Remote Access Featured solution #4

Whether you're working from home or need to provide remote access to an out-of-state employee, there are several solutions available: LogMeIn, Remote Desktop, Terminal Services, and VPN. In this section, we will discuss which solution is appropriate for your specific needs.

Individual desktops

For individual desktops, a free account from LogMeIn (www.logmein.com) provides a quick and easy setup for remote access. The service is free, but the catch is that you need to pay $12.20 a month for the Pro service if you want to print from a remote computer.

Remote Desktop Connection is a feature built right into Windows that is also free. The setup is a bit technical, and will probably require help from an IT Professional to complete. (The process involves opening ports on your corporate firewall and loading print drivers on your PC). But once the initial setup is complete, you will have access to your computer from any computer in the world that runs Windows, such as a hotel business center computer.

Remote employees (Over 5 users)

If you have more than a few employees who require remote access, a dedicated server for remote access, or a Terminal Server, is recommended. A Terminal Server acts as a shared workstation that can typically accommodate 20 to 30 simultaneous users. Such setup is ideally suited for physically dispersed offices.

For example, we have a client headquartered in Los Angeles that provides remote access to a retail branch in Pennsylvania, and a manufacturing plant in China. The Terminal Server provides access to the client's Microsoft Dynamics NAV database, which allow the branch locations to lookup inventory and process sales orders.

VPN

While VPN was the default choice for remote access in the past, it has largely fallen out of favor due to security issues and slow performance. VPN essentially punches a hole in your network security when a travelling laptop connects. The laptop can then become a threat vector for viruses if not properly managed. With recent enhancements with Terminal Server technology, you are most likely to get better results with Terminal Server over VPN.

**Microsoft recently announced Remote FX technology which promises to enhance graphics experience in Terminal Server, which has always been its Achilles heel. Terminal Server currently suffers from sub-par performance when viewing streaming video or 3D renderings such as CAD drawings. With inclusion of Remote FX in Windows 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 due out end of 2010, Terminal Server should finally overcome its biggest shortcoming.