Working Remotely

Laptops, smartphones and iPads are changing the way we work.  Employees no longer need to drive to an office each day to be available to their clients and coworkers; they can be virtually anywhere in the world and still be connected.  Working remotely does not have to be limited to just checking email, there are solutions that allow employees to have access to everything on their work computer or network. 

Having the right technology in place to allow your employees to work remotely is important when it comes to making sure they can efficiently handle their business from outside the confines of an office.  There are a wide variety of options available to set-up remote connections, many of which are excellent choices for small businesses.

 Remote Web Workplace

Many of our small business clients have Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 servers as the foundation of their infrastructure. Included with these servers is a feature known as Remote Web Workplace (RWW). This feature allows users to log-on to the RWW website externally, and once authenticated, they can remotely connect to their workstation.

While useful, this feature typically needs to be configured and implemented by a qualified IT professional. For laptop users, there also needs to be a desktop workstation with their profile configured for them to use through RWW.  While this could be considered a downside, implementing RWW and planning to have a few workstations on the network with multiple profiles configured is actually more affordable and satisfying than attempting to implement other remote technology solutions. To fully use RWW, you must use Internet Explorer.

In the screenshot above, you can see a typical RWW screen after you have logged in. The user is presented with the options to Read email (taking you to Outlook Web Access), Connect to my computer, and even view the company intranet (if it has been configured).

 Virtual Private Network

Many prosumer based routers now come with the ability to implement Virtual Private Networks (VPN).  While affordable, these are my least favorite to setup for clients. It is an attractive option for small offices where there isn’t a Windows based RWW option and laptops are carried back and forth.

In practice, this solution can be more of a frustration. A VPN relies on a good connection from the remote location to the office and is at the mercy of the available bandwidth. If it is a small office using a T-1 or DSL, relying on a VPN connection to open large files or traverse mapped drives with several folders can be an exercise in patience.

LogMeIn

A very user friendly and popular option to utilize in small offices is a product called LogMeIn by the company of the same name.  There are two versions of the product, a free version and the “Pro” version.  The pro version includes some extra features such as file transfer and printing, however most of our clients who utilize LogMeIn are able to comfortably use the free version to satisfy all their remote work needs.  While this product has the same restriction of RWW, where you need to have a desktop configured in the office for you to connect, one of the main advantages over RWW is its ability to interact with multiple monitors.  For more information about the LogMeIn product line, click here.

Other Options

Real VNC is another option that also has a free version of the software. However, to use with Windows 7 you will need to purchase the person edition of the product. This product has been around awhile and most IT professionals have probably used it in some fashion.  

Some sites will use Windows built-in Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to allow remote users to connect to their desktops. This is a useful feature of the Windows operating system that was introduced with Windows XP Professional and is continued through Windows 7.  While it gives the user the ability to connect, this is my least favorite option and one that I typically do not recommend.  However, for a small office and some working knowledge of portforwarding on routers, it can be setup quickly in a pinch to allow for remote connectivity to your workstation.

There are other technologies that are more in line with larger company budgets such as Windows Terminal Server Services and Citrix. However, with the options discussed in this article, your small business can successfully and affordably take advantage of technology that allows your employees to work remotely.  To find out which solution may be best for your business and how to properly secure remote access, be sure to work with a qualified IT partner.