Table of Contents
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How does moving to the NC State Protected Network secure my device?
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What types of devices should we move to the NC State Protected Network?
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After the transition, what happens if remote access to my device from off-campus is required?
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What should NOT be moved into the NC State Protected Network?
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Can rules be added to a protected network to allow access to my connected devices?
Why is the university moving to this model?
Adopting this policy and supporting the move to protected networks would be a major step toward mitigating attacks on campus. It also aligns with the university's larger goal of securing wired and wireless networks.
What are the benefits of moving to a protected network?
Equipment moved to a protected network is no longer subject to attacks or scans from malicious entities on the Internet. This solution will also allow us to secure departmental systems with a simple network modification that requires little work from local IT staff and no action from the customer.
How does moving to the NC State Protected Network secure my device?
With this transition, we can enforce a simple yet effective security policy for customer equipment, protecting these devices from outside threats. At the same time, it allows unrestricted access to the rest of campus and the Internet.
What types of devices should we move to the NC State Protected Network?
As we apply a more consistent security model for our campus networks, departmental equipment should be secured from the Internet. These could include:
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Laptops
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Desktop PCs
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Laboratory equipment
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and any other device with a wired connection to the network.
How will I access my PC from off-campus?
Currently, certain types of remote access to equipment from off-campus require the Virtual Private Network (VPN) client provided by ComTech. Once the network has been transitioned, the VPN client must be used for all remote access.
After the transition, what happens if remote access to my device from off-campus is required?
If access is required for NC State-affiliated individuals, they may use the NC State VPN provided by ComTech. If non-NC State-affiliated individuals require access, the device must be transitioned from the NC State Protected Network into an unprotected network.
How does this move impact me?
During the scheduled maintenance window for this move, all network services will be briefly interrupted for approximately 10 minutes. Once the network is moved to the new environment, we will work with local IT support to ensure access is available.
Who do I contact if there is a problem?
If you have a system connectivity issue, your local IT support is your first point of contact. If access has been removed for a particular system, we will work quickly with the local IT support to resolve the issue.
What are the challenges of moving to a protected network?
Most traffic originates from the client’s PC and goes to an external host. Traffic originating from off-campus to our client PCs is not typical. Although we will work with local IT support to determine the departmental applications used, there may be applications or devices that do not work as expected. We will work with local IT support to resolve the issue if this happens.
What should NOT be moved into the NC State Protected Network?
Some systems are not candidates for moving to a protected network, such as:
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Equipment needing to be accessed by an external vendor or outside entity without NCSU VPN access.
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Departmental Servers accessed from the Internet (web servers, etc.)
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Polycom devices
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Specialized devices that already have their own secured Networks (PCI, SCADA, COPY/PRINT, etc.)
Can rules be added to a protected network to allow access to my connected devices?
Your local IT support is your first point of contact if there is an issue with your system connectivity. If some access has No. Due to the broad and general use of the NC State Protected Network, no additional security exceptions will be added to support connectivity to a specific device. If a device needs to be accessed from off-campus by a non-NCSU affiliated entity, then the device will need to be moved to an unprotected network.