Our lives are being altered before our very eyes by technological advances, altering our needs, perceptions and preoccupations, our ways of working, communicating and going about our daily lives. In our working lives, we’re always looking for ways to make things easier, more fluid, quicker, and, finally, more profitable. Before, in order to close a deal, repair a computer, or present a demo to a client, it was necessary to be in the same physical space, forced to respect an Aristotelian concept of a unified time and space to interact in. That Aristotelian space is now being subsumed into cyberspace, with new models and ideas of working included. Adiós, Aristotle, today it’s computer remote control software. Tomorrow? Who knows? Holographic meetings? VR presentations? AI bosses?
Two of the traditional models used in this field are VNC (Virtual Network Computing), an Open source program, or RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) developed by Microsoft. Both are used to remotely control computers and other devices. For decades, individuals and organizations have used this technology to manage their hardware, and make their working life more pleasant and cost-efficient.
Both are models we might consider “classic” and which continue to function adequately; they’re quick and solve many of the problems that can come up in our personal and professional lives. But what if you work from home or from a client’s network? VNC software or RDP protocol may not meet your requirements, or may not even be valid, so we need new systems that adapt to our technological needs. One of these high-profile advances is the Cloud. Frankly, if you’re not in the cloud in 2017, you may as well be living in the 20th century. The traditional models may not be Cloud-compatible in all cases, in terms of connectivity, functions such as file transfer, process control, different OSs, security problems, or the complicatedness of getting your classic solution to work correctly with the Cloud.
Not every user has the same needs, and any new computer remote control system oriented toward business use needs to perform certain functions which are going to make your job easier, whether you´re working host side or client side. A genuinely innovative system should allow you to perform all the functions of the classics, plus more. In a perfect world the ideal solution would be never to install anything on your PC, instead accessing any remote hardware from any device with an Internet connection, irrespective of if you belong to a corporate network, are working from home, or anywhere else, always provided you can get online.
This ideal system would be in the Cloud, but furthermore, it should be able to work independently on a local system, “on-premise”. To bring this idea to fruition it is imperative to use a WEB system that uses new browser technologies (websockets) and the latest javascript standards, which obviates the need for a heavy client to manage groups.
The Cloud may still turn out not to be everything we hope it will be, but think; why is all our technology moving there? Ease of use, cost-savings, and availability, basically.
– Cost-savings: deriving from a simple concept: pay-per-use, or metered services, so, X number of machine cost X$ per month. No complications, no updates, no small print or hidden costs.
– Simplicity: your attention should be focused on the problem at hand, not on learning to use the tech that’s supposed to be making your life easier. The simpler the better..
– Ubiquity: to anywhere, from anywhere, at any time, whatever OS you’re using. A browser, Internet connection and you’re good to go.
After reviewing all the positives of the new computer remote control software, it’s fair to point out people’s preoccupations with the Cloud, and its services: mainly, of course, security. Everyone knows what can happen if someone gets access to the system where you keep your files. For this reason, a remote control system that incorporates multiple security measures, even securing each piece of hardware independently, and including visual warnings about incoming connections, is the objective of many developers.
There are currently dozens of computer remote control systems, but none like eHorus, which ticks every box in terms of lightness, security and user-friendliness, and also includes advanced options such as remote shell, uninstalled one-use agent, or the possibility to temporarily share sessions with third parties. Why not take a look for yourself? After all, it’s free for personal use. http://ehorus.com
