Remote Desktop

Many business people must telecommute because their job responsibilities include travel; or they need to work from home; or they are mobile/field employees. The business people need to be connected to their e-mail and other information on their PC desktops. “Remote desktop” is the solution.

Remote Desktop from a User Perspective

Remote desktops allows people to access their desk computers from other computers through the Internet. This allows people to remotely access data and software applications just as though they were sitting at the desk computer. In addition there is “remote desktop for mobiles,” which is a software tool that allows users to securely connect to their PC desktops through a mobile phone or Blackberry device.

Windows XP Remote Desktop

Remote desktop also refers to a specific function within Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, which allows users to connect to their desk computers via the Internet (and a broadband connection). This feature is pre-installed in PCs running Windows XP (Home or Professional). The Windows Remote Desktop function also includes a “sharing service,” which allows authorized individuals to access another's computer remotely through NetMeeting over a corporate intranet. This NetMeeting sharing service functionality is also used today by Microsoft in some instances of providing remote desktop support to individual home users' computers, as it allows the help desk technician to see exactly what a computer desktop is doing, rather than relying on the user's description of what is happening.

Remote Desktop from an IT Help Desk Perspective

The use of remote desktop also refers to an IT team's ability to remotely access an individual's PC desktop in order to provide maintenance and support. In this instance, there are software applications for either temporary access for support purposes or for “always on” access. From a temporary aspect, there are even solutions that allow remote computer support via the Internet without having to install software.

The always-on access solutions allow IT professionals to provide support to PCs even when they are not in use. There are numerous vendors with remote desktop solutions marketing their software on the Web. Several of these companies allow free trials of their software.

By Kathleen Goolsby