Summer is quickly flying by and September is just around the corner which means it is time to start thinking about back to school shopping.  While pencils, pens, binders, and notebooks are likely on your shopping list, one item you should add is I’m InTouch remote access software.

How many times have you been driving your children to work only to have one of them suddenly remember that they forgot to print off their report before leaving the house? Instead of turning the car around and rushing home causing everybody to be late, simply install the I’m InTouch remote access software on everybody’s computer and they can remotely print all their files  from school.

Imagine being able to have all the power of your desktop computer in the palm of your hand. No longer having to make any sacrifices or be forced to carry around a cumbersome laptop that is always in danger of being lost or stolen. With the I’m InTouch remote access software, you can stop dreaming and start working using your Pocket PC mobile device to remotely control your computer. Run all the programs on your desktop PC using your Pocket PC to stay productive no matter where you are.

I'm InTouch's Pocket PC Remote Control

An additional bonus is that you no longer have to worry about your information being dispersed among multiple devices. All your data stays securely on your home computer so you always know where to find it.

Learn more about I’m InTouch’s Pocket PC Remote Control.

The TV show Get Connected featured the I’m InTouch remote access software in late 2007.  The show is a bit old but it does provide an excellent demonstration of the software in action. The segment is just over 3 minutes long which is proof that taking PC remote control using I’m InTouch is really, really fast.  You can view the video here.

A software as a service (SaaS) solution, such as the I’m InTouch remote access software, offers many advantages for businesses compared to a standard VPN solution.  A few of the benefits are discussed below:

Costs

With a SaaS solution like I’m InTouch, the only cost you will need to absorb is an annual license fee for each computer you want to provide remote access capabilities to.  With I’m InTouch this will generally be around $100 per license annually.

A VPN solution will generally force you to spend a lot more. There are the initial setup costs of purchasing the hardware and hiring someone to install and configure the VPN.  Then there are the costs of maintaining the VPN which can include Server electricity costs, replacing server hardware as it breaks down, and the IT personel required to do the maintaining.

Bottom Line:  A SaaS like I’m InTouch provides cost savings and certaincy.

Administration

With SaaS remote access solutions like I’m InTouch, the Administrator has full access and control from a central webpage. By logging in to their Administrator page, the IT manager can  easily view and access any computer with the remote access software installed, even if the computer is not on the same network. This makes managing multiple computers incredibly easy and efficient, even if you do not have a technical background.

On the other hand, with a VPN, it is incredibly difficult to manage and administer all your computers. You will probably not have any central administration controls and will thus need to manually keep track of each PC’s information.

Bottom Line:  SaaS provides you with central control of your remote access network while VPNs do not

Security

With a Saas solution, you can be completely confidant that your information will stay confidential and that no viruses will be able to infect your machines due to a PC remote control session. With SaaS solutions like I’m InTouch, the remote user is only presented with a replication of their desktop screen, none of the actual files are transfered to the remote computer (unless the user specifically transfers a file).  It is almost as if the monitor sitting on the users desk at the office was moved to whereever they were but the computer itself was still in the office.

With a VPN, spyware, malware, and viruses may be able to infect the office workstation during the remote session since it is probably not a screen sharing technology being used.

Bottom Line:  SaaS provides increased security since your data is never exposed to harmful threats that could be residing on the remote computer.

Try out the I’m InTouch Premium remote access solution  and experience the difference for yourself.

Alan Stevens over at Personal Computer World reviewed I’m InTouch 7.1 and described it as “a hosted service that delivers more than just remote control,” and with “a number of features designed to make it stand out.”

One of the points covered in the review is regarding I’m InTouch Premium’s remote wake-up feature. Unlike other remote access software solutions, with I’m InTouch Premium you do not have to leave your PC on all the time to be able to access it. As long as you have more than one PC on your network, any computer that is already powered on can remotely wake-up your PC when you need to remotely access it.

Learn more about I’m InTouch remote access.

