When employees work on the go, they need to access their PC anytime, anywhere. Similarly, IT agents should be able to connect to remote PCs quickly and seamlessly when providing remote support. None of this is possible without remote access.
Remotely accessing and controlling PCs is critical for businesses and their IT teams, as the speed and efficiency of remote connections can impact workforce flexibility, efficiency, response times, support costs, and more. So, how can organizations set up remote PC access and control?
Let’s explore how remote access works, its benefits, best practices, and how to set up remote PC control against devices of all types.
What Is Remote PC Control?
Remote PC control is the ability to access, view, and control a computer from another device over the internet or a secure network connection. This allows the user to work on the remote device as though it were right in front of them, using the internet to connect the two devices and controlling one from the other.
How Remote PC Control Works
Remote PC control may seem complicated in theory, but in practice, it’s pretty straightforward.
First, the user installs the remote access software on the host machine and client device. This software establishes a connection between the two devices so they can share input and output.
When the user needs to connect remotely, they use the remote access solution to connect to the remote device over the internet. This creates a secure connection that shares the screen from the remote endpoint to the user’s device and transmits keystrokes, mouse movements, and other commands from the user’s device back to the remote device. As a result, the user can see and control their remote device no matter where they’re working from.
Good remote access software can also work across different operating systems and devices, including Mac, PC, Linux, iOS, Android, and more. This makes it possible to remotely access a PC from a Mac or a Linux device from an Android phone, thereby improving accessibility and allowing users to work on the devices they prefer.
5 Key Benefits of Remotely Controlling a PC
With that established, we can look at the benefits of remote PC access and control. Remotely accessing computers from anywhere provides multiple benefits that can improve efficiency, productivity, and more, benefiting individual employees, teams, and entire departments.
Key benefits of remote access include:
Faster issue resolution: Remote access enables users to connect to devices from anywhere, making it a powerful tool for IT support. IT agents can use remote support to access end-user devices for hands-on troubleshooting and maintenance from anywhere, helping resolve issues more quickly.
Reduced travel costs: Empowering employees to access work devices from anywhere helps reduce the need for travel, as it enables more efficient remote and hybrid work (thus reducing the need to go to and from the office each day), supports remote collaboration for disparate teams, and lets support agents assist users with their devices directly without needing to travel to them.
Cross-platform flexibility: Remote access software like Splashtop can work across platforms, enabling seamless work and productivity regardless of the device or operating system.
More productivity, fewer interruptions: Remote access enables employees to work productively wherever they are, with seamless, low-latency connectivity. This, in turn, improves productivity for remote and hybrid employees and eliminates frustrating interruptions.
Secure access from anywhere: Good remote access platforms offer robust security features, such as end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and more. This helps ensure that sensitive data remains secure while employees work on the go, enabling secure remote work and helping maintain IT compliance.
Prerequisites for PC Remote Control
If you’re preparing to set up remote PC control, there are a few requirements you’ll want to meet first. These key prerequisites will help ensure your devices and infrastructure are ready for remote access, so you can quickly connect and seamlessly work from anywhere.
Key prerequisites include:
Remote access software: Perhaps this is obvious, but the first requirement for remote access is the software that enables it. You’ll need a reliable, secure remote access solution, such as Splashtop, installed on both devices to establish a connection before you can start working across endpoints.
A stable internet connection: Remote access relies on internet connectivity to link the connected devices. Make sure you have a stable connection on both ends, so the access remains uninterrupted and keeps moving seamlessly.
Compatible devices: Depending on the remote access tool you use, this can be easy or difficult. While there are some tools designed for remote PC control that only work on specific devices or operating systems, software like Splashtop can work across multiple device types, including macOS, Windows, Android, and more.
Admin access on the host machine: Most endpoints don’t allow remote access by default for security purposes, so admins will need to step in and allow it. Make sure that the remote device has admin permissions in place to allow remote access, otherwise the connection will fail.
How to Remotely Control a PC in 5 Steps
When you’re ready to work from anywhere, remotely controlling a PC only takes a few quick steps. With Splashtop, it’s easy to set up remote access and connect from anywhere, so just follow these instructions and you’ll be set:
Create your Splashtop account by registering for a free trial.
Download the Splashtop Streamer app on your PC from the Splashtop downloads page, install the application, and log in.
Enable remote access from your admin settings to ensure the connection is allowed.
Download Splashtop on the device you’ll be connecting from (also available on the downloads page).
Log in and click on your PC from the Splashtop app to launch the remote connection.
That’s all it takes! From there, you’ll be able to remotely control your PC and work from anywhere, including accessing your files, specialized tools, and applications as needed. Splashtop provides a secure, seamless, and encrypted connection, so you can efficiently work from anywhere without risking cybersecurity.
Best Practices for Secure Remote PC Control
Of course, remote access should be managed carefully. When organizations implement remote access solutions, they should ensure that they have the security controls and policies they need in place to ensure the access is both efficient and secure, so it helps to keep these best practices in mind.
Best practices for secure remote PC control include:
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Maintaining account security is vital for ensuring only authorized users can access their accounts and connected devices. Multi-Factor Authentication helps keep unauthorized users at bay by requiring a secondary form of user verification before they can log in.
Encryption: End-to-end encryption is essential for keeping data secure in transit, so it can’t be intercepted or stolen. Splashtop, for instance, uses AES encryption to protect streams and connections, ensuring everything stays secure throughout the remote session.
Allowed devices: When setting up remote access, it helps to have a list of allowed devices. This helps provide additional security, so stolen account credentials can’t be used to log in to unknown devices.
Session timeouts: There’s always the chance that employees will forget to end their remote sessions. In these instances, session timeouts help ensure devices aren’t left unattended, as the remote session will automatically end after a set period of inactivity.
Session logs and recording: Session logs help IT teams track remote access activity, including who connected and when. Session recording, where available and appropriate, can provide an additional record for training, troubleshooting, or audit review. Logs and recordings should be managed according to your organization’s security and privacy policies.
Strengthen Remote PC Control With Splashtop
When you’re looking for reliable, secure remote access, Splashtop is the way to go. Splashtop provides seamless remote PC control across devices and operating systems, empowering employees to access their work computers wherever they go and on whatever devices they use.
Splashtop is designed to make remote access easy and secure. It’s easy to set up and launch, providing attended and unattended access with cross-platform compatibility in just a few clicks. All the while, Splashtop keeps remote sessions secure with end-to-end encryption, session logs, session idle timeouts, Multi-Factor Authentication, and more.
If you’re struggling with the complexity of remote PC control or need a reliable way to access your work PC from anywhere, Splashtop can help. Splashtop makes setup simple, remote sessions secure, and troubleshooting effortless, so you can stay connected from anywhere.
Want to see Splashtop in action? Get started today with a free trial.
