Notebooks and laptop computers have become an invaluable tool for anyone who travels on business on a regular basis. They are now far more lightweight than when they first became popular and can hold vast amounts of information with removable storage devices, providing almost limitless memory.
The problem is that there are often instances where files stored on an office based computer are needed while out on the road. If the files are extremely large, it may not be possible to email them and another solution is needed. If this situation sounds familiar to you, then remote access software could be the answer to your problems.
The basic premise of remote access software is that you can connect to another computer anywhere in the world from your notebook or another computer with internet access. You are then able to copy files between them or even run a program on the distant computer as if it were in front of you.
This even includes printing from the remote machine. That is extremely useful if you have to submit a document for a signature from someone back at base. You can do that far quicker and cheaper than sending it via FedEx or DHL.
Staff who find themselves being sent to more than one location before having chance to return to their base will be able to transfer the files that they need for the new destination quickly and easily. This can be done using a number of methods, depending on the software being used, but many offer a drag and drop facility.
The nature of global business is that business travelers are often in another time zone to their company and need to access a particular file. If they need the file at 9am in New York from their San Jose office they may have to wait 2 hours before someone is in the home office. Remote access software allows them to continue with their work on the East Coast without having to wait until the West Coast wakes up.
Remote access software is also an extremely useful administration tool as it allows monitoring of the remote computer to be able to prevent unauthorized access of files or programs on the computer. This is extremely important, especially with personnel files or company information that has restricted access.
More than one computer can be connected to the same host computer, which enables staff working away from their offices to access information that they require. The levels of access for each of these links can be controlled and set for each individual using the remote access software settings.
There are a number of different types of remote access software available. Each has its own particular functionality and features and the price varies accordingly. There are some freeware and shareware versions of software available, but these tend to have very limited functionality. LogMeIn is one of the better free pieces of remote access software. For basic control and connectivity this may be enough for some people.
Anyplace Control and PC Anywhere are two of the most popular remote access software programs. They both require software to be loaded on both computers and have similar features and functionality. However, Anyplace requires a one-off payment and no subscription, whereas PC Anywhere requires a monthly or annual payment.
If you are considering buying remote access software it is worth shopping around and comparing features and prices before making a commitment to a subscription service. Try out some of the free software first and work up to your ideal setup from there.
Summary:
The basic premise of remote access software is that you can connect to another computer anywhere in the world from your notebook or another computer with internet access. You are then able to copy files between them or even run a program on the distant computer as if it were in front of you.