Securing your emails via VPN – Why you need to take action now

Target audience for this information: users of Exchange mailboxes

From 29 July 2026, access to Exchange (including email and calendar) from outside the university network will only be possible via a VPN connection with two-factor authentication or from within the university network. To ensure you can continue to access the Exchange system on the go, an additional VPN profile has been set up specifically for personal mobile devices.

The ability to access our emails at any time and from anywhere in the world is not only a huge help in our day-to-day work, it is indispensable – whether at conferences, during research stays or when working from home. Yet it is precisely this openness that also makes our computer systems vulnerable to attack. That is why the University is taking action and offering a simple technical solution to improve the security of our IT system in future.

Important to know: Our university has two email systems – the Groupware Exchange (OWA or Exchange, @exchange.wwu.de) and the open-source email system (standard mailbox, perMail, @uni-muenster.de). Both systems will be secured, though in different phases and timeframes. The change initially affects the Exchange system, which is used for email and calendars particularly in the administration and in many faculties.

What does this mean in practice?

  • Whether at home, on the move or on business trips: if you have not set up a VPN by the deadline, you will no longer be able to access your Exchange mailbox, either on your work laptop or on your personal smartphone. This applies both to checking emails via client software (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.) and to accessing them in a browser via OWA.
  • On campus (LAN/Wi-Fi): Nothing will change for you here.

What do I need to do?

If you use Exchange, please set up VPN on your mobile devices as soon as possible.

  • Work mobile devices: For your work mobile devices, use the University VPN, which also gives you access to other protected University services (e.g. software, academic journals, databases, network drives).
  • Personal mobile devices: For personal smartphones and tablets used to access Exchange, we provide a special VPN profile (Mail VPN). This VPN routes only email traffic via the university, whilst the rest of your browsing remains unaffected. (Note: This profile is not suitable for work devices, as it does not allow access to services protected by the university VPN.)

Instructions for setting up VPN connections

All instructions for setting up VPN connections can be found on the CIT website. There, the instructions are listed separately by operating system and show how to use the existing university VPN and how to set up the special Mail VPN profile.

Who can I contact if I have questions or problems?

If you have any questions or problems, please contact your relevant IT service provider (IVV).

  • Frequently Asked Questions

    Which email systems are affected by the changeover?

    There are two email systems at the University. The open-source email system (addresses ending in @uni-muenster.de), which can be accessed via perMail or an email client, and the Groupware Exchange (addresses ending in @exchange.wwu.de), which can be accessed via Outlook, OWA or an email client. The changeover initially affects the Exchange system, which is used for email and calendars particularly in the administration and in many faculties.

    Do I need to switch to the new VPN?

    If you are already using the University of Münster’s VPN, you can continue to do so. The new VPN is primarily intended for personal devices.

    What are the differences between the two VPN profiles?

    With the new VPN profile, you can only access emails from the Exchange system. To this end, only requests to the Exchange system are routed via the University of Münster’s servers. This profile is therefore recommended for personal mobile devices. With the existing VPN profile, you can also use all other services (e.g. software, academic journals, databases, network drives, Confluence) that are only accessible from the University of Münster network. We therefore recommend this profile for work devices whilst on business travel or at a flexible work location.

    Why should I set up the new Mail VPN profile on my personal mobile device?

    You should set up the new VPN profile on your personal mobile device if you want to access your Exchange mailbox whilst on the move. The advantage of this profile is that only requests to the Exchange server are routed via the university’s servers, whilst your other data traffic remains unaffected. This protects your data, reduces server load and contributes to IT security, as your personal device has no further permissions for university services.

    How often do I need to (re-)establish the connection to the Mail VPN?

    The new VPN profile performed stably in tests and was able to run in the background for weeks at a time. In such cases, you do not need to worry about the connection. However, issues such as dead spots or the activation of flight mode can cause the connection to drop. Afterwards, the connection must be re-established. If you cannot access your Exchange mailbox, please first check whether the VPN connection is still active.