This month, we’d like to invite you to an informative webinar about SASE with OpenVPN founder and CEO Francis Dinha and John Grady, Senior Analyst with Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG). We’ve also rolled out two great new features within OpenVPN Connect 3.3 for iOS, as well as a couple of new upgrades to the Access Server Portal. And our popular new 5-connection plan is now available as a yearly subscription. Finally, stick around to the end for several tips about simplified configuration and our terrific support center.

In this month's edition:

Register now to reserve your place at Network and Security Convergence: Modernization through SASE.

Is your organization planning a move to SASE? Or already in the process of moving to SASE? 

Join OpenVPN founder and CEO Francis Dinha and John Grady, Senior Analyst with Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), on November 1 at 10 a.m. Pacific for a look at the results of an in-depth survey of 613 cybersecurity, networking, and IT professionals about SASE. 

In Network and Security Convergence: Modernization through SASE, Dinha and Grady will explore what the survey uncovered about:

Register now to reserve your place. We’ll see you on November 1!

Increase efficiency and ensure secure network connectivity with these new features. 

The latest release of OpenVPN Connect for iOS offers some fantastic new features we think you’ll love. 

Users now have the ability to create profile-specific connect and disconnect shortcuts for Siri, increasing efficiency and secure connectivity. And the new Captive Portal Detection function prompts a user if action or information is needed before connecting to public Wi-Fi, helping to further ensure secure network connectivity. 

Work from anywhere and from any device with confidence. Get all the details on what’s new here.

You asked, we answered. Now you can subscribe to our 5-connection plan for the entire year.

You may have heard that OpenVPN recently began offering a 5-connection plan. We’re proud to announce that this plan is now available as an economical, zero-hassle annual subscription. 

The 5-connection plan is specifically designed with startups, small teams, and small businesses in mind. Because no matter how big or small your company is, you need secure connectivity to your network, apps (SaaS, on-prem, private), and devices. 

Invest in the efficient, secure network connectivity and robust security that you deserve at a price point you can afford. Get connected now!

Take advantage of the AWS Launcher and the Support Answer Bot.

OpenVPN has rolled out two great new features in the Access Server Portal to save you time and get you the answers you need faster than ever.

With the AWS Launcher, users can now initiate Access Server deployment on AWS and manage subscriptions in a single place: from the AS Portal. 

Here’s how to get started:

A second new Portal feature is the Support Answer Bot. Users no longer have to navigate to the support portal or use other communication channels to get in touch with OpenVPN. You can now initiate a chat with OpenVPN support directly from the Access Server Portal, just as you can from the OpenVPN website. 

To talk to us, simply click the Need Some Help widget in the Access Server Portal, and start a conversation with OpenVPN.

Configure SAML directly in JumpCloud. 

We provide step-by-step instructions to configure SAML with JumpCloud for Access Server. It’s a good addition to the list of other identity providers (IdP) for which we provide similar instructions, including Azure AD, Google Workspace, OneLogin, Keycloak, and Okta.

We take the complexity out of getting started with our helpful how-to.

Are you looking for some good resources for getting started with the Admin Web UI? Simplify configuration of Access Server by starting with this page: How to Configure OpenVPN-AS with Admin Web UI?

You’ll love our self-serve library of time-saving tips and answers to a variety of frequently-asked questions.

Are you familiar with our support knowledge base? It’s a great resource to find answers on your own, such as how to generate a list of VPN clients connected in real time. Our support team does a great job of adding helpful articles on a regular basis, so be sure to check in from time to time to see what’s new!

In a recent piece for Forbes, OpenVPN CEO Francis Dinha urges leaders to ensure they find ways to measure their cybersecurity teams’ success. “Show them you care about and respect their work. Find out ways you can connect network security to revenue — a knowledge that will benefit you just as much as it will help encourage them.” >>

OpenVPN Sponsors Upcoming Netdev 0x16 Conference in Lisbon

OpenVPN will be participating in the upcoming Netdev 0x16 conference in Lisbon, Portugal, from October 24-28, 2022. This conference, organized by Linux kernel developers in the networking community for other Linux developers, is a terrific opportunity for presenters to obtain early feedback and discuss the design of their solutions with other like-minded developers. Learn more here: >>

Join OpenVPN at CVx 2022 in Scottsdale

We’re excited to announce that OpenVPN will be participating in ChannelVision Magazine’s CVx 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona from November 2-4. Not your average industry conference, CVx prides itself on a thoughtful, in-depth, relevant lineup of sessions for channel partners and providers that use tech to drive digital transformation. We’d love to see you there, too! Learn more here: >>

It’s Official: Hexnode and OpenVPN Partnership

OpenVPN has partnered with Hexnode, an award-winning cloud-based Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solution, developed with the mission of helping enterprises manage their device fleet. This collaboration makes CloudConnexa, already known as the “easy button” for securing digital communication across an entire virtual enterprise network with a wide-area private cloud (WPC), even easier to deploy and manage. Get all the details here: >>

Now Create Multiple Isolated Overlay Networks with One Account

CloudConnexa now allows you to create and manage multiple wide-area private clouds (WPCs) from a single Owner account. It's an ideal solution for business owners and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) alike. See what's new here: >>

ZTNA — Beyond the Acronym

Don’t settle for a less-than-excellent secure network connectivity solution. CloudConnexa delivers the most essential elements of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for the protection your business deserves. Learn more here: >>

What does Microsoft know? They say they know what it’ll take to entice folks back to the office: socializing. People just want to chat. What do you think? Hybrid Work Is Just Work. Are We Doing It Wrong?

Ubuntu biz for free. Ubuntu bumped their free support from two machines to five for Ubuntu Pro. Here’s the scoop on what’s going on, in beta: Canonical launches free personal Ubuntu Pro subscriptions for up to five machines.

Maggie is mean. And Maggie is a backdoor malware infecting Microsoft SQL servers. Nobody invited Maggie to the party, but it opened the backdoor up to enable remote access with simple TCP redirection, giving attackers the ability to connect to any IP address the infected MS-SQL server reaches. We are not welcoming this port reuse. Hundreds of Microsoft SQL servers backdoored with new malware.

Semgrep Supply Chain released. It’s easier to flag just dependencies with vulnerable methods called in the code. Minimizing false positives sounds nice, doesn’t it? Semgrep Supply Chain | Open Source Vulnerability Scanner.

Brute force attack denied. Hopefully. Microsoft can now lock local admin user accounts after repeated failed sign-in attempts. The account lockout policy is meant “to mitigate RDP and other brute force password vectors,” they say. Here’s more what they say: All Windows versions can now block admin brute-force attacks.

Have you downloaded Access Server for free yet?