Highest Security Standards
Cutting-edge technology ensures that your connections are secure and your data is safe.
Shimo is based on the latest security technology available. Your privacy and the security of your data is protected when using Shimo to establish network connections. We make no compromises when it comes to security standards.

Shimo provides encryption technology such as AES-256 which is even certified by governmental organizations, global enterprises and the military. But encryption is only as strong as its weakest link. As a consequence, our hash algorithms include SHA-2, the latest set of cryptographic hash functions. Additionally, secure cryptographic key exchange over insecure or public channels is enabled using the Diffie-Hellman (D-H) method.

Likewise, passwords are often not sufficient to introduce security to a system. If your connection requires certificates or one-time passcode tokens, such as RSA SecurID, our VPN client for Mac provides the necessary toolset through Extended Authentication (XAUTH).

Menu Bar Access
Shimo is only one click away – from everywhere!
There is no need for any additional window to have full control over your VPN connections. Shimo can easily be accessed over the menu bar of macOS: Connect and disconnect VPN connections, access statistics and accounting information, or notice the secured IP address of connected accounts.

User Experience is one of the core values of our product design philosophy. Consequently, there are no complicated configuration dialogs or hardly comprehensible settings. Shimo – the most sophisticated VPN client for Mac – enables with its lean design access and control in a simple and easy way.

VPN Protocols
There are no limitations regarding the use of VPN protocols.
Shimo supports every major VPN protocol that is currently available: The widely used CiscoVPN, the very secure OpenVPN and all standard-compliant IPSec connections. It also handles Point-to-Point Tunneling (PPTP VPN) and Layer 2 Tunneling (L2TP) protocols. Even Cisco’s new Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol AnyConnect is supported by Shimo – the most flexible VPN client for Mac. Shimo also enables you to establish encrypted Secure Shell (SSH) connections including port forwarding for secure web browsing.

There is no other VPN client for Mac which supports this variety of available protocols. If you want to have the all-in-one solution for your secure connections, Shimo is technology of choice. This feature is not only helpful, if you have to handle different types of connections, but rather in cases where your system administrator upgrades or changes the used protocol. With Shimo you are always prepared and ready to go.

Shimo does not support PPTP/L2TP on macOS Catalina due to Apple's enforced security requirements.

More Than Just One
Shimo enables you to establish multiple connections at the same time.
With Shimo you are not restricted to one single VPN connection at a time. You can connect to multiple VPN endpoints simultaneously. Hence, Shimo is the favorite of power users and consultants. Complex network are easily manageable using Shimo – the number one VPN client for Mac – as it is possible to setup multiple connections using various protocols. Shimo provides features, such as account search and categorization into groups, to easily handle and organize a large number of VPN accounts at the same time.

Two-Factor Authentication Made Easy
As passwords do not provide sufficient security anymore, Shimo supports modern two-factor authentication.
Shimo stores all your account-related information in macOS password management system: The Keychain. This comprises your VPN credentials, such as passwords and PINs, as well as your certificates. The stored information is securely encrypted by your macOS user password.

Shimo is further based on latest innovations in macOS security, such as code signing, 64 bit, XPC services and more. This guarantees high level security for your sensitive data.

But especially the support of modern two-factor authentication methods, such as Tokens (e.g. RSA SecurID, Symantec VIP), keeps Shimo on the highest possible standard regarding data security. Thus, Shimo is the top choice when looking for the most secure VPN client for Mac.

Trigger Automation
With triggers you can make sure that your connection is always secured – Always.
Secure VPN connections can only protect your data when they are established. To make sure that your network connection is secured whenever required, Shimo allows to automatically connect VPN accounts based on certain trigger conditions.

With Shimo you can define triggers based on the computer’s network configuration, your geographic location, or the Wi-Fi network or its type of encryption. You can also configure triggers based on launch or termination of other applications. It even allows to use VPN connections themselves as triggers for other accounts for automatically establishing chained VPN connections.

But you can also configure actions to be performed when a particular VPN connection is established or terminated. Connect to network servers, launch other applications or just check your company email for new mails – everything is possible with Shimo’s automation features.

