"I think I know what the issue might be," Ryan said. "One of our certificate authorities (CAs) might be expiring or has expired. Let me check on that."

Ryan then asked Alex to try to connect to the VPN using a different protocol, such as TLS instead of SSL. Alex made the change, but still, the error message remained.

As for Ryan, he made a mental note to proactively monitor the company's CAs and certificates to prevent similar issues in the future. After all, a seamless remote work experience relied on a stable and secure VPN connection.

Alex tried to reconnect several times, thinking it was just a minor glitch, but the error persisted. She checked her internet connection, made sure her username and password were correct, and even restarted her laptop, but nothing seemed to work.

"Try to download and install the new certificate, and then reconnect to the VPN," Ryan instructed.

The issue was resolved due to Ryan's persistence and expertise. The expired CA certificate had been replaced, and Alex was able to continue working remotely without any further issues.