e-skills UK Guide
Remote data access
Connecting to your business whilst travelling
For many people in small businesses it is vital that they stay in touch with customers and partners on a daily basis – even if they are on holiday or away from the office. Fortunately modern computer technology makes this type of connectivity easier than it has been in the past. Unfortunately some may see this as a bad thing as they are never away from the office, but that is all part of working in a small business.
We need to issue a word of warning though. There are significant security and configuration issues when trying to access office based computers remotely.
What will you need to access remotely?
You will need to ask yourself what files or data you will need to access whilst you are away from the office. For most people their requirements would be:
- Access to email so messages can be sent and received whilst they are on the move.
- Access to files and data that may be in the office such as sales proposals or customer contact data.
- Access to internal applications such as an accounts package. Whilst this is possible you will find the solution slow and it does pose considerable security risks.
We have already covered access to email in another project. If you need to learn about this then take a look at the Accessing email remotely Guide.
Services that allow access to files and applications when working remotely
There are at least two internet services that give you remote access to a PC in the office. You can connect using most popular web browsers. That means, for example, you can connect from:
- A laptop.
- A desk top running at home.
- A client or Customer PC.
- An internet café.
You see your desktop just like it appears in the office.
There are two popular services:
- GoToMyPC – this started as an independent company but was taken over by Citrix, well known specialists in remote access software.
- WebEx PCNow – WebEx started out as an online meeting place and conference provider from which it developed its PCNow service.
Both are respected industry names used by some very large companies indeed. Both services are available for free trial although they require you to subscribe with a credit card to get to the free trial.
In theory, if you make a remote connection via the internet or a direct connection you can do everything as if you were directly using a PC attached to the office network.
In practice, remote connections work at a fraction of the speed of local office connections, even if you use a fast broadband connection. The slow response times can make using some services tedious and inefficient.
For example:
- Running programs from the network might take a very long time to start while the programs are copied into your PC’s memory from the remote network.
- Graphics intensive programs such as CAD (Computer Aided Design).
- Databases that require large amounts of data to be transferred between the network and your PC.
You will, however, be able to:
- Upload and download files (although, of course, the larger the file, the longer you will need to transfer it).
- Connect to services designed for use over slow speed connections. This includes most services that can be accessed via a web browser.
You can use the internet to connect a remote PC to your network. You will either see a window that allows you to upload and download files, or you will see the parts of the network you are authorised to access in Windows Explorer.
Making secure connections over the internet can be difficult to achieve. For example you will need to create an opening in your office security measures to allow someone to connect into the network. The services described in the previous section work because the office PC always connects out from your network; it might look like remote users are connecting in to your network, but they aren’t.
Note: These services have a large number of caveats and associated issues with them, notably security concerns when connecting to a PC that is switched on and waiting for connections across the internet. It is strongly suggested that you review your access strategy with a security consultant who can offer advice to help you remain safe and sound.
Alternative approaches accessing data
The above might seem to be a complex way to provide a basic file exchange service, and you might be right. Here are some other ways to achieve the same thing:
- Email – you can use email to ask someone to:
- send you a file; or
- store a file you send by email onto the network.
This assumes that there is someone in the office willing and able to do that for you. If there’s no one in the office (over a week-end, for example) you will be unable to retrieve files at all.
- Collaboration services allow you to create a shared repository of files available via the Internet. For example, if you regularly prepare and send proposals to clients, you might keep all the latest CVs and copies of past proposals in a collaboration service. This would not, however, give you full access to everything available on the office server. Collaboration services include:
Remote data access summary
Despite all of the new technology available to help you access files it is probably better to have an efficient and effective working culture that enables you to take important files with you and not rely on connecting to a remote PC. With the prevalence of memory stick devices it has never been easier to carry files safely and securely whilst you are travelling. Many of these devices support encryption so your data is going to be safe.
If you are worried about keeping your files up to date or synchronised review the Using a PC on the move Guide which should make things a bit clearer
Email is probably the most important tool that you will need to access whilst on the move. Make sure you can get your email by reviewing the Accessing email remotely.
What Now
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