Mobile Workforce: Remote Access for Mobile Professionals - Part 2
Posted by Daryl Rinaldi on Tue, Apr 06, 2010 @ 05:52 PM
As a leading Boston area IT Support company we are often are asked to provide a way for our customers to remotely access their network. This is the 2nd part of our 3 part blog on alternative methods of remote access.
Remote Web Workplace. Starting with Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Microsoft has included a technology called Remote Web Workplace (RWW). This feature enables users to remotely access their desktop via their web browser. You have to configure the service on the server and grant remote access permissions.
You'll need to create DNS settings to configure a URL (aka web address) that your employees can enter into their web browser to gain access to the system. You'll need to map that address to your server within your firewall. If all that sounds like Greek to you (and you don't speak Greek) then you probably need an IT technician to configure this for you.
But let me say it more simply. You define a web address such as www.gizmofish.com/remote (don't bother trying it - we don't have that setup). Your employees enter this into their browser and it takes them to a web page. They log in using the the same user name and password they use on their PCs in the office. They then click on a link to "connect to my computer at work", select their computer and log in as if they were sitting at their desk. Within their browser they will see their office PC desktop and be able to run programs, open documents, print, and access the network just as if they were sitting at their PC in the office.
Pros and Cons
PRO: RWW is pretty easy to set up and use. No special software is needed on the remote computer. And you can centrally control people's remote access permissions. And it is free if you have a Windows Small Business Server 2003 or 2008.
CON: You will still probably need an IT technician to set it up. And if it doesn't work you will probably need your IT technician to resolve the issue. And of course if you do NOT have a server then this solution is a non-starter for you.
On part 3 of this GizmoBlog article we'll discuss more user-driven remote access alternatives that do not require IT intervention to setup and maintain.