What is remote access?

Remote access is the act of connecting to IT services, applications, or data from a location other than headquarters. This connection allows users to access a network or computer remotely via the internet.

Remote access is an integral part of many business continuity plans and disaster recovery strategies. It’s great for remote staff, hybrid workers, contractors, and individuals displaced from their usual workplace due to natural disaster or other circumstances. Employees may have the flexibility to work from home, or have a plan in place if they are not able to go into the office during a natural disaster.

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What are the benefits of remote access?

Remote access can bring many benefits to a business, from lowering costs to increasing worker satisfaction and productivity.

Better work productivity and flexibility: Employees need to be untethered from the physical office to stay productive as they balance the demands of work and home. As the boundaries between the two become less defined, employees increasingly need safe and secure access to business resources from outside the corporate network. Remote access arms workers with the tools they need to be productive on any device and from any location. IT admins centrally manage the apps across different platforms, minimizing complexity and maximizing mobile productivity.

Better end-to-end security: Today’s end users require easy access to their web, cloud or SaaS applications across multiple devices and connections. In order to ensure a high-quality user experience while still maintaining security and control, IT teams must provide users with single sign on (SSO) across all applications. By leveraging contextual access controls and multi-factor authentication, IT can maintain end-to-end oversight across all application traffic while users can connect from anywhere.

Lower costs with BYOD: Today’s highly mobile workforce has pushed productivity beyond the constraints of physical offices and traditional work hours. By implementing a bring-your-own device (BYOD) program, businesses enable employees to leverage remote access technology to work from anywhere, on the device of their choosing. With remote access, data stays secure and workers can be productive at any location. By allowing employees to use their own device, businesses can exponentially lower the costs of purchasing and managing corporate-owned devices. 

Improve business continuity: Business continuity is an organization's capability to maintain mission-critical functionality during and after a major disruption. There are myriad disturbances that can cost organizations time, money, and productivity, from natural disasters to service outages. If an employee has been displaced due to a business continuity disruption, they can continue to be productive using a secure remote access connection. Remote technical support can also be provided on demand, reducing response time and helping to keep the business going.

Improve talent acquisition: By allowing remote team members, businesses can recruit from a much larger pool of talent, from anywhere in the world. Remote access allows employees to work from anywhere, so hiring managers are no longer limited to geographic locations. This allows businesses to truly hire the best candidate, with no restrictions, giving managers the best opportunity to win the war on talent.

Citrix solutions for remote access

Citrix Remote PC Access is a solution that allows for a like-local performance and simple seamless access from any device, without having to install or load a VPN.