Using OpenVPN from Xfce Desktop Environment

[Worrier Poet]

Good day to everyone!

I want to use the OpenVPN client (or a different VPN client, if such
might be better in the opinion of people with experience) from within
Xfce without jeopardizing the way this very nicely integrated desktop
environment works in Debian testing.

I would be using the client for access to a couple of corporate VPNs
which use Cisco AnyConnect appliances, and also for connection to a
couple of social action network VPNs which use OpenVPN Server.

Most of my reading on this subject has centered around the Gnome desktop
environment, and the use of network-manager-openvpn-gnome.

I use the default network manager for Xfce in Debian, Wicd. I imagine
it's a bad idea to have Wicd and network-manager jostling each other for
control of my interface. This system is a laptop that has to be used on
a number of different networks, all with wired connections, but not all
of which use DHCP.

I guess I have two questions:

1. Is there a way to have my cake and eat it, too, i.e. can I keep Wicd
and handle the VPN connection some other way?

2. If I need network-manager, do I need to remove Wicd, and is this
going to have an adverse effect upon my desktop environment? (I suppose
the Xfce developers chose Wicd as the default for good reason. I thought
network-manager was pretty unreliable when I was using it with Gnome,
but that was a while ago.)

I will be happy to ready your thoughts.

optimistically,
the worrier