Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is not a household name. But it should be. Originally developed by Microsoft for Windows XP, RDP gave users a graphical interface to connect to another desktop over a network connection. Simply put, you could remotely control one computer using another. Back then the technology wasn’t that sophisticated or widely used outside of the IT sphere but, skip to today, and there are a multitude of RDP clients: from the free to the enterprise-level expensive, the home-orientated to the business-friendly. If you’re not familiar with the software, you might be surprised by its myriad uses and the ways in which it can save you time and money.
Retrieving Documents
While Dropbox seems to be the program of choice for syncing documents with the cloud, with an RDP client there’s no need to wait for ages for files to upload to a ‘server in the sky’. If you use a free remote access program you avoid any file size restrictions and any fees for storage. If you’ve got a perfectly good 1TB hard drive in your desktop why not use that to store files then access them remotely from a thin-client device with less storage like a mobile or tablet. You are still limited by internet speed on a remote connection but with ever faster broadband and mobile networks launching this shouldn’t be an issue in the future.
Running Applications
So, you’ve decided to do work on your tablet when you’re out of office or working from home, and you’ve downloaded the app version of your favourite software. But, as often happens, the app version just doesn’t cut the mustard and you find yourself wishing you had the full version. Using an RDP client you can run programs installed on another desktop as though you were using that computer locally. This not only removes the cost of paying for app versions, it also bypasses the expense and hassle of installing software onto various computers. These days, clients from the Ericom RDP Access solutions, for example, can connect you to a remote computer through a web-browser.
Tech Support
You don’t have to work in an IT department to take advantage of remote access solutions as a tech support tool. While most people of a certain generation are tech-savvy, there’s a whole host of workers out there who are oblivious to the workings of computers. If you work in or run a small business, RDP clients can enable you to take control of another workers computer and install software and demonstrate how to use programs all from the comfort of your own desk.
USB Replacement
Like millions of others, you’ve probably spent a fair bit of money on USB sticks over the years. Nowadays, it’s not surprising if they’re all just gathering dust in a drawer somewhere. Remote Access (and cloud storage) means you longer have to worry about carrying portable storage devices around with you wherever you go. The trouble with storage devices is that you can still misplace them and you still need to have the forethought to put those all-important files on it. Remote access, however, is the ultimate failsafe. You can access files on any computer from almost any device from anywhere with an internet connection.