To make the most of remote desktop connection technology, it is important for businesses to pick the right solution. With a good remote connection manager, you can get the very best out of it without any of the drawbacks.
Let’s take a closer look at what remote desktop connections are, how they can benefit your business and the ways in which a remote desktop management solution can optimize your entire system.
What is a remote desktop connection?
A remote desktop connection is a program or system that enables one user to connect to a desktop computer from a totally different location.
The remote user can operate and interact with the desktop they’re controlling as if they were physically present. This is easily done through Windows remote desktop software or the Mac equivalent, but it’s often better to do it through dedicated third-party software.
Remote desktop connections work by capturing the target device’s screen, mouse, and keyboard input drivers. It then transmits them to the other device, allowing the user to view, operate, and control the device.
The classic application for remote desktop technology is IT support. Using remote desktop connections, IT professionals are able to take control of remote workers’ devices and troubleshoot issues without having to laboriously talk them through each step.
However, there are many more applications and benefits of remote desktop connections for businesses. Let’s take a look.
What benefits can a remote desktop connection offer?
Remote working
Working from home can be great for both businesses and employees. It allows for flexibility and can make a huge difference in employee satisfaction.
However, in order to make remote working effective and efficient, you need to have the right technology. Even if you offer a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, your remote employees will still need to access certain work files, systems, and resources via a good remote connection.
A remote desktop connection makes vital work computers and digital environments easily accessible from any compatible device, no matter where they are.
Ensure high security
Remote working can be a security risk. Every new location and device that accesses your network is a potential entry point for cybercriminals.
When you use a remote desktop service, security is taken seriously. Remote desktop services have teams of experts to manage your server and ensure that the most up-to-date security measures always protect you.
They use top-tier security tools like encryption and advanced monitoring and oversight facilities, which further safeguard your data.
Cost savings
Technology is one of the biggest expenses a modern company has to deal with. Building a reliable remote network isn’t cheap!
Using a remote desktop solution can save you a lot of money. For example, you don’t have to worry about overheads like retaining staff to run your servers when those servers are remote. Similarly, a BYOD policy (which ultimately saves a huge amount on tech) is a lot easier when you use a remote desktop system.
What’s more, remote desktop systems enable hybrid or fully-remote working modes. Hybrid and remote working can be a huge money saver. For example, businesses with a largely remote workforce don’t need to spend nearly as much as other companies on office space.
Streamline access
The beauty of a remote desktop connection is that it enables access to any authorized user from anywhere, at any time, without the need for extra software.
The right remote desktop tool makes access much more streamlined and less complicated. It also reduces the risk of losing data.
How to use a remote desktop connection for business
Remote desktop connections are incredibly useful for businesses, even in non-remote situations. Remote connections enable people to access files and systems without having to physically interact with the target device.
However, it’s not as simple as just hooking up employee devices with your own servers and stepping back. For a business to effectively use a remote connection, you need to think long and hard about the following:
- Security. Security should be the number one consideration when it comes to remote connections;
- Access. Access needs to be carefully managed in order to prevent data from falling into the wrong hands;
- Oversight. It’s important that remote access and remote sessions are monitored;
- Reporting. Reporting and analyzing are important for ensuring that remote access stays within guidelines and that performance is at optimum.
This is difficult to achieve without good remote connection management tools and a centralized remote management platform.
This is where a remote desktop connection manager comes in:
What is a remote desktop connection manager?
A remote desktop connection manager is specialized software that can help your business to manage multiple remote connections with ease.
A good remote desktop connection manager should:
- Support a wide variety of devices, operating systems, and protocols in connecting remotely.
- Share sessions securely. This enables teams to collaborate on sensitive issues without worrying about being overheard or about data being intercepted.
- Provide access management. For the sake of security and productivity, it is important that managers have integrated ways to manage access. For example, a good remote desktop manager will give granular ways to control who can access what, as well as logs and records that give administrators full oversight of access permissions and usage.
- Come with excellent organizational features. Anything that helps in terms of organization is a big help to managers! A good remote desktop manager should have organizational tools and capabilities that administrators can use to streamline data, workflows, connections, systems, sessions, and more.
