Connecting to the Sophos VPN

You may be a new Sophos Connect user, or you may have received a new computer that has Sophos Connect installed.  To get connected to the Sophos Connect VPN after the program has been installed on your computer, and after you have verified that your computer is connected to the internet, perform the following steps.

Please note: You ONLY need to use Sophos Connect when working remotely.  Do not connect to Sophos when on site at an FMHC or affiliate office location.

1. Open Sophos Connect from the Start menu

2. When open, if your screen appears as pictured below (usually on new computers or the first time you connect to the VPN), click "Import Connection."  If you are simply prompted to enter a username and password, skip to Step #5.

3. Navigate to your C:\ drive and open the "Sophos" or "SophosConnectClient" folder

4. Select the sophosSSLVPNduo file and click Open.

5. If prompted, select the desired VPN connection* (Cleveland or Columbus**) click Connect - it will ask you to enter your main Windows/computer login credentials (username is NOT your email address).  You may check the box to save your credentials so you do not have to type them in every time you connect to the VPN.

*Note: Before clicking Connect, you can set your default connection to Cleveland by clicking the "clevpn" row to highlight it, then click the small gear icon on the right.  Select "Auto-connect" and Cleveland will be set as your default connection.  Proceed to click Connect if it does not automatically connect.

**Note: The Columbus VPN is only to be used as a backup when Cleveland is not accessible.  If you have been directed by IT to use the COL VPN option but you do not see it as an option to select in Sophos Connect, please contact the Service Desk for assistance.

6. At that point, you should receive a Duo prompt*** on your cell phone as you normally do.  After you approve the connection in Duo, Sophos Connect should show "Connected" with a green checkmark as shown below:

If you receive an error message, please contact the Service Desk for assistance.

Note: Effective October 2022, when you are disconnected from the VPN, although you may be connected to a home network or connected to the internet at another location, you will still have general internet access, allowing you to access the web and some programs.  You will not be able to access Outlook, Teams, internal files (share drives) and core systems, like Cleartouch and Encompass, until connected to the VPN.

If you are not able to connect to the internet, please restart your computer and verify internet connectivity from another computer/device that is connected to the same network.

***Duo Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

During the VPN connection process, you will receive a "Verify your identity" prompt on your phone for FMHC-VPN from Duo Mobile, one of the quickest and easiest to use multifactor authentication solutions available.  If your phone is locked, the notification will appear on the lock screen.

Unlock your phone and open the Duo Mobile app to review and tap Approve on the login request.

Your VPN connection should then complete as normal.

Depending on the make/model of your cell phone, you may also see pop-up notices on the screen that you can use to Approve the connection without opening the Duo Mobile app.

Helpful Hints about Duo

1. Try to avoid being on the phone when you are connecting to the VPN. Some phones are not able to support data transmission and phone calls at the same time, and your VPN connection process might not complete until you hang up.
2. Unlock your phone and open the Duo Mobile app before you log in to your computer.  This will make it easier for you to see and respond to the alerts as they come up.
3. Depending on your network connection and computer speed, you may receive several Duo alerts at a time in the application notification area.  You may have to tap Approve multiple times until all prompts are acknowledged.  Having the app open ahead of time helps reduce this.
4. If you are in the habit of putting your laptop to sleep instead of shutting it down when you take it home/move work locations, you will receive Duo alerts as soon as you turn on your laptop and it establishes an internet connection.  This could happen before you have even logged in/unlocked your laptop.  This is normal as the Sophos Connect program will try to establish a VPN connection as soon as it detects an internet connection.
5. To avoid unnecessary prompts, be sure to log off or shut down your computer when you are not going to be using it.  Otherwise, you may receive prompts on your phone that you do not acknowledge and after 10 un-acknowledged prompts, your Duo account will get locked out.