System Requirements
Shimo 5 fully supports macOS 10.15 Catalina, macOS 10.14 Mojave and macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Supported VPN Technologies

VPN Standards

• IPsec VPN
• L2TP and PPTP (not on macOS 10.15 Catalina)
• OpenVPN
• AnyConnect (Cisco SSL)
• SSH

Automatic Configuration

• Mode Config (NETGEAR, Juniper Networks …)
• Cisco EasyVPN
• WatchGuard Mobile User VPN
• SonicWALL DHCP over VPN
• Cisco AnyConnect

Networking

• Host-to-Network (Split-Tunneling)
• Host-to-Everywhere (Tunnel All Traffic)
• Host-to-Host
• Remote DNS Handling
• Full IPv6 Support

Compatible Devices
The following section contains an incomplete list of supported VPN gateway devices. Compatibility with the listed products is confirmed by our customers. Products not listed here might still be compatible with Shimo. If you know of any unlisted devices, please send us a short note to further extend this list.

Security Technologies

Encryption Algorithms

• AES-256, AES-192, AES-128 Encryption Methods
• 3DES, DES, DES-IV64, DES-IV32

Hash Algorithms

• SHA-2 (SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512)
• SHA-1
• MD5

Diffie-Hellman (DH) Key Exchange

• Groups 14 to 18 (up to 8192 bit)
• Group 5 (1536 bit)
• Group 2 (1024 bit)
• Group 1 (768 bit)

Authentication

• Pre-shared Keys
• RSA X.509 Certificates
• PKI Tokens
• Extended Authentication (XAUTH)
• Support for Authenticator Tokens (RSA SecurID, CryptoCard, etc.) through XAUTH
• Hybrid Mode 

Connection Technologies

Get Connected, Anywhere

• NAT Detection and NAT-Traversal (RFC 3947 including drafts)
• Cisco UDP Encapsulation
• Trigger Automation: Data protection in unsecured environments

Stay Connected

• Automatic Reconnection upon Transmission Problems or System Sleep
• Rekeying
• Dead Peer Detection (DPD)
• Automatic DHCP Renewal

First Class Support

• Extensive Knowledge Base with Most Frequently Asked Questions and their Solutions
• Direct Communication with Support Team via Web-Chat or Email
• Diagnostic Tools built into the Software
• One-click Technical Support Reports 

Productivity and Automation

Seamlessly Integrated User Interface

• Menu Bar Item for One-Click Access from Everywhere
• Optional Dock Icon
• Connection Groups for Structuring VPN Connections
• Search for VPN Connections
• File Vault allows for Easy Access to all Auxiliary Files

Accounting

• Document Your Remote Work with Exact Connection Protocol
• Easy Export to Numbers and Excel via CSV Files
• Filtering of Accounting Data by Date/Time Filters and Arbitrary Keywords

Triggers

• Automatically Connect or Disconnect VPN Connection based on Triggers:
  • Application Startup or Termination
  • Geographic Location (Geo-Fencing, e.g. when not at the company building)
  • Network Access (e.g. when accessing an internal website)
  • Wi-Fi Network (e.g. when not in an encrypted network environment)
  • Network Location (e.g. when in home network)

Automated Actions

• Automatically Perform Actions at VPN Connect and Disconnect
  • Receive Emails (e.g. internal email accounts)
  • Connect to Server (e.g. internal file server)
  • Switch Network Locations (e.g. activate internal network configurations)
  • Open File or Directory
  • Open URL/Website (e.g. intranet website)
  • Launch Application (e.g. internal software)
  • Run Arbitrary Shell- or AppleScript (custom actions)
• Notifications for Important Events (audio, visual or both) 

Profile Exporting and Deployment

• Export VPN Connections including all required Files (certificates, key files, etc.)
• Bundle VPN Connections, Auxiliary Files, etc. into Single Archive for Zero-Configuration Deployment
• Lock VPN Connections to Prevent Modification of Configuration
• No Installation Required for Easy Deployment