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Pablo Porta Helps Long Time Fort Lauderdale Client With VPN Issues

Regardless of the Microsoft operating system that’s in use, it seems that no operating system is free from update-related issues. The latest Windows update for Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems caused problems with VPNs and in some cases prevented the connection from being established.

After Microsoft released updates for Windows at the beginning of January to correct security vulnerabilities and bugs, and(as no surprise to us), the new patch presented bugs and caused a long thread of user complaints. There were various posts and comments the very next day reporting issues with VPN connections using L2TP over IPSEC.

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Kudos To Our Entire Team For Helping Our Clients In Fort Lauderdale

It was eventually determined that the update prevented connections in some cases to the VPN tool of the operating system, but also to third parties such as SonicWall, Cisco, and WatchGuard firewalls. Several users shared their experiences online and there were those who shared how the issue could be solved. It was revealed that the updates that were having problems were the last two that had been added to the Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems: KB5009543 on Windows 10 and KB5009566 on Windows 11.

After installing the patch, users complained that it was impossible to establish L2TP VPN connections when trying to connect using the Windows VPN client. A failure that caused the following error message on the screen.: “The L2TP connection attempt failed because the security layer encountered a processing error during initial negotiations with the remote computer“.

Microsoft  confirmed the issue, saying:

After installing KB5009543, IP Security (IPSEC) connections which contain a Vendor ID might fail. VPN connections using Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) or IP security Internet Key Exchange (IPSEC IKE) might also be affected.

Microsoft stated that it was possible to mitigate the error by disabling Provider Identification(if possible) on the VPN server. Many users on online forums suggested that the best workaround was to uninstall the update. However, there is always a risk of uninstalling updates from a security standpoint. Uninstalling updates will roll back any patches and fixes for other vulnerabilities and bugs they address.

January’s Patch Tuesday saw Microsoft addressing and fixing a new, wormable HTTP vulnerability that lets attackers send maliciously crafted packets to susceptible Windows Servers. Uninstalling the updates and rolling back the patches could expose users to these attacks in exchange for working L2TP VPN connections. Therefore, system administrators had to carefully determine if the risks outweighed the benefits before uninstalling the faulty updates from impacted systems.

Client Experiences Issues with Windows VPN Client

It seemed that all Windows’ built-in VPN clients were broken, with the majority of third-party tools remaining intact. According to many users, the problems were not with all VPN devices, but many users complained of issues with connections to SonicWall, Cisco Meraki, and WatchGuard firewalls.

We had a long-time client who had this issue. After the client went through the process of resetting the network cards and VPN settings, nothing changed. This was a really interesting situation because the entire company wasn’t down, it was a home user who was encountering a repeated ongoing issue. The issue was occurring after-hours and she had deadlines that she needed to complete, so the entire ordeal was extremely frustrating.

Due to the seriousness of the issue, the entire GiaSpace team was involved to determine why the issue was occurring and to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. After everyone on the team had their chance to look at the VPN issues our client was experiencing, Pablo Porta, a member of our help desk team took on the issue head-on.

The fact that many Windows users are working remotely led to system administrators removing faulty updates from impaired systems manually. Pablo discovered that our client’s configurations had to be revised. Doing so fixed the broken L2TP VPN connections after rebooting the systems.

Pablo was able to get our client back to their work and they were certainly content with the ability to finally meet their deadlines.

Going the Extra Mile For Organizations In Fort Lauderdale

To address our client’s issue, Pablo went the extra mile, took the initiative, and made GiaSpace look good. Pablo genuinely cares and is committed to GiaSpace, and we absolutely loved the effort he put in to help our client with the VPN issues caused by the Microsoft update. At the end of the day, we never want our clients to feel like they have issues that cannot be resolved.

If they need help, we have someone on the team like Pablo who can walk them through resolving the problem. If one person on the team can’t help, we know there’s someone else who can. We love helping our clients and we love the people we work with.

To create a satisfied client, Pablo was able to ensure that our client’s needs were met. Pablo understood he needed to work a little harder in this regard, since the client was experiencing something that was incredibly frustrating. Shortly after addressing the client’s issue and getting the client back up and running, the client was extremely pleased with the level of service that was extended.

The knowledge and patience of the team was fantastic…..especially Rob!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!

Exceeding Expectations

Pablo didn’t want to just meet the client’s expectations. Pablo wanted to go above and beyond. How did he do it?

  • He responded to the client’s questions promptly.
  • He was proactive about finding what was causing the problem and the best way to address it.
  • He followed up with the client to ensure that the client was happy with their service.

Pablo understands it’s the little things that will often make the biggest difference. When a client calls with an issue, he is always ready to do anything he can to help the person on the other end. In order for clients to navigate the increasingly complex IT environment, they rely on amazing people like Pablo for support to resolve their issues and maximize their resources.

GiaSpace is happy to have Pablo as a part of our team. We are thankful for his dedication and being a true team player.

Creating a Personal Touch

Relationships with clients that go beyond the standard professional approach are far more likely to last longer. Building loyalty and trust takes time and effort, but once that relationship is established, it will maintain a key role in that client’s growth. Actions do speak louder than words. Reaching out to clients with solutions—not false promises—builds long-lasting loyalty and trust faster and more effectively than other aspects.

Finding ways to meet the needs of our clients is essential to the long-term success of our business. We provide our clients with the services and solutions they need to operate more efficiently while also making it easier for them to service their customers and clients better, meet their deadlines, and continue to work remotely. Consistently providing exceptional support is one of the most effective ways to build a solid reputation.

The Importance of IT Support for Businesses

Trying to do everything alone isn’t an easy task for most business owners. However, partnering with an IT services provider like GiaSpace allows business owners to improve employee productivity while also better meeting the needs of their customers or clients. IT and help desk support will always be available should questions arise, which is a great way to reduce downtime. GiaSpace is staffed for depth of knowledge and breadth of resources. Our clients have the ability to gain access to an incredible pool of talent to help identify and solve complex issues.

An IT infrastructure is the backbone of any business or organization. The demand for IT support has been increasing rapidly over the years. In today’s landscape, IT professionals have their own routine, so it isn’t set in stone that a help desk or IT support team can quickly offer their assistance when it is needed. At GiaSpace, we understand the needs and significance of IT support and help desk assistance.

GiaSpace Is on a Mission to Enhance Our Clients’ Experiences

We understand that after-hours emergencies happen, and we make sure that members of our team will be available when our clients need them the most. Our clients don’t have to worry about getting frustrated that there was no one around to answer their support ticket fast enough, even when the issues occur after-hours. Our experts and specialists like Pablo handle all VPN, server management, and other issues as quickly as possible. We have insight into how our clients are being supported, and that allows us to address their needs and fix the issues so they can be headache and frustration-free.

Our support team has maintained “extremely satisfied” clients. We love to find out how satisfied our clients and their end-users are with the support they receive. At GiaSpace, we aim to achieve the highest level of client satisfaction and protect their organization from incidents. We provide 24/7 maintenance and IT support services to ensure that our clients are taken care of. Our services are always available.

Please do not hesitate to call us at (954) 255-1757 to get in touch with us or chat directly with us.