Remote access may refer to two separate but related purposes access to a computer system from a remote location. The former refers to workers accessing data or resources from outside a central workplace such as an office, and the latter refers to help desk organizations remotely connecting to a user’s computer to help resolve issues with their system or software.
Remote access for work
Traditional remote access solutions for busy situations used remote access technologies to allow employees to connect to the office network through telephone networks connected to remote access servers. Virtual Private Network (VPN) has replaced this traditional physical connection between a remote client and server by creating a secure tunnel over a public network, in most cases the Internet.
A VPN is a technology for securely connecting two private networks, such as an employer’s network and a remote employee’s network (and can also mean a secure connection between two large private networks). VPNs typically refer to individual employees as clients who connect to a corporate network, called a host network.
However, in addition to simply connecting to remote resources, remote access solutions such as RemotePC may also allow users to control the host computer over the Internet from anywhere. This is often referred to as remote desktop access.
Remote Desktop Access
Remote access includes a host computer, which is a local computer that will access and view the desktop of a remote or target computer. The host computer can see and interact with the target computer through the target computer’s actual desktop interface, allowing the host user to see exactly what the target user sees. This ability makes it especially useful for technical support purposes.
Both computers will need software that will allow them to connect and communicate with each other. After connecting, a window with the desktop of the target computer will appear on the host computer.
Microsoft Windows, Linux, and MacOS have software available that provides remote desktop access.
Remote access software
To popular programmatic Remote access solutions that allow you to remotely access and control your computer include GoToMyPC, RealVNC, and LogMeIn.
The Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection client, which allows you to remotely control another computer, is built into Windows XP and later versions of Windows. Apple also offers Apple Remote Desktop software for network administrators to manage Macs on the network.