Xmanager 3 Build 0081 Released

Saw that a new build of Xmanager has been released. A useful program if you are looking to remotely access a linux/unix desktop from a Windows computer. You can get more info from here.

Why isn’t teleworking more widespread yet?

Despite  growing numbers of remote access options and improving technology and Internet connections, employers are still hesitant to allow employees to work from home.  Well, more accurately, it is fine if they work from home when they get home from work in the evening or during weekends, but it is still tricky to convince the boss to allow you to work from home instead of coming to the office.  The idea that employees need to be in the office to be productive is so deeply ingrained in most business cultures that it is extremely hard for most managers to believe a person will actually be productive when no one is around to monitor them.

Of course, in reality, it won’t be too hard to tell if someone is actually working from home or just sleeping all day.  In the end, for most businesses it is the results that matter.  If the person is not delivering results when working at home, or in the office, they probably won’t be kept around for long.

There are many industries and jobs where everybody needs to be in the office and teleworking is not a viable option.  But many jobs can be done just as effectively from a home computer as they can from an office computer.  It will be interesting to see if the culture changes as people who grew up with remote access technologies move in to managerial positions.

The different types of remote access software

There a lot of different types of remote access programs around that can not only be used to do different things but also come with their own specific requirements to setup the connection.  I’ll do a general summary of some of the differences:

 VPN vs “Firewall Friendly”

One of the big technological differences is between VPN remote access software that requires you to open ports on your firewall/router to enable the remote connection and other remote access programs that use a server to broker the connection so that you don’t have to make any changes to your security settings.  The latter is not only generally more secure but also a lot easier to setup since you generally just have to install the program and you are ready to go.

Client and Host Software

Another big distinction is between programs that require you install software on only the host computer (the computer you will access) compared with other programs that require software on both the host and client computers.  In order words, you would need to have software installed on both the machine you will access as well as the machine you are doing the accessing from.  This is nowhere near as convenient since it limits the number of computers you can access your host computer from.  If you know you are only going to be accessing your host computer from a specific computer, than it is not as much of an issue.

Remote Access vs Remote Control

These two terms have sort of become interchangeable but they do mean different things. Remote Access refers to being able to access a remote computer to gain access to files, emails, etc. Remote Control refers to being able to actually control the desktop of the computer you are accessing so you can use it just as if you were sitting at it.

Remote Access vs Remote Support

Remote support programs are intended for troubleshooting purposes and not so much for general remote access functions.  They tend to be used to take control of a person’s computer to diagnose and fix problems.  While they often the same types of technologies as remote access software, they often come with some additional functionality such as incident tracking and remote chat.

Enable remote access in Windows

If you just want to remotely access your computer and are not interested in all the bells and whistles (and security features) of dedicated remote access programs, you can use the included remote access capabilities of Windows. PC Advisor has a pretty in-depth guide for setting up Window’s included, at least in XP PRO, remote access features. Be advised, this method will require you to open ports on your router which is a little trickier and opens your computer up to potential attacks. FYI, most non-VPN remote access programs out there do not require any open ports to run.

Which Remote Access Software program should I choose?

One of the first questions most people will come across after deciding they would benefit from being able to remotely access a computer at home or work is which one to choose. A quick Google search will reveal that there are literally hundreds of programs out there all claiming to be the right one for you, but this doesn’t really help. Luckily you can try out most of them, usually for 30 days, before deciding to spend any money. Try a few out and see which one works best for you and your needs. Remember, a program that works well for somebody else may not be what you are looking for. Also, how close you are to the company’s servers will affect the speed the program. There’s no one size fits all in this case. Eventually, I will try to put together a list of as many programs as I can with a quick summary of what makes the program unique or different from all the others.