鶹´«Ã½'s VPN using your personal ECom username and password before accessing Â鶹´«Ã½P.

  • If you are accessing Â鶹´«Ã½P on the web (at http://wiup.wiu.edu), you will log in via , which requires no additional software be installed on your computer.  You will simply log in to one web interface using your ECom username/password, and then be able to access and log in to Â鶹´«Ã½P.
  • If you are accessing Â鶹´«Ã½P via QWS3270, you will need to download/install Â鶹´«Ã½'s client VPN (downloads are available at wiu.edu/vpn) and launch it (logging in with your ECom username/password) prior to launching QWS3270.  
Â鶹´«Ã½ Reports

Accessing Â鶹´«Ã½ Reports requires the use of Â鶹´«Ã½'s client VPN (downloads are available at wiu.edu/vpn). The use of the clientless VPN is not recommended as reporting features do not function properly. Download and install the VPN client and launch it (logging in with your ECom username/password) prior to visiting .

The use of a VPN is not required if you access Â鶹´«Ã½P or Â鶹´«Ã½ Reports from the Â鶹´«Ã½ campus using a device connected to Â鶹´«Ã½'s network.  For example, employees that use their Â鶹´«Ã½ workstation to update their time card will not need to use a VPN.

So I Will Need to Log in Twice to Access Â鶹´«Ã½P from Off Campus?

Yes.  You will first log in to Â鶹´«Ã½'s VPN service using your ECom username and password (the same username and password you use to access your Â鶹´«Ã½ email).  Once authenticated, you will then be able to launch Â鶹´«Ã½P and log in with your Â鶹´«Ã½P username and password.

Does This Affect STARS?

No, access to STARS was not affected by this change.

I Need Help.  Who Can I Contact?

Please contact the uTech Support Center at (309) 298-8324 (298-TECH) or e-mail support@wiu.edu if you have any questions or concerns.