What is the difference between using the proxy server and the VPN (virtual private network)?
Answer
The proxy server is more seamless as our systems are programmed to route you through automatically. You will be asked to log in with your UCSBnet ID and password, and then authenticate with DUO. There will be a slight change in the URL and then you will be using the proxy server. The VPN, on the other hand, requires you to download/install software and then to connect through the VPN each time you want to do research. For the most part it is a matter of preference. There are some databases that work better with the proxy server and some that work better with the VPN.