How to Connect to Biola Servers with Global Secure Access (GSA) as a Vendor

Purpose

Use this article to connect to Biola servers from your company device.

You connect through Microsoft Global Secure Access (GSA). You sign in with your own company work account. Do the steps in order.

 

Instructions

Step 1: Confirm the requirements

Do this step one time for your company. Reply to Biola IT Systems Engineering with "Yes" or "No" for each item:

  1. The device uses 64-bit Windows 10 LTSC 2021 or later, or Windows 11. Mac, Linux, and phones do not work.
  2. The device is joined to or registered in your company Microsoft Entra tenant.
  3. Your tenant allows outbound B2B collaboration to the Biola tenant (dff28608-56d6-4a21-be7d-f955a00b058b). This includes any tenant restrictions policy.
  4. You accept this condition: when you switch to Biola, the GSA tunnels to your company stop.

You also need these items:

  • Local administrator rights on the device.
  • The invitation email from Microsoft.
  • The GSA client installer and the server names from Biola.
  • If Biola made a BIOLA\ext_... account for you: the user name and the password reset instructions.

Step 2: Accept the invitation

  1. Open the invitation email from Microsoft.
  2. Click the link in the email.
  3. Sign in with your company work account. Do not use a personal account.

Step 3: Install the GSA client

  1. Run the GSA client installer from Biola. Use the installer that matches the device (x64 or Arm).
  2. Open the GSA client and click Settings.
  3. Make sure that the version is 2.28.96 or later.

Step 4: Turn on guest access

  1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. Run this command: 
    reg add "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Global Secure Access Client" /v GuestAccessEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
  3. Make sure that the command shows "The operation completed successfully."
  4. Reboot the device.

Step 5: Sign in to the GSA client

  1. Open the GSA client.
  2. Sign in with your company work account.

The message "Disabled by your organization" is normal.

Step 6: Switch to Biola

  1. Click the GSA icon in the system tray.
  2. Open the User menu (your profile picture).
  3. Click Biola. The Organization field shows Biola.

To go back to your company, click your company in the User menu.

Step 7: Connect to a server

  1. Use only the servers in the message from Biola.
  2. If you use Remote Desktop, close all open Remote Desktop sessions.
  3. Connect to the full server name from the message.
  4. If Remote Desktop asks for a user name, sign in with your BIOLA\ext_... user name and password.
 

Troubleshooting

ProblemAction
Biola is not in the User menu.Click the GSA icon. Click Disable, then click Enable. If Biola is still not there, do Step 4 again.
You cannot connect after Biola changes your access.Click Disable, then click Enable. The change can take 1 hour.
The server name does not connect.Turn off secure DNS (DNS over HTTPS) in Windows.
Remote Desktop rejects your password.Reset the password with the instructions from Biola.
The switch to Biola fails after you approve the sign-in in Microsoft Authenticator.Reply to the message from Biola IT Systems Engineering.
You have a different problem.Reply to the message from Biola IT Systems Engineering.
 
Need more help?

If you cannot find your answer here, reply to the message from Biola IT Systems Engineering.

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