One challenge that presents itself when working from home is accessing your company’s internal or proprietary data. This could vary from native CAD data to word documents if you don’t have access to them. Then, unfortunately, there is no way to progress on a project.
The method that is used to gain access to these files will vary. It depends on the infrastructure that you have in place, but we’ve put together some common solutions that can be implemented.
How Can You Access Internal Data when Working Remote?
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows your computer to behave as it would if it was connected to the company’s network. This allows you to have access to files stored on your local network and any tools that require network access.
Whether it’s the environment using Vault or the shared location, a VPN allows users to remotely access these files. Using a VPN requires an active internet connection and a machine to work remotely from, besides the initial step of logging into the VPN software. It is the process and workflow that needs to be followed, identical to what it is within the office. While it will allow a user to work in the usual way, the experience will vary from user to user. It will depend on the internet speed the users have available.
A VPN also allows users to use the Windows Remote Desktop Tool. This tool connects a user to a machine that is on the network, ideally located on premise. This allows users to have remote access to these machines and perform the expected work. It differs from the solution above through it’s performance in downloading and uploading files from the network. Since the machine you are remoting into is on premise, it is more likely that the speeds will be on par with what the user is familiar with.
TeamViewer and other 3rd Party Remote tools
In addition to a VPN, there are some third-party applications that give you access to a computer’s internal data. What’s more, this will be the one that is on premise already. This means that you will need to have a machine either to access through or to perform the work. What’s more, both will need the software installed on it, in order to successfully connect to each other.
The benefit of having a machine on premise again relates to the performance while uploading and downloading files. However, in this case, you don’t have to set up a VPN access point for users.
Some examples that our customers and KETIV use as remote tools include TeamViewer and Citrix. These tools allow for unattended access of workstations while ensuring that the access user has credentials for the remote tool and the workstation.
In conclusion
As we look at the solutions presented, we can see that they all depend on a reliable internet connection. These solutions will have their benefits in each situation, but one of the most important things to remember is that the solution that is agreed upon should be available and viable for all users equally.
The recent shift in today’s industry is to work remote from home and is quickly becoming the norm. These solutions in accessing internal data will help with this transition and allows our customers to get ahead of curve.