Business Software & Enterprise Resource Management
Making the most of your business softwareArchive for Customer Support
Accessing User Sites Remotely
Remote communications technology for accessing your business software has become relatively commonplace these days. And the usual method of choice tends to be Remote Desktop connecting to Microsoft Terminal Services.
Although there are some justifiable gripes out there relating to printing functionality,Terminal Services is good fast software for accessing your business information off site. It’s so good in fact that users generally don’t notice if they are accessing data off site or locally. Terminal services can also provide superior performance, in many cases, when compared to traditional LAN access. This is because business software, which is essentially database software, doesn’t have to shuffle lots of data across a LAN connection.
And another benefit is the ability to provide on-line training and technical support when users run into difficulties and require troubleshooting and other forms of technical assistance.
However, in situations where remote access using Terminal Services has not been set-up–usually at smaller sites where there are cost issues or lack of access to local IT personal to do the work–locating and solving problems for users can become difficult, and on-site visits costly–especially if an interstate flight is involved!
So what is to be done in situations like these? Fortunately there are now a number of different web service based options to choose from that can get users connected to your technical staff without the expense or technical expertise involved in setting up a terminal server.
One good suite of products designed for different remote access functions are provided by LogMeIn. They have software for remote backup, on-the-fly access (users receive an email and click on a link that installs remote access for them automatically), IT Management, and for other purposes. The IT management tool for example, has great features for monitoring the health of a PC remotely or for transferring files from your desktop to the remote desktop. (Features, actually, that are not found in products such as Terminal Services). However, some of these products are costly. LogMeIn has a free version, but I’ve found the free version difficult to install. It is not a good solution for a non-technical user who needs immediate tech support.
Web conferencing software such as WebEx or GotoMeeting are also good at what they do; permitting you to view and operate a remote user’s desktop as well as communicate via various tools to assist with over-the-net training. Again a downside of these tools is that they have a corporate orientation so subscriptions to them can be be costly.
Which brings me to the product CrossLoop. This is a free product that’s easy to install. Send your client an email link or direct them to the website, and they should be up and running in around a minute. When CrossLoop starts, a unique identification number is generated and your client forwards this to you. Type this into your side of CrossLoop and within moments both of you are connected. You can operate the user’s computer remotely and both of you can see what is going on, making the software ideal for over the phone and net training. CrossLoop doesn’t have a lot of features, but it does what it was designed to do quickly and easily.
