When you provide your employees with remote access, you free them from having to be in one specific location at one specific time to get their work done. It’s been widely reported that allowing employees to work remotely boosts their productivity, as well as their engagement at work.
But how do you provide this possibility for your teams? In effect, the solution is often presented as a choice between the cloud versus remote desktop. The cloud has risen in popularity in recent years, so many businesses have questions about why they would choose remote desktop over the newer tech:
Why would remote desktop be a relevant solution for a business who can incorporate the power of cloud computing into their processes?
Can’t the cloud do what remote desktop access does?
However, the answer to both questions is this:
Comparing remote desktop software and the cloud is missing the point.
The cloud is not a replacement for remote access technology and remote access software isn’t the same thing as moving your IT environment to the cloud. However, there are certain similarities – both the cloud and remote access software enable collaboration:
In the cloud, you can access your files from any device at any time.
With remote desktop software, you can access a specific desktop, the files, the applications, and everything else related to that desktop from a remote location.
Remote desktop software and cloud-based tools are not mutually exclusive. It seems needless to argue for one over the other. But there are reasons why remote access computing is an essential tool for your business (even if that business is already taking advantage of the cloud):
It gives you more flexibility on the ground
Certain businesses are required to keep their data and content on-premises for legal reasons. Other times, investments have already been made in on-premises infrastructure, and so there may be some business who need remote desktop software so their employees can access their own computers from anywhere with any device.
With cloud solutions, data files can be downloaded to remote computers. This can introduce some risk without proper device security features to protect any local copies of files, whether actively downloaded by the remote user or cached when files are opened and viewed.
With remote access solutions like Splashtop, the files remain on-premise, on the original computer, and the remote session supports remotely viewing and controlling the on-premise computer via a secure remote viewing/streaming session. File transfer between systems is a separate feature that can be enabled or disabled by an administrator and logging keeps track of any files that have been transferred. But in general, the remote access session only includes streaming where an encrypted video view of the system is transmitted to the viewing computer. All of the data itself remains secure on the on-premise computer.
Remote access software is more efficient for certain tasks
If you work in IT, you’ll know the value of remote desktop software for taking over an individual computer from anywhere in the company and performing security updates, fixing problems in real-time, or just updating certain settings without having to leave your own desk. This can save a lot of time and keep productivity levels high. This also extends to other typical business practices like staff training in HR when your HR department happens to be miles away. Engineers in the construction industry can use remote access computing to connect to systems, apps and devices and share these resources from anywhere.
Remote desktop software extends whatever IT environment you already have in place, cloud or no cloud. It enables better collaboration, and this should be a consideration for any new business tool.
Better business collaboration
The importance of collaboration in business is nothing new. At this point we should all be familiar with the benefits of working in a collaborative environment:
Improvement in business performance
Enhancing employee skills
Information-sharing to maximize efficiency
Collaboration can lead to cost-reduction
Greater productivity
Boost bottom line
Collaboration is more important in certain industries
The ability to collaborate over a document is good; your communications department needs to produce a press release quickly, for example, and a few hands are needed to make it happen. But collaboration in other fields is often even more vital.
In medicine, for example, collaboration can be the difference between life and death. Remote access software can assist how doctors and nurses care for someone in a critical condition. They can send patient data to a colleague for their input, monitor specialized devices from a mobile device and receive important data quickly to help with vital decisions.
Medical institutions often prefer to use remote access software to aid in collaboration because it can more reliably support desktops, diagnostic apparatus, servers, x-ray machines etc., without breaking down or losing a network connection. Keeping critical devices from failing is essential. Being able to access data remotely without sacrificing security precautions (as might happen if they were relying on the public cloud) allows these institutions to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Protected Health Information (PHI), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and still get all the benefits of remote access.
Find the right solution for your business
Not all remote access software was created equal. If your business requires heavy-duty remote access software that’s reliable, secure, but also easy to deploy, then you could benefit from Splashtop’s range of products that cover all your remote access needs. Choose a sophisticated and powerful solution that’s also cost-effective. Your business will thank you for it.
Remote access software is the most convenient, secure, and reliable way to ensure your organization has the right tools to collaborate, be flexible in its processes, and enable your staff to be optimally productive—all while remaining in full compliance within your industry regulations.
To find out more about how remote desktop software can help make your workplace more efficient, get in touch with us today.
