Remote Access and Flexible Working

Tuesday, 25 July 2006

One of the most recent hot topics in the IT world is ‘flexible working’. Whether working from home; or using a mobile device; or opening a small branch office, staying in touch with the latest data and email is an increasingly important part of the way we need to work. ESP has a wide experience of implementing

flexible working solutions, and can advise on a system that is appropriate for your needs. Here are some of the more common systems available to you:

Webmail/Outlook Web Access: a system to allow you to collect from any internet-enabled PC. Many of our customers hosting packages or servers already have this functionality, and so this is a service that can often be setup for next to nothing.

PDA/Smartphones: Many modern mobile phones or PDA devices can be configured to collect email or synchronise calendars with a PC or server, so you can always stay in touch with the latest developments.

Remote Desktop: Did you know that any PC running Windows XP Professional can be accessed remotely? Remote Desktop functionality allows you to ‘dial-in’ and operate your work PC from home or elsewhere as long as you leave the PC turned on. This can be achieved with very little configuration and with modern broadband connections, speed is almost as good as being sat in your office!

Terminal Server: A Terminal Server is simply a device that can run multiple Remote Desktops. So instead of having PC’s, staff can utilise a very slimmed down ‘thin client’ which little internal processing power, and the work is done by the Terminal Server itself. Terminal solutions are popular where there is a ‘main’ office kitted out with PC’s and a subsidiary office opens with only a few staff.

Intranet: An intranet is a website that is not publicly accessible – only authorised members of staff can use it. Intranets are becoming increasingly common as a flexible working solutions as they can be deployed anywhere with an internet connection. In addition, many desirable intranet functionalities such as version control for documents, collaboration tools, calendars, direct email and weblinks are embedded in Microsoft Server technologies (specifically SharePoint Services) and so can be rolled out to users of a server based network with relative ease.