What a remote desktop manager can do for you
Increase security measures
The best remote desktop management solutions come with the very best security measures as standard. These are updated whenever necessary (and, indeed, whenever possible) by your product’s security teams.
What’s more, these security measures give your own security and IT teams more control and oversight over your remote connections. So your data is doubly protected.
Streamline infrastructure management
With people accessing work desktops from a variety of locations and devices, infrastructure management can be a huge headache for remote IT teams.
Centralized server and application management services allow IT teams to streamline monitoring and maintenance. A product such as RPort, Real VNC’s Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) offering, allows you to enhance the efficiency of troubleshooting and incident reporting. With a remote desktop manager, IT teams can swiftly and easily solve issues, leading to optimal system performance, greater efficiency, and minimal downtime.
Provide robust auditing and reporting capabilities
Reporting and auditing are crucial to maintaining server and application performance, allowing potential issues to be picked up before they become serious problems.
A remote desktop management solution can consolidate essential management information and tools, streamlining the process of conducting audits, generating reports, and conducting comprehensive system analysis. By using this centralized approach, businesses can significantly speed up these tasks, making them more convenient and supporting optimal business performance.
Problems a remote desktop manager faces
Ensuring the security of remote connections
Security is a major concern for any online business, and this is especially true when it comes to remote desktop access. If they are not properly secured, remote connections can introduce vulnerabilities and open the door for cybercriminals.
Remote desktop management solutions must be designed and developed with security at the forefront. VNC Connect® incorporates strong encryption, multi-factor authentication, and sign-in verification. By treating every connection as though it came from a hostile environment as well as requiring connections to be approved by the owner of the remote computer, the solution balances business needs for remote access with reliable security.
Securing connections to devices located remotely and using different systems
It’s likely that remote workers will connect to your desktop from a variety of locations as well as from several different devices and operating systems, such as Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Versatility is key. A robust remote desktop manager should be able to manage several different kinds of devices and systems. VNC Connect is built with flexibility in mind and can be operated over the majority of popular operating systems.
Optimize your remote desktop setup for maximum efficiency with RealVNC®
If you have a remote, hybrid, or even fully in-office working system, remote desktop technology can bring huge benefits to your business.
To get the very best results from your remote connection technology, it’s important that you choose your remote software solutions carefully.
RealVNC offers comprehensive, secure, and intuitive solutions for all your remote connection needs. Through RealVNC, you can easily manage, moderate, monitor, and optimize remote connections of all kinds in a totally secure environment.
To learn more, why not sign up for our 14-day free trial?
FAQs about remote desktop connections
How do I connect to a remote desktop?
How you connect to a remote desktop depends a lot on your operating system and the software you are using.
If you are using VNC Connect, for example, the process is very simple. It comprises two components; VNC Server and VNC Viewer. Once VNC Server is installed on the remote computer you want to access, and VNC Viewer is installed on the device you want to access it from, the software will guide you through how to easily establish a connection between them.
Just sign into your VNC account on your remote device and search for the relevant computer in your VNC viewer.
Click on the relevant computer to connect to it and provide the authentication credentials you set up when creating your account.
Is remote desktop connection free?
Remote desktop connection can be done for free through operating systems like Windows and Mac.
However, it’s often best to subscribe to a remote connection software service, particularly if you are a business that expects many different people and devices to be connecting remotely on a regular basis.
There are two major reasons for this:
- Security. Connecting remotely can present a serious security hazard. While basic remote connection technology will give some security to protect your business and its data from the sophisticated techniques of modern cybercriminals, you need some extra help. A dedicated remote connection solution like RealVNC has high-quality security features and an on-call security team to keep your connections safe.
- Management. Managing a large remote connections infrastructure is difficult, especially if your business operates on a BYOD basis. A wide and varied network of devices connecting from a plethora of locations at different times can get very complicated very quickly. A good remote connection management platform helps to streamline, organize, and generally manage a large and complex remote business network.
What is the difference between RDP and remote desktop connection?
Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) is the technology that allows a user to access a terminal server and/or a computer in a different location.
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the proprietary protocol that allows users to connect remotely over a secure network connection.
