A user is working from home and is unable to access work files on a company laptop. Which of the following should a technician configure to fix the…

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is the standard technology used to provide secure remote access to a private corporate network over a public network like the internet. By establishing an encrypted tunnel between the user's laptop and the company's network, the VPN allows the user to access internal resources, such as file servers, as if they were physically present in the office. This directly addresses the user's inability to access work files while at home.

A. A Wide-area network (WAN) is a broad network type, like the internet itself. It is not a specific configuration that a technician would set up to grant access.

B. A wireless network provides local connectivity (e.g., at the user's home). It does not inherently grant access to a remote corporate network's private resources.

C. Proxy network settings are used to route web traffic through an intermediary server, often for content filtering or anonymity, not for accessing internal file shares.

1. Microsoft Corporation. (2023). VPN connections in Windows. Microsoft Learn. Retrieved from learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/client-management/mdm/vpn-connections-in-windows. (This document details how VPNs are configured in Windows to connect to corporate networks).

2. Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). Software Engineering Institute - Virtual Private Network (VPN). Retrieved from resources.sei.cmu.edu/assetfiles/whitepaper/200301900152537.pdf. (Page 1, Section 1.1, describes a VPN's function in providing secure communication over an untrusted network).

3. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). (n.d.). Cybersecurity for Small Business - Secure Remote Access. Retrieved from www.fcc.gov/communications-business-opportunities/cybersecurity-small-businesses/secure-remote-access. (This official government source identifies VPNs as a primary method for securing remote access).