Due to the sensitive nature of claimant data, Virtual Assist is flexible for implementing extra security measure on the portal. Similarly, most corporate networks will also implement specific security protocols that will block users from accessing certain sites, downloading files, etc. A common term for this is known as "Firewalls".
What is a Firewall?
A firewall acts as a security guard on your computer and internet connection. It monitors attempts to gain access to your operating system and blocks unwanted traffic or unrecognized sources.
You can think of a firewall as a traffic controller. It helps to protect your network and information by managing your network traffic, blocking unsolicited incoming network traffic, and validating access by assessing network traffic for anything malicious like hackers and malware.
How do Firewalls affect Virtual Assist?
Virtual Assist relies on real time technology, which is often flagged as potentially malicious on most Firewall protocols.
Signs of a firewall blocking your connection to Virtual Assist:
If you are seeing a black screen in the centre panel of VA, but the customer says they are steaming video,
After you click "End Session" on the session, the video starts processing and then uploads.
An easy way to confirm that you are being blocked by Firewalls:
Disconnect your computer from your work Wifi connection or VPN
Reconnect via a mobile hotspot, preferably your personal hotspot.
Try the session again to see if it works as expected.
Specifically for the Suncorp Virtual Assist portal, we've added some extra tweaks in.
What the user needs to know:
Please do not try connecting via the Suncorp VPN, or remote. Your connection to Virtual Assist is meant to run over the Bluecoat proxy.
For technical staff:
Suncorp has the "/login" route blocked unless you're on a Suncorp managed windows PC. In other words, the user needs to use VA via "BlueCoat" proxy.
The proxy is set up to only route HTTP traffic through the Suncorp infrastructure
Specifically the user needs to be in the bluecoat proxy group on their Active Directory.
The Suncorp VPN/Remote Desktop blocks the UDP ports to prevent issues with WebRTC taking up bandwidth on the Suncorp managed network.
If you ever get stuck, it's best to reach out to the technical team on Suncorp's side to get insights and the best advice on how to use your company managed network and hardware.