Remote Desktop, also known as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), is a technology that allows a user to access a remote computer from another computer or device over a network connection. By using Remote Desktop, a user can access and use a computer located in a different physical location as if they were sitting right in front of it. Here are some ways in which Remote Desktop can be used:
There are a variety of way’s to establish a Remote Desktop Connection to other devices. You can establish a Remote Connection from a self-hosted application such as TeamViewer, Join.Me, SplashTop, Remote PC, and many others. These applications offer many additional options as well such as Remote Device Management so you can manage devices connected under your license.
However these can be expensive, and there’s a chance of service outage that is outside your control, rendering your Remote Connections unworkable during maintenance period or other services outages.
There are other ways to take advantage of Remote Desktop Applications with the free RDP tool that comes with every Windows computer.
How can you or your team take advantage of RDP, and what’s it take to facilitate RDP into your scope of work?
Using RDP to Accomplish Your Teams Goals
There are a variety of use cases that RDP can take advantage of. For example, if you need to hire a new employee but they can’t physically move to the location your office might be in. You can have them remote into a Virtual Workspace that you can create for them to work from, which they can access through the RDP application on their desktop computer.
Don’t have a virtual machine for users to access? No problem, you can even have them remote into an existing physical workstation as well. In many environments that involve a server, there normally isn’t a need for a physical workstation. The server will have certain roles such as Active Directory, which is a centralized location that maintains all of the user accounts that login.
When users login to their Active Directory account, they are essentially connecting to their account hosted from the server. In most cases all the data the account access lives on the same server, or a different server, but no local data is stored on the user’s actual workstation. So if the network protocols are configured correctly, users can use RDP to connect to their corporate account from anywhere.
Maintaining a Secure RDP Structure
When considering the use of RDP in your work space, it’s important to always consider the security implications that may go along with it. Luckily with newer standards it’s easy to build a secure RDP environment your team can take advantage of.
It’s never recommended to open ports on your router or firewall in order to build an RDP connection. This is an old method that has always had security vulnerabilities which hackers can easily take advantage of.
Instead of opening hole in your network, you can use Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology along with 2FA or OTP verification to truly secure your Remote Desktop Protocol users. A VPN builds a bridge between two networks, allowing data and access to flow between the two sides across the internet.
VPN’s can be established with software like Net Extender. Net Extender is an application provided by Dell Sonicwall technologies which allows a user to build a connection from their computer at their location to the firewall hosting the network the user needs to login to. Security Protocols such as Two Factor Authentication can be enabled, to allow the firewall to verify that the user is indeed the appropriate person logging in.
Other encryption methods such as SHA256 are utilized to ensure the VPN tunnel is protected from other attacks such as Man in the Middle style attacks to possibly steal data or login information.
Overall, Remote Desktop is a versatile technology that can be used for a variety of purposes, making it a valuable tool for individuals, businesses, and organizations. Provided proper security is in place, RDP can play a very important role in helping your team achieve their overall goals.
Natural Networks is a fully Managed Service Provider, and we help organizations of all sizes take advantage of building secure network structures and environments that take advantage of resources like RDP every day. If you want to learn more about how you can partner with natural Networks to achieve your technology goals, give us a call today!
