The Rise and Evolution of Remote Desktop Software

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Providing effective “on-demand” technical assistance and support often involves not only one’s personal IT knowledge and experience, but also a reliable set of technical products that help get the job done.

The rise and evolution of remote desktop software has enabled IT businesses of all sizes to deliver immediate “incident resolution” to their clients and colleagues located anywhere in the world, while eliminating geographical distances, national borders, and other constraints that were at play only 15 years ago. Such products play an essential role in improving the overall bottom line of any freelance IT business by excluding various costs associated with time consuming on-site visits.

The recent years have delivered a significant expansion of the remote desktop software industry, and today a business of any size is able to choose from a number of various remote desktop products based on its own budget and functionality requirements. As the owner of a small IT company, I am able to share my personal experience regarding the evolution of browser-based remote desktop software as an alternative to VNC-based products that dominated the market only several years ago.

Pre-Vista Era & VNC Dominance

My search for a remote desktop application began in 2005 shortly after I launched a small IT consulting business that would specialize in providing technical support to businesses and home users alike. Due to the significant budget constraints that my newly launched business was operating under at its early stage, the main disappointment experienced was the general absence of “commercial-use” remote desktop products available on the market at the time. The ones that were offered, such as Webex at $175 per month, were clearly oriented more towards the needs of enterprise-level users rather than SME IT professionals.

After analyzing my options, I settled for one of the few open source VNC-based derivatives that were highly popular at the time: Ultra VNC.

After analyzing my options, I settled for one of the few open source VNC-based derivatives that were highly popular at the time: Ultra VNC. My decision was based on the fact that despite the difficult connection process involved in establishing a VNC remote session (remote client is required to perform certain time-consuming network configurations), Ultra VNC was entirely free of charge even for commercial purposes.

Despite the occasional issues in having to explain the connection process to my clients (and often failing to do so), Ultra VNC got the job done at absolutely no charge. Furthermore, my options were for the most part limited to other VNC products, such as Tight VNC or Crossloop, which for the most part “behaved” in a similar fashion.

Windows Vista Release & UAC Limitations

The release of Microsoft’s Windows Vista in early 2007 significantly reduced the value of VNC-based products such as Ultra VNC. Since VNC’s open source code was designed for the Windows XP Operating System, it failed to support new Microsoft developments such as the Windows User Account Control setting released in Windows Vista. This meant that any support activities (such as performing program installations or Windows setting updates) involving UAC permission on the remote client’s end would terminate the VNC connection.

The growth in users migrating from Windows XP to Windows Vista throughout the first half of 2007 had increasingly made Ultra VNC ineffective for most remote support activities. Therefore, in order to ensure an effective level of service to my clients, I was forced to resume my search for a remote desktop application.

Techinline As Cost-Effective, Browser-Based Alternative

Having began my quest for an alternative to Ultra VNC, I was pleased to discover that the remote desktop software market had by now significantly expanded since my initial research only two years before.

A nice surprise was that existing vendors such as Webex had significantly reduced their rates, while a number of new developers such as ISL Light and Teamviewer began offering applications that were first and foremost designed for the needs of small/medium sized businesses based on pricing structure and feature-set.

Such tools enabled a remote session directly in a browser’s window with the installation of only a browser plug-in.

Another observation was that the market had now shifted from VNC-based products that prevailed only two years earlier towards browser-based applications that delivered a much simpler connection process and did not require any installation of software or network configurations on either end of the connection. Such tools enabled a remote session directly in a browser’s window with the installation of only a browser plug-in.

Based on general user feedback, LogMeIn was (and still is) regarded as the most advanced and feature-loaded application on the market. However, the main drawback of LogMeIn was its commercial-use pricetag: $120 per month. After evaluating GoToAssist, Techinline, Skyfex, and ISL Light, I settled for Techinline which was by far the most affordable and delivered the main features that I was looking for: file transfer, chat, and branding. Although it lacked certain features otherwise available with GoToAssist and LogMeIn, I found the “trade-off” to be in my favor due to the lack of need for such bells and whistles as annotation tools, audio transmission, or substantial reporting. As my primary requirement was providing a simple and straightforward connection process for my clients along with affordable pricing, Techinline seemed to be exactly the tool that I was looking for.

As a browser-based application, Techinline not only effectively resolved the UAC issue that initially triggered the migration from Ultra VNC, but also delivered a customizable browser-based connection process which could be launched directly from my company’s webpage. Most customers were delighted that they no longer had to do anything outside of navigating to a browser-page in order to share full control of their machine.

Another positive experience that led me to pursue Techinline was its swift technical assistance that I received during the trial period. While having submitted some product-related inquiries to LogMeIn and GoToAssist and never receiving a reply, I was very pleased to receive an email from Techinline less than two hours after my submission with detailed answers to all of my questions. This level of customer service convinced me to make a decision in Techinline’s favor.

Remote Desktop Software Today

In conclusion, it is clear that the remote desktop software industry has come a long way in the last 5 years. The prevalence of various VNC applications has now been replaced by browser-based software that has delivered a much simpler connection process by eliminating the need for any network configurations or significant software installations on both ends of the remote connection. Furthermore, the introduction of faster internet browsers such as Google Chrome and the constant development of Firefox and Internet Explorer will ensure that browser-based remote desktop software is here to stay for the long-term.

The scope in functionality and pricing of the number of options available today ensures that a business of any size, budget, and usage volume will find a remote desktop application that meets its specific needs. The highly competitive nature of the remote desktop software industry implies that prices for such tools should continue to descend as new vendors enter the market.

Despite still using Techinline, I continue to keep an eye out on the developments in the remote desktop software industry in order to explore other cost-effective and capable options that may even further enhance my company’s bottom line.

What remote desktop software are you using today?

Photo credit: License by SimpleFoto.