Remote Access

What is remote access?

Remote access, also known as remote desktop, allows users to log in to access a remote computer or device at any time from anywhere using another faraway computer. From accessing devices from a remote location to troubleshooting clients’ devices, remote access software is a beneficial tool for organizations since it aids in managing applications, fixing technical glitches, and even performing administrative tasks remotely. It works by assisting the technical staff to view another user’s computer screen through the computer's actual desktop user interface.

Logiciel Remote Access

Logiciel mentionnant remote access comme fonctionnalité ou terme.

TeamViewer

AnyDesk

Zoom Workplace

RealVNC

ScreenConnect

Splashtop Remote Access

Benefits of using a remote access

Remote access is popular software, such as remote desktop software, used in organizations of all sizes as it enables the staff to complete their tasks remotely while saving on IT costs. Below are the key benefits that a remote access solution offers:

• Easy access: A major advantage of remote access is the ability to connect to a company’s data from any location. It facilitates easy management and helps to perform tasks efficiently. Remote access collaboration features consist of chat functions, video conferencing, file sharing, and more. While such functionalities can be used in an office premise, ensuring these capabilities are available at the employee’s disposal while working remotely is imperative and aids in making work-from-home days more productive, assisting workers to access resources regardless of their location.
• Remote administration and troubleshooting: Remote access aids users to watch over and control devices that are connected to the corporate network. This promotes productivity as employees can access the corporate network without needing to be physically present at the office. Additionally, it allows for instant troubleshooting of problems and issues that may arise in the corporate network, eliminating the need for IT admins to visit the computer system’s physical location to fix technical problems. Remote access technology not only helps in accessing files and data saved in the office computer but also uploading files to the computer remotely. With proper permissions, remote access also offers the capability to access files on other devices connected to the network.
• Log monitoring: Remote access software can log the activities taking place in a network. From individual user authentication to video sessions, these logs provide information on the time, location, and other details of any entity accessing the network. These logging activities are important for auditing tasks to ensure that organizations remain compliant with regulatory guidelines. 
• Security: A secure remote access software plays a major role in alleviating the risks associated with distributed devices. It consists of various enhanced security features that protect the company’s data at all times. Information is secured during transmission with advanced key encryption. It also provides the organization with the ability to see who is remotely connected to their business on the corporate network.
• Savings: Investing in a remote access solution undoubtedly saves both time and company resources as the organization no longer needs to invest in physical servers or the workforce required to manage those servers. It is much more cost efficient as compared to running a system entirely on-premises.
• Easy management: Remote access helps with the management of every aspect of the organization's network in real time from one location. The organization can change permissions to groups of users or set custom permissions and controls depending on work roles for individual employees. User access can be restricted so that employees can only view certain things on their desktops. Remote access software makes network management a cakewalk for organizations.

Impacts of using remote access

Implementing remote access software will impact businesses in the following ways:

• Promotion of more collaborative business environments: Global businesses are realizing the advantages of real-time screen sharing which promotes collaboration among the staff. The screen-sharing feature of remote access software allows employees to engage in secure real-time support or training from any location and enables staff to access office PCs or servers from any device. It assists organizations in maximizing their ROI on capital expenses while removing traditional corporate bottlenecks that hinder business efficiency.
• Emphasis on security and compliance: Remote working gives rise to security concerns in businesses of all sizes. Managing a host of distributed and diverse devices is a challenge that has necessitated the adoption of a remote access strategy that ensures that only authorized individuals can access restricted information. 
• Simplified help desk operations: Remote access makes customer-assistance tasks easier. It assists with the identification of technical issues and facilitates remote troubleshooting of the organization’s client devices and network. Remote assistance enables service providers to attend to more customers as they can avoid travel and spend more time at their workstations. 

Remote access best practices

In order to make a remote access solution work, these best practices should be followed:

• Assessing risks associated with remote access: In the post-pandemic period, the number of remote workers using remote access solutions has increased. This has necessitated security teams to monitor a new slate of endpoint devices for security threats targeting remote users. In most scenarios, IT security teams lack visibility into the activities of remote users which makes it a challenging task to identify advanced threats from remote workers or spot phishing attempts and attackers trying to access the company’s network from a compromised end user’s device to the host’s device. Deploying tools such as extended detection and response (XDR) platforms helps in the protection of endpoints, thereby applying analytics across the organization’s data to detect unusual access and other threats, streamlining investigations by collating data, and diagnosing the root cause. 

• Enforcing strict remote access policies: It is imperative to set clear rules and policies about granting remote user access. This helps in preventing attackers from gaining access to the virtual private network (VPN). Formerly, many companies deployed VPNs mainly for technical staff needing access to essential technology resources. Presently, however, VPNs are often encouraged for all employees as a more secure connection compared to home or public networks. The complication is that many legacy firewall rules enable almost complete access to everything in the network. Organizations must grant access based on user identity, permitting specific groups to access resources required to get their work done, and expanding access based on job requirements.

• Designating specific remote work devices: Work from home policies caused organizations to buy and ship new laptops and other devices to their newly recruited remote workforce. Certain companies also granted permissions to their employees to temporarily use personal devices for work-related purposes. Ideally, policies should mandate employees to not make use of personal devices while working remotely. Organizations should allot specific devices managed by the corporate IT team for remote work to ensure that the devices are updated and do not contain any malware or data that could pose a security threat. With a workforce that is distributed geographically, it is important for IT teams to install, manage, and support security products remotely.

Remote access vs. virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) software is a desktop virtualization technology that is managed via a remote server. VDI assists users to run and manage virtual desktops within their native desktops which is facilitated by a virtual machine (VM) located on a centralized server of a data center. Remote access, on the other hand, helps users to log in from any device via the Internet to a centralized server, displaying the same virtual desktop to all users. 

Remote access and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) are both solutions for achieving desktop virtualization. 

Users of VDI can access their organization’s network after verification through user identification and authentication. The user’s computer can be used to get access to network and server resources from a remote location. Remote access is less orchestrated and simply emulates the desktop experience. It is used by technical support professionals who are responsible for configuring data centers and other applications remotely. 

Remote access software is an ideal solution for organizations with various users who require the same number of applications and services. Implementation and management of remote access are easier as compared to VDI, even though it lacks customization. Many users sharing server resources means a  reduction in capacity and overhead expenses. It, however, results in application problems. 

VDI is more suited for complex implementations and offers virtual desktops independently to prevent compatibility problems. However, the costs and level of difficulty associated with deployment and maintenance of the same are high. A VDI solution is generally more expensive since there is an added layer of software required to manage a VDI system. Therefore, remote desktop or remote access is a more cost-efficient alternative to VDI.

Remote access discussions on G2

• Is remote access safe?
• Accessing unattended computers