Many of us lately have been forced to work from home. This has led to the issue of what to use for remote access. There are many ways to implement remote access for yourself or other users. I will go down the list of popular ones that I personally and professionally currently use.
VPN/RDP: To me this is probably the hardest to setup but makes the most sense to use due to the fact that once its setup, its basically free. I like to use a quality security gateway router like Ubiquiti, Sonicwall or Cisco for the vpn endpoint. This requires a bit of setup in the gateway itself, then also on the end users remote computer. Once a vpn is established a user can map drives and utilize remote desktop as well as remote printing.
Teamviewer: Probably one of the easiest and most widely used remote desktop applications. Simply load the app on the host unit, make note of the ID and password, then load the app on the remote unit and connect to the ID using the provided password. You will probably want to set the host to start Teamviewer with windows, and open extras, options, security and set a hard password so that it doesn’t change if your host pc reboots. Commercial version is $50 per month
Chrome Remote Desktop: Chrome is one of the most widely used free browsers, and with the remote desktop extension loaded on the host and remote, enables a free remote desktop experience for the end user.
Parallels – Access your computer from anywhere using any device, plans start at $20 per year.
Anydesk: Connect to a computer remotely, be it from the other end of the office or halfway around the world. AnyDesk ensures secure and reliable remote desktop connections for IT professionals and on-the-go individuals alike. AnyDesk works across all your devices and operating systems: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, FreeBSD and even your Raspberry Pi! One device lite version is $11 per month.
Zoho Assist: Cloud-based remote support and remote access software that helps you support customers from a distance through web-based, on-demand remote support sessions. Set up unattended remote access and manage remote PCs, laptops, mobile devices, and servers effortlessly. A few seconds is all you need to establish secure connections to offer your customers remote support solutions. Plans start at $8.00 per month
