When you are off campus, some of Illinois State University's electronic services are unavailable to you unless you establish a VPN connection.

Cisco AnyConnect VPN is available to faculty, staff, and students that is used to access some campus resources from off campus locations.

Where do I get the VPN for my device?

Windows:
First you will want to check if you already have Cisco AnyConnect VPN installed onto your machine. To do this, you can perform a quick search on your computer. For Windows machines, you can use the Search Field for your computer located in the lower left-hand corner of your desktop. Simply type in Cisco Anyconnect. If nothing populates, you do not yet have the VPN installed. If it populates after searching for it, click on the Cisco AnyConnect app, and proceed to the section below for Windows - 'Connect Using Cisco AnyConnect.'

Mac:
First, you will want to check if you already have Cisco AnyConnect VPN installed onto your Mac. To do this, you can perform a quick search using the Finder app on your mac. This is a search field in the upper right-hand corner that looks like a magnifying glass. Type in Cisco AnyConnect. If nothing populates, you do not yet have the VPN installed. If it populates after searching for it, click on the Cisco AnyConnect App, and proceed to the section below for 'MacOS - Connect Using Cisco AnyConnect.'

Chromebook:

See the Chromebook VPN help article to download, install, and use the VPN on a Chromebook located here: Setting Up a VPN on a ChromeBook | Help - Illinois State

Cisco AnyConnect VPN is Not Installed on My Machine. Where can I get it?

If you have verified that Cisco AnyConnect is not already installed on your machine using the instructions above, you can download the most recent version using the following steps. These steps are for both Mac and Windows machines. For assistance with using Cisco AnyConnect on a phone, see: Connecting with Cisco AnyConnect for Android Devices or Install and Connect with the VPN Profile for iOS.

How to Download Cisco AnyConnect for Mac and Windows Machines

1. Navigate to our Downloads Page.
2. Scroll down to Cisco AnyConnect VPN.
3. For Windows machines, click on the Windows hyperlink and follow the steps in the installation process.
4. For MacOS, click on the Mac hyperlink and follow the steps in the installation process.
5. Once the installation is completed, you may need to navigate to your computer's Downloads folder to locate the Cisco AnyConnect app. If you are having trouble locating it, use your computer's Search field (Finder for Macs) and type in 'Cisco AnyConnect.'
6. Click the Cisco AnyConnect app. You should now be able to connect using the steps below under 'Connect Using Cisco AnyConnect.'

Connect Using Cisco AnyConnect

Windows:

1. Open Cisco AnyConnect.
2. Verify that the path in the Server field underneath Ready to connect is VPN01.ILSTU.EDU (Where 0 is a zero and not the letter o).
   • If the path name does not automatically appear, click the arrow to the right of the field and select VPN01.ILSTU.EDU from the drop down menu, or enter the path name manually.
3. Click the Connect button (Figure 1).
   
   Figure 1:
   
4. Select the appropriate group to connect to from the group list.
   • To access most ISU resources, select the group -ISU-.
   • To access ISU Oracle or SQL database resources directly (via software such as Microsoft Access, Oracle SQL Developer, Microsoft SQL Management Studio, etc.), select DB-User_Access.
5. Enter your ULID and Password, then click OK.
   • Be sure that you are entering just your ULID in lower case letters
   • Do not use your ULID@ilstu.edu
6. You will be prompted to validate your login attempt using the MFA notification option you selected. Information on available MFA authentication methods and steps for using them can be found here: Sign in Using Multi-Factor Authentication
7. Click Accept.

You are now connected with the Cisco AnyConnect VPN client.

MacOS:

1. Open Cisco AnyConnect.
2. Verify that the path in the Server field underneath Ready to connect. reads VPN01.ILSTU.EDU (Where 0 is a zero and not the letter o). If the field is empty, type the address in the connection field (See Figure 1 above).
3. Click Connect.
4. Select the appropriate group to connect to from the group list.
   • To access most ISU resources, select -ISU-.
   • To access ISU Oracle or SQL database resources directly (via software such as Microsoft Access, Oracle SQL Developer, Microsoft SQL Management Studio, etc.), select DB-User_Access.
5. Enter your ULID and password, click Connect.
   • Be sure that you are entering just your ULID in lower case letters
   • Do not use your ULID@ilstu.edu
6. You will be prompted to validate your login attempt using the MFA notification option you selected (i.e., Text Code verification, Phone Call verification or App notification verification). 
7. Click Accept.

You are now connected with the Cisco AnyConnect VPN client.

Disconnect from the VPN

Windows:

To disconnect from the VPN on a Window's machine:

1. Locate the Cisco AnyConnect client icon and click on it.
2. Click Disconnect.
3. Close Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.

You are now disconnected from VPN.

MacOS:

To disconnect from a VPN connection on Cisco AnyConnect on MacOS:

1. Click on the Cisco AnyConnect icon in your Dock.
2. Click Disconnect.
3. Close Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.

You are now disconnected from VPN.

How to Get Help

• Technical assistance is available through the Technology Support Center at (309) 438-4357, by email at SupportCenter@IllinoisState.edu, or by Live Chat at Help.IllinoisState.edu.