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I need to work remotely and connect to a company network from my Mac over the internet. How do I set this up? I've looked at different software such as OpenVPN and Tunnelblick. I'm not sure how to set up remote access. Any suggestions? Advice?

Additional information: There is basically no IT department. So I would need to set up the server side solution as well if that is what is needed.

More information: I basically need to use the database connection from inside the company network.

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  • The "Additional information" is rather sparsly on the one side and broadens the question considerably. A good question would contain: router type, internet bandwidth, server type/OS, no. of internal/external workstations & OSs, main purpose (either file access/dev or video conferencing or support/all), budget, rapidly-growing company <=> stable, etc.
    – klanomath
    Dec 16, 2019 at 16:00
  • 2nd @klanomath. Difficult to recommend a solution without more information. What are you trying to work on/access remotely? A VPN might also be overkill here. If you're just looking to work on documents (Word, Excel) remotely, I would recommend just using Office 365 + OneDrive for Business (SharePoint is still probably overkill). If you're not already invested in Office 365, then use Box.
    – BaconDuctTape
    Dec 16, 2019 at 17:15
  • I will add more information to the post. I basically need to use the database connection I have at the company remotely.
    – user840930
    Dec 17, 2019 at 16:11
  • I think bmike's suggestion is best - some sort of remote desktop client. You can use Chrome Remote Desktop (free) as a proof of concept, and a paid service to get support & higher reliability, performance and security (screen connect, teamviewer, etc.). I don't recommend the VPN route. Accessing a database over VPN often causes database corruption. Not to mention you add a significant attack vector to your business if the VPN isn't configured & maintained correctly.
    – BaconDuctTape
    Dec 17, 2019 at 17:25

3 Answers 3

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Who is supporting your network at your company? An "IT" department? You? An outside company/managed service provider (MSP)?

IT Dept - ask them if they can offer a VPN connection for remote access.

MSP - ask them if your firewall supports a VPN connection for remote access. If it does, ask them what is required to set it up (this may be billable).

You - you're probably in over your head. To start with, you need to know what kind of firewall you have.

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  • I am the IT department. I will find out about the firewall.
    – user840930
    Dec 17, 2019 at 16:36
  • See my comment on the OP. I don't recommend using a VPN in this case.
    – BaconDuctTape
    Dec 17, 2019 at 17:26
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First, your company might have its own VPN setup guidelines and then only you can use third-party VPN tool after your IT department suggests you.

Cisco Anyconnect Secure Mobility client is a widely used third-party tool that you can use only after your company sets up the VPN accordingly to connect your company network.

And then, to work remotely you need to Microsoft Remote Desktop v10 (you can get it from Mac Store) if you are trying to access the Windows machine of your company.

I hope this gives you an overall idea of accessing company network from your machine.

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  • What if my company doesn't have it's own VPN setup guidelines? I basically need to set the guidelines. It is too small. How do I go about setting it up?
    – user840930
    Dec 13, 2019 at 16:39
  • @user840930 Can you please add this directly to the question? Currently it reads as if you just want help on the Mac side, but your comment implies that you need help to set up a full VPN for a company.
    – nohillside ♦
    Dec 13, 2019 at 19:08
  • There are a multitude of different VPN technologies. It‘s necessary to know which VPN type is used before suggestions can be made regarding the client software
    – not2savvy
    Dec 13, 2019 at 21:44
  • @user840930 There is a question on Ask Different Meta that explains how to ask a follow on question asking for software recommendations. I bet you have some very useful criteria and asking an official question with criteria would both get an answer for you and help others.
    – bmike ♦
    Dec 14, 2019 at 20:20
  • I updated the question.
    – user840930
    Dec 16, 2019 at 15:27
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All macs support screen sharing out of the box. Can you set up a Mac at the place and remote in?

If your router supports it, have it set up VPN in so you can join the network from a remote connection and then you don't need any extra steps other then following the guide on Remote Setup.

If you don't have the ability to log in to the network itself using VPN software, on a technical level, you need a software client to broker the internet connection data if your work has a NAT and doesn’t assign publicly open IP address (IPv4 or IPv6) to your computer.

Two options are:

This is one case where you want to get permission to use this software from the company involved. You could be seen as bypassing security and opening them to data exfiltration, remote control and security breaches when you connect in without their permission.

You can write the guidelines if the company is small and start slowly. You’ll choose a strong password on your mac and only use one software and then let them review the setup once you’ve tested it. Someone either pays for internet or set up the network, so work with them and you’ll be set.

Even if you VPN in - Screens Connect is great and you can try it out for free using https://setapp.com/ and then just rent it if you don't want to buy it.

Lastly, ubiquity offers powerful networking gear if you wanted to hire network specific tools for this task. Then you could set up a point to point VPN or have work install this gear so you can securely connect if they have nothing set up for this yet.

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