The Anywhere Office Pick for Best Remote Access Solution
Check Your Email, Access Your Files, Use Your Programs
From ANY Computer ANYWHERE with Remote Access
There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a remote access solution: features, price, flexibility, scalability... How do you determine what are the most important priorities and select the product that best fits your needs? There is such a wide range of options to choose from it can be difficult to make a decision. Here is a chart comparing different remote computer control solutions. Ironically, part of the problem is that the ability to gain remote access to a computer can be useful in so many ways. One person may simply want to be able to check their Outlook email from a cafe or library while another person may want to use remote access as an alternative to a VPN, or to access files or programs that live on a central computer. So which choice is right for you?
As part of my work for clients and as a key tool for my own flexible workstyle, I have been using remote access software and services for many years and many purposes on both Microsoft PC and Apple MAC . My current pick for the all aound best remote access solution is a service called GoToMyPC put out by Citrix. I have been using GoToMyPC exclusively for my remote access needs for more than 5 years and the platform continues to impress. I like it because it is simple to setup and use, it has great versatility when working from the field; and with clients and vendors who are not co-located, and it is incredibly affordable at the current promotional rate of $9.95 a month.
I encourage you to read through this site, and watch the video demo; learn more about how GoToMyPC works and educate yourself about how remote access in general can improve your workflow and your business. Take advantage of the full-functioning, 30 day free trial of GoToMyPC that Citrix offers. Use the service without limit for 30 days and from there you should have a much better grasp on what will work for you and what options and features you may or may not need.
Click the text link above, or the 'try it free' button on the right and in a few minutes you can be accessing the email, pictures, documents, videos, mp3s, and programs on your computer from ANY machine online.
Here is a short video of me showing GoToMyPC in action.
I briefly demonstrate how simple it is to use GoToMyPC to check email, transfer files,
and access network resources from a remote computer using only a web browser.
Here are some real life scenarios where you could use GoToMyPC to reduce frustration, work smarter, and get more done in less time:
Scenario #1 - Outlook Email
PROBLEM: You use Microsoft Outlook as your primary email program and it is configured on the desktop machine in your office. You are out of town for a week, staying with relatives, and need to check your Outlook email. SOLUTION: You get online and visit gotomypc.com, log-in and select your office machine. The desktop of your office machine now appears in your browser window. You open Outlook and check your email just as if you were sitting at your desk. You also have access to your calendar, contacts and tasks, folders and files, ANYTHING on that PC.
Scenario #2 - Misplaced or Forgotten File
PROBLEM: You are about to give a presentation at a client's office when you power up your laptop and can not find the power point file that you are certain you had copied over from your office desktop. SOLUTION:Instead of losing your cool and searching frantically for the file, you access your office desktop with GoToMyPC and copy the file to your laptop. You then proceed with your presentation.
Scenario #3 -
Document Confusion
PROBLEM: You are caught in the which version of what document where loop? You have a desktop PC at work and a desktop PC at home, and maybe even a laptop PC that you use when you are traveling. You have multiple copies of important documents on each PC and you update and make changes to them on whatever machine you happen to be working on. Now you're struggling with which document where is the most recent version or if the one you're looking at has all of the recent changes. SOLUTION:You choose one machine to act as the central storage place for all of your documents; then when you are working on a different machine you just go online, log-in to gotomypc.com, select the central storage PC and work with the documents directly off of that machine. Now, no matter what machine you are working on you can always be working on the exact same document.
Scenario #4 - Small Start-up Company or Home Based Business
PROBLEM: You run a small real estate firm out of a home office and your staff is comprised of just a few agents and a mortgage broker all working independently. Whenever there is a new listing or marketing document you have to make sure that everyone gets a copy. SOLUTION:You set up GoToMyPC on one dedicated PC in your home office and store all of your listings and documents on that machine. Your whole team can log-in to that machine and access files and documets in real time. They could also use any specialized programs (like the MLS database) that are installed on that PC.
Scenario #5 - Media Files
PROBLEM: You have a copy of your band's demo on your ipod. You play it at a friend's party and a local clubowner approaches you about a possible booking. He asks if you have a copy he can take and play for his partner. SOLUTION: You can't transfer the song files OFF of your MP3player, but you have them in a folder on computer at home. You get on your friend's computer and log-in to gotomypc.com, you access your home PC and burn the song files to a blank CD.
These are just a few examples of applications for GoToMyPC. Take the free trial and see for yourself how useful it can be. I'm confident that you will be amazed by how signifiicantly it impacts your work and computing.
What is GoToMyPC? GoToMyPC is a web-based service that lets you remotely access your PC from anywhere in the world; there is no software to install, all you need is internet access.
Email: Check your Outlook email from anywhere without needing Microsoft Outlook Web Access. Simply log-in to your computer with GoToMyPC and use your email just like you were sitting in front of it; the bonus is that you also have access to all of your contacts, calendars, to do lists, etc....
Convenience: Share pictures without having to post them to a photo site. Access all of your MP3s and music files without having to carry them with you.
Business: Get secure remote access to your office PC from home with just an Internet connection. This one simple tool gives you remote access to all of the software, data, files and email contained on the company's server. Access corporate resources after hours from any computer connected to the Internet. Have dinner with your family and still meet your deadlines.
Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity: Carry on with business as usual even if something prevents you from getting in to the office. This one affordable service can circumvent many unexpected delays.
Systems Administration: Manage multiple PCs remotely; use GoToMyPC as a VPN alternative.
What exactly do I have access to when I connect using this service? You actually see the desktop of your PC in the web browser; use the mouse and keyboard the same way you would if you were in front of that computer. Not only do you get to see what's on your computer, you can even transfer files.
Is it secure? Your GoToMyPC account is password protected with 128-bit AES encryption. That makes it one of the most secure remote access solutions available.
Free Trial? Yes, they are letting you evaluate it free for 30 days. After your trial period you can get unlimited access for as low as $17.95 per month. There is no software to purchase and you get unlimited technical support.
What is the difference between GoToMyPC and software such as PCAnywhere?
GoToMyPC is not software, it's a service. Remote access software programs such as PC Anywhere require you to buy expensive software that can start at $200 (plus costly updates) and aren't nearly as convenient as the GoToMyPC service because you need to carry the program CD and install a bulky program on every PC you want to connect from. Most public terminals don't even allow you to install anything, making the software useless. With GoToMyPC all you need is a PC connected to the internet with a Web-browser. For a more detailed explanation of the benefits of using a service versus software read this short article.
How do I get started? It's easy as 1-2-3...
1. Download - Register and download GoToMyPC on your Internet-connected host computer. The one-time install is fast and easy, and you can add additional computers at any time.
2. Access - Remotely access your computer from any PC with a Web browser from the GoToMyPC.com Web site. There is no additional software to install – a self-launching plug-in will allow you to see your host computer.
3. Work - Begin working on your host computer as if you were sitting in front of it. You can immediately access your email, applications, documents, and network resources.
There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a remote access solution: features, price, flexibility, scalability... How do you determine what are the most important priorities and select the product that best fits your needs? There is such a wide range of options to choose from it can be difficult to make a decision. 