Telecommuting seems to finally be gaining major traction among employers as old myths are disproved and worries alleviated.  A recent article on Canada.com discussed this issue and brought up a few interesting Canadian telecommuting facts:

• 800,000 Canadians telecommute everyday
• A further 2-2.5 million telecommute at least one day a week

These are rather large numbers considering the total population of Canada is somewhere around 30 million.  So why is telecommuting finally becoming much more widespread in Canada and other countries around the world?

One major reason could be that remote access software, like I’m InTouch, make working from home a lot less frustrating than it used to be. Employees can now control their office workstation just as if they were sitting in the office without any speed or security sacrifices. The result is that employers are much more comfortable letting employees work from home since they have confidance their employees can be productive.

IT Reviews tested out the new version 7.1 of 01 Communique’s I’m InTouch Premium remote access software and came away impressed. The final verdict:

“An affordable alternative to conventional remote access products, the hosted I’m InTouch service is both secure and easy to use. It compares well on price and performance against other such services and stands out through its support for wireless mobile devices, direct access to Outlook data and the ability to power remote PCs on and off.”

Read the entire review here.

One of the less obvious benefits of using a remote access software like I’m InTouch is that it can help limit the need for expensive hardware upgrades and replacements. For instance, if you use a laptop in addition to your home or office desktop PC, you probably find yourself upgrading to a more powerful laptop every couple of years.

With I’m InTouch, you can use your laptop to remotely control your desktop PC from anywhere you can pick up an Internet signal. This means you only need to worry about upgrading your desktop PC as needed since it will be doing all the heavy lifting. Your laptop essentially becomes a viewer and just needs to be able to connect to the Internet using a web browser.

An added benefit is that all youri nformation will be centralized on your desktop PC and not stored in mulitple locations. Your laptop becomes a dumb terminal that you use to remotely access your PC which removes the need to store files on it. This also protects you from any possibility of data breaches if the laptop is lost or stolen.

Learn more about I’m InTouch.

If it feels like you just don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done at work, I’m InTouch remote access software can help you out. Here are a few handy tips for savings time so you don’t end up at work past bedtime:

1. Work from home - don’t spend an hour (or even two) commuting to and from work everyday if all you are going to do is use your workstation. Instead, install I’m InTouch remote access on your office workstation and remotely control your computer from your home PC. You can run all the same programs and access your email just as if you were in the office.
2. Administer all your computers from anywhere - if you manage multiple computers and are always having to travel to them to run updates, fix problems, and install software, why not use I’m InTouch Premium and manage them all from one PC? Just install I’m InTouch Premium on each of your PCs and then log in to your I’m InTouch administrator account to have one-click remote access to any of your computers from any PC with an Internet connection.
3. Conduct Online Meetings - Save time, money, and help the environment by conducting online meetings using I’m InTouch’s web conferencing software.  Install I’m InTouch on your PC and invite up to 10 guest users to share your desktop - perfect for conducting presentations, training sessions, and meetings and avoiding unnecessary plane, train, and car trips to meet clients and employees.

See more ways that I’m InTouch can help you be more productive at www.imintouch.com

Security is the number one priority when using remote access software. If users do not feel the remote access to their workstations is secure, they will simply not install the software on their machines. Our computers contain too much sensitive information to take any chances that someone could gain unauthorized access to them.

This is why I’m InTouch Premium includes the option to enable Physical Authentication using the SecureKEY and SecurePC. Building on the already impressive 2-stage security in I’m InTouch Premium, users can choose to add the SecureKEY and SecurePC to ensure that under absolutely no circumstances is unauthorized remote access to their PC possible.

By activating a SecureKEY on a computer with I’m InTouch Premium installed, remote access from another computer will require that specific SecureKEY be inserted into the USB slot. This means that even if someone were to compromise your I’m InTouch login information, they would be unable to remotely access your PC. For even more security, you can require that the only device which can remotely access your computer be the SecurePC.

All this security does not make remotely accessing your PC any more difficult or time consuming. All that is required is plugging your SecureKEY into the computer you want to use to remotely access your PC. If you have held off installing remote access software onto your PC due to security concerns, you can now remotely access your computer with complete confidence that no one else will.

Learn more about I’m InTouch and Physical Authentication.