Protect Your Machine from Hackers
A malicious hacker does not need much to gain remote computer access to your machine. In fact, if you purchase a new computer with Windows on it and go online, your computer will probably have been owned¡ªcomputer jargon for infected by a worm or virus that has the ability to control your computer without your permission¡ªwithin minutes, especially if your computer is on a broadband connection.
It is imperative, therefore, that you maintain updated antivirus software, run virus scans regularly, and use a personal firewall on your PC. Furthermore, you would do well not to use a traditional email client such as Outlook, and instead use a web-based email client such as GMail, HotMail, or YahooMail. Taking these precautions will not guarantee the security of your computer and the data it contains, but they go a long way.
The bottom line is that if you don¡¯t want a hacker to use your system as a remote computer from which to serve child pornography or attack the white house computers, you should take these precautionary security steps seriously.
Advantages of Remote Access to Your PC
If you have not setup your home PC with remote computer access, then you¡¯re missing out. Remote computing allows you to access your data¡ªand even your programs--from anywhere in the world, so you will never again be without that last critical piece of information or backed up file also on the USB key that you just lost.
There are many great products out there enabling your remote computer to be accessed through the web, including pcAnywhere and GoToMyPC from WebEx.
As an added bonus, by having remote access software on your home computer you¡¯ll be able to let your talented young grad student nephew to provide remote supportyou¡¯re your computer by accessing your PC from his dorm room and fixing the ailing system without having to nag him on a frustratingly long phone call.
The benefits are numerous, the software is relatively inexpensive, and having remote access to your PC could save you and incredible amount of time, money, and stress one day, so it¡¯s a smart investment.
Remote Computing Through a PDA
Ever wish you could gain access to your remote computer through your PDA? You can!
There are new products on the market that not only grant remote computer access, but almost full control of the remote PC, enabling full remote computing from the palm of your hand.
There is a VNC viewer available for your iPaq:