Desktop SHaring.

The Bene­fits of Desktop Sharing

Desktop sharing is a soft­ware appli­ca­tion used to share desktop content with another computer and even enables remote access. The computer can be on the Internet thousands of miles away giving desktop sharing distance-free capa­bi­li­ties. Desktop sharing appli­ca­tions are used by network admi­nis­tra­tors to control compu­ters with minimal travel time, since the tech­ni­cian can interact with the desktop as if he is sitting in front of the computer.

Uses and Bene­fits of Desktop Sharing

With the growth of multi­na­tional corpo­ra­tions and the requi­re­ments for large networks, compa­nies need an Internet tech­no­logy profes­sional for each office loca­tion. Desktop sharing soft­ware provides a more effi­cient way to manage tech support issues. Online computer support personnel can change desktop settings, update soft­ware, trou­ble­shoot PC issues and access files on the remote computer via a remote desktop connec­tion. As long as the computer is powered on and has networ­king capa­bi­li­ties, tech support admi­nis­tra­tors can manage the machine inclu­ding reboo­ting it for soft­ware updates. These remote appli­ca­tions can also be used for servers on the network.

Along with remote support, desktop sharing appli­ca­tions can serve as the ideal solu­tion for web confe­ren­cing. With desktop sharing, a company can orga­nize a group meeting online, such as for a webinar or for online meetings.

How Desktop Sharing Works

Desktop sharing requires a small appli­ca­tion down­loaded to the remote computer. A computer support admi­nis­trator runs the “host” appli­ca­tion on their PC and starts a remote desktop sharing session. The appli­ca­tion runs on the support administrator’s machine. Good desktop sharing appli­ca­tions require a user­name and pass­word before remote control is allowed.

Once access is granted, the IT support admi­nis­trator is shown a window that encap­su­lates the remote desktop. The admi­nis­trator takes control of the mouse and keyboard clicks of the host computer. There­fore, the admi­nis­trator can open windows, type messages, view computer settings, and install soft­ware. Addi­tio­nally, the admi­nis­trator can down­load soft­ware using the Internet connec­tion and browser of the host machine. This allows admi­nis­tra­tors to update secu­rity patches for the opera­ting system or other software.

For group situa­tions and team colla­bo­ra­tion with desktop sharing, there is normally one presenter who hosts the netmee­ting, but there can be multiple parti­ci­pants who join by running the client soft­ware and can then view all screen actions from the presenter live over the Web.

Desktop sharing soft­ware is bene­fi­cial for any busi­ness. It’s even bene­fi­cial for a home user who needs to manage machines on a local network. The soft­ware saves busi­nesses money, and allows network admi­nis­tra­tors to work more effi­ci­ently. Before applying any remote appli­ca­tion to your computer or a network, ensure it offers the secu­rity required for proper machine protection.