Never has accessing your home or work computer from anywhere in the world been as easy as it is right now. With built-in remote features in Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X as well as hundreds of third-party applications, there isn’t much you have to do except actually do it. Every great technology innovation seems to come with even more risks that need to be paid attention to. The problem is that these remote access solutions are so simple to implement and use that often times the security vulnerabilities that they open up are overlooked.

Remote Desktop, sometimes referred to as Terminal Services, is Microsoft’s technology for allowing users to connect to a remote Windows system. Once connected to the remote system, it’s as if you were sitting in front of it. It’s obvious why this can be a problem if not done using a secure channel. This can be as easy as enabling Remote Desktop on your Windows 7 workstation, or as complex as an IT department configuring a single server to provide a virtual desktop to multiple users at the same time with heavy security policies in place called Group Policies. Remote Desktop has never been more secure as it is today with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. It’s been updated to include modern security techniques such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) as well as the ability to only allow clients to connect securely. Most organizations today only allow remote desktop connections once connected to a secure and encrypted virtual private network (VPN) decreasing the security vulnerability significantly.

You may have heard of, or even used Citrix. Citrix is similar to Remote Desktop but takes things a bit further. In addition to offering the same level of security and encryption benefits, it also allows for the “publishing” of specific applications rather than the entire desktop. This enables IT administrators to provide users with access to only the applications that they need. Many home infusion users will find that when they are using CPR+, HomecareNet, or Ascend remotely, they will connect to a Citrix server first. You may think the application is running on your PC, but it’s safely running at the office just as if you were at work!

Apple provides something called Apple Remote Desktop for Mac OS X, which allows Mac users to connect to their systems remotely. Not only that, Microsoft releases “Remote Desktop Client for Mac” which enables Mac users to connect to Windows systems remotely. Citrix also provides a Mac OS X client that enables the same functionality. Most VPN servers also provide some way for Mac users to connect, this give Mac users big hope for using their systems in a work environment!

Finally, there are lots of third party remote access application, such as CrossLoop, RealVNC, and GoToMyPc. These can be useful to quickly access other people’s system as well as your own through secure channels facilitated by the companies themselves. These often are perfect solutions, and inexpensive, for the home user who needs to access their home computer from work, or on the road.

If you’re a user, ask yourself the following question:

• What types of things do I need to access remotely?
• Does my organization facilitate the remote access that I require?
• How can I take remote access into my own hands using third-party applications like CrossLoop, RealVNC, and GoToMyPc?

If you’re an administrator:

• How can I take advantage of the built-in capabilities I already own, such as Remote Desktop, and extend that to my users?
• What types of applications and services do users need to access?
• What types of vulnerabilities do I open up when extending applications and services to remote users?

Being productive from wherever you are is not a convenience anymore, it’s a requirement. Keeping security and safety in mind is a must for both the user and the administrator, luckily technologies being developed every day are helping make this much easier.

Need some help? Rock-Pond works with remote systems every day, and faciliates remote access to people as well. We can help you navigate all of these options and opportunities.