Remote Access to Protected Resources (VPN)

What is it and why do I need it? 

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) service creates a secure connection between your device and the campus network and is used when you need to access restricted networked resources from off campus. At Princeton, GlobalProtect is the VPN service that you can use to access protected resources remotely and is soon to become the primary VPN service for its reliability and ease of use. The instructions on this page are specific to the GlobalProtect service. 

Accessing protected applications through the web

The easiest way to access protected applications is through the GlobalProtect Portal on the web. For this, all you need is a web browser.  Some Princeton applications available through this portal are: 

  • Prime Portal (PeopleSoft Financials)
  • Information Warehouse (Cognos)
  • OnBase
  • Stripes

To access any of these applications:

  1. Visit the GlobalProtect web portal
  2. Enter your Princeton NetID, your password, and click Log in
  3. The system will send a Duo request to your default device. Approve the Duo request. 
  4. The GlobalProtect portal page displays with 'tiles' for the set of protected applications accessible through the portal. Click the tile for the application you want to access.

GlobalProtect portal

   5. GlobalProtect makes a secure connection to the application and opens the application.

Important! Not all protected services are available through the web portal. If you know the application you are trying to reach remotely is a restricted service, and yet it is not listed in the portal, you will need to install GlobalProtect software on your device to access it remotely (described in the next section).

Accessing protected applications using software installed on your device

You will need to install GlobalProtect software to access a subset of Princeton’s protected resources, including:

  • Central File Server / H: Drive / M: Drive
  • RDP (remote desktop protocol) to desktop workstations
  • SSH (Secure Shell) connections to Linux systems

Instructions for installing and using the software to access protected resources follow.

Installing GlobalProtect software

GlobalProtect software can be installed on Windows computers, Mac computers, mobile devices and tablets. 

Note:  To install GlobalProtect, you will need to use an account with the ability to install software, known as an administrator account. 

Using GlobalProtect software to access protected services

How can I access the Central File Server remotely?

Important facts about VPN

Learn it