I was recently browsing through Spiceworks’ Remote Support Forum and noticed that some people think a remote desktop solution and a remote desktop management solution are the same thing. However, this is not the case, and understanding the differences is vital in choosing the right option for you. Here’s an overview:
What Is a Remote Desktop Solution?
A remote desktop solution lets you take control of a remote computer, or it lets an authorized user take control of your computer. You can use the tool that is included with your computer’s operating system — Microsoft RDP (Windows) or Apple Screen Sharing (Mac) — or you can use a third-party tool, such as:
- pcAnywhere
- TeamViewer
- PuTTY (SSH, Telnet, rlogin, etc.)
- LogMeIn
- Wayk Now
- Chrome Remote Desktop
There are benefits and limitations to each option, ranging from ease-of-use to versatility. Choosing the right remote desktop software might involve some experimenting to see what works best for you. To help make the process easier and faster, our product specialist Jenny Knafo has compared the most popular solutions. I highly recommend checking it out — Jenny’s grid is a very useful tool!
What Is a Remote Desktop Management Solution?
Generally, a remote desktop management solution is used by IT pros (e.g. Sysadmins) who need to:
- Manage a wide range of remote connection technologies and protocols.
- Vault and store account passwords and other sensitive information.
- Securely share session settings between users.
- Manage roles, permissions and user security rights.
- Easily organize and retrieve sessions with an intuitive user interface.
There are a variety of remote desktop management solutions available, including Microsoft’s RDCMan, RoyalTS, and Devolutions’ Remote Desktop Manager.
To help you choose the right remote desktop management solution, I recommend reading this article, which was created by the TechTarget team in partnership with Devolutions. The article does a deep dive into the five key factors (from the bullet list above) that make up a robust and reliable solution.
Give Remote Desktop Manager a Try – It’s Free
We also invite you to give RDM a try. It’s used by more than 300,000 IT pros, including many SysAdmins who rely on it to efficiently and securely connect to remote systems via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), PuTTY, browser-based tools, proprietary software, virtual private networks (VPNs), and many more remote connection technologies. Click here to request your 30-day free trial of RDM Enterprise.
What’s Your Opinion?
Please comment below and share your knowledge and experience with remote desktop solutions and remote desktop management solutions. Your wisdom will help IT pros around the world!