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The Bulletin - May 2005 Edition
Technical Tips
By Tom Snyder Ph.D.
Work Anytime, Anywhere
Do you have:
- Employees with children and/or a long commute?
- Sales representatives who work from the road?
- Contractors and external service providers who don’t have convenient access to your
company’s information?
- A branch office that has trouble sharing information and collaborating on projects with the
main office?
Over the years, a number of solutions to handle these scenarios have been developed –
laptops, pcAnywhere, and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to name a few. The latest,
Terminal Services, takes working outside the main office to the next level by overcoming the
drawbacks of previous solutions, including cost.
Terminal Services benefits include:
- Access to the company’s files, e-mail and applications from any Windows computer with
an internet connection with the functionality, look and feel of working in the main office.
- High speed access to large, database driven applications, such as Quickbooks, Timeslips,
Remedy, MAS90, Lawson, ACT, Goldmine and just abut any other program you can name.
This is where VPNs fall down.
- Elimination of file version control, security and backup problems. With Terminal Services
the company maintains only one copy of its files, all of which remain at the main office
where they are secure and can be backed up. Laptops and VPNs result in multiple copies of
files as well as risk of loss or theft.
- Remote workers can use their own computers to access company information. VPNs
require the company to supply the remote worker with a computer running the company’s
software. This is not only costly to set up and maintain but also incurs risk of loss of
physical and intellectual property if for some reason the hardware is not returned at the time
of separation. The ability to have remote workers use their own computers also makes it
quick and easy for you to move people in and out of your workforce.
- The company can set-up new remote workers in minutes. All a remote user needs is a
connection to the internet and a user name and password. Access is as simple as clicking a
link on the company’s home web page. In contrast, pcAnywhere requires that a
up at the home office and requires a technician to visit the remote worker at least once to
install pcAnywhere and the remote end of the VPN connection.
- A single computer at the main office is needed to provide many workers with remote
access. pcAnywhere requires one computer at the main office for each remote worker.
- Secure access via encrypted sessions that require a username and password. For additional
security, servers can be placed behind a firewall with no loss of functionality.
The following are some examples of how others are using Terminal Services to manage their
businesses.
1) Saving Money with a Distributed Work Group
A PR firm wanted to reduce costs while maintaining a professional image and unsurpassed
customer service. They also wanted to keep a valued employee who had moved to another
state. Terminal Services allows them to reduce overhead by having a smaller main office,
outsourcing certain functions and working with others in lower cost areas of the country.
For example, their accountant now provides service part time without visiting the office or
requiring time consuming, disruptive book freezes and file swapping. They can also easily
add workers as needed and have employees in other parts of the country work as if they are located at the main office.
2) Opening a Branch Office
A San Francisco law office opened a branch in another city. The branch needed access to
the firm’s billing application, legal templates and files. Employees also needed access to this
information from home to minimize commuting and work on cases under tight timelines.
VPN access was not an appropriate solution for them because the billing application took
several minutes to open and several minutes to save information every time someone
entered new data over this type of connection.
Terminal Services allows:
• branch employees to open and save information in the billing application in seconds
• all employees to work from home as if they are at the main office
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If you have questions or concerns about your particular situation, please e-mail me at tpsynder@xantrion.com.
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