Hate Cisco’s clunky and useless VPN client invading your personal desktop space? Of course you are!

Luckily, if you’re running the latest beta for Mac OS 10.6, you can connect to the FIU (or another organization’s) VPN natively, along with Mac OS’s great VPN user interface. And it all just takes a few easy steps.

1. First, you need to request your Cisco VPN profile file for your environment. Ask the people who manage the VPN in your IT department for your respective PCF file.

2. Once you acquire the PCF file, visit http://tinyurl.com/cisco-decrypt for an online version of Maurice Massar’s cisco-decrypt tool. Upload your PCF file, and note down your Server Address, Group Name and Shared Secret.

3. Go to your System Preferences and click on the Network icon.

4. Under the list of network interfaces on the left, click the “+” sign to add a new connection.

5. Select “VPN” for the “Interface” drop-down menu. Then select “Cisco IPSec” for the VPN type. Put “FIU” or the name of your organization as the “Service Name.”

6. For the “Server Address,” enter the server address that the online cisco-decrypt tool gave you.

7. Enter the proper credentials for the “Account Name” and “Password.”

8. Click “Authentication Settings…” and fill the “Shared Secret” and “Group Name” tools with the results given by the online cisco-decrypt tool earlier. Click “OK.”

9. Click “Apply” on the bottom right corner. Then click the “Connect” button under the “Authentication Settings…” button. Optionally, but recommended, you should check “Show VPN status in menu bar” for quick and native access to FIU’s, or your organization’s, VPN.

You should now be set up and a much happier camper with your organization’s proprietary Cisco VPN. Enjoy!