Symantec PCAnywhere, GoToMyPC and other remote control programs

Symantec PCAnywhere is a popular "remote control" package that allows you to connect to your computer over the internet and control it. GoToMyPC does the same thing, and there are dozens of other remote control applications that address this need.

This article will list a number of the applications in this field and help you pick the best one to suit your needs.

Why is remote control software required?

In my case, my company has employees who work from home. I'm the jack of all trades that is, among other things, in charge of IT. So I have set up a remote access solution that enables "work from home" employees to be almost as effective as employees who work in the office.

In addition, normal (in office) employees have been given the option of working from home on days they would normally have to take off (sick kids, etc), or in the evenings when they need to keep an eye on our operations.

In other cases, people are after the reverse... They want to be able to get at their own/home computer from work. They might want to access files, to check home email, or to monitor a home webcam.

In some cases, users want to browse the web at work without the worry of management effectively looking over their shoulder by reviewing their web logs. The way remote control software works all the data is like a streaming image, so no normal web log would reveal its contents. If you want to browse the web "securely" (privately) at work, connect to your home computer remotely and browse the web from your home computer.

Okay Okay... How do I do it?

To begin, let's define some terms.

• Your "Target Computer" is the computer you connect to to control remotely.
• Your "Target Network" is the network that your Target Computer is connected to.
  
• Your "Local Computer" is the computer you are physically in front of.
• Your "Local Network" is the network your Local Computer is connected to.
  

How to....

If your Target Computer is running Windows XP Professional, you need to enable remote connections on the target computer (I'll add detailed instructions for this later). You also need the know the IP address for the Target Computer. Then all you need to do from your Local Computer is run the Remote Desktop Connection application (Start->Programs->Accessories->Communications->Remote Desktop Connection). It will prompt you for the IP address of the Target Computer. Enter the IP Address, click Connect, wait for the username and password prompt, enter those. Bingo. You know have control of the Target Computer.

Getting a little bit sleepy. I'll add more options and details tomorrow.