Richard M. Hicks - Implementing Always On VPN: Modern Mobility with Microsoft Windows 10 and Windows Server 2022

This Apress imprint is published by the registered company APress Media, LLC part of Springer Nature.

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The book you are about to read results from many years of experience implementing secure remote access using Windows 10 Always On VPN. I have deployed this technology for organizations large and small and have learned many lessons over time. I have included as much practical, real-world experience as possible in this text to save administrators many hours of frustration in the future.

This book is not a technical reference. In these pages, you will not find detailed information about underlying technologies such as cryptography, IPsec, TLS, etc. Those are well documented in countless other publications. I encourage the reader to have a strong understanding of these foundational components, but I chose not to rehash those subjects here.

Instead, this book intends to be a practical implementation guide for planning, designing, and deploying Windows 10 Always On VPN using current implementation and security best practices. It will help administrators get up to speed quickly on this technology and allow them to implement Always On VPN to best meet their specific needs and requirements.

It is essential to note this book does not cover every possible deployment scenario available for Always On VPN. It focuses on the most common configuration options used by organizations worldwide. Administrators will find advanced configuration options and deployment guidance on my blog at https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/ .

The book begins with a detailed discussion about the planning and design of an Always On VPN infrastructure. This is the most crucial part of an Always On VPN project, without a doubt. All aspects of the supporting infrastructure are covered in detail, including Windows Server infrastructure components, certificate requirements, networking models, VPN protocol options and selection, VPN client IP address assignment methods, and much more.

Deploying Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) and Network Policy Server (NPS) on Windows Server 2022 is included, and Always On VPN clients provisioning using Intune and PowerShell is outlined. Advanced Always On VPN client configuration options are discussed, and guidance for implementing Always On VPN in Azure is provided.

Always On VPN relies heavily on certificates, so certificate provisioning on-premises and using Intune is documented thoroughly. Azure MFA integration options are covered, and details about high availability and redundancy configuration are provided as well.

Finally, administrators will learn how to troubleshoot common Always On VPN configuration and connectivity issues, and guidance for ongoing system maintenance, operational support, and monitoring and reporting is provided.

Best of luck with your Always On VPN implementation!

Countless people deserve credit for this book too numerous to count for sure. However, there are a few essential individuals I would like to mention.

To begin, I would like to thank my good friends Philipp Kuhn and Jason Jones at Microsoft. Both have been tremendously helpful and supportive over the years, answering countless questions about Always On VPN configuration and operation, in addition to implementation and security best practices. Thank you so much for always being there for me. I owe you both a tremendous debt of gratitude.

Thank you also to Natalie Jackson, who serves as the technical reviewer for this title, for stepping up and volunteering to take on the monumental task of reading every word of this book and ensuring its clarity and accuracy. Your feedback and suggestions have been instrumental, and your contributions have undoubtedly made this a better book for everyone.

There is a lot of PowerShell in this book, and although I am no expert in this field, my good friend Jeff Hicks is. I have read many of his books and watched most of his video training courses on Pluralsight, so if any of the PowerShell commands or scripts in this book are helpful, I have Jeff to thank for that. The more complicated tools I developed over the years for Always On VPN were primarily written by him. And though we are not related, we do share an affinity for single-malt Scotch whisky.

Finally, this book would not be possible without my wonderful wifes unconditional love and unwavering support. Anne, youre the best, and I love you the most.