Remote Access Services
West Michigan
Gaining remote access to applications and data is a critical and required
component whenever enabling workers outside of the office.
There are many different methods by which this can take
place, the most prominent methods being Terminal Services,
Citrix, and VPN's.
Terminal (Microsoft product) Services and Citrix are "server-based
computing" solutions, in that the server that is
located in the central location is loaded with all the applications
and the data, and essentially works on the behalf of the
remote worker. All applications appear to be running locally,
when in actuality they are running remotely on the server.
The major benefits of server-based computing are speed,
ease-of-use, instant availability on virtually every device
imaginable, and centralized control. The data never actually
leaves the server, making it a very secure and manageable
solution. This technology is also the basis of our education
solution. The only down-side of a server based computing
solution is that the user must be able to get onto the Internet,
however this is becoming less and less of a problem due
to high-speed cellular networks.
VPN's are slightly different, in that instead of working on the
data directly on the server, the data is pulled through
a low-bandwidth encrypted tunnel, manipulated, and is then
sent back through the tunnel to be stored on the server.
Although VPN's are slow and a bit more difficult to work
with, they are ideal for workers that are not always
connected to the Internet, such as salespeople.
ISI has come to specialize in remote access solutions, and has
many clients available in many states available for references.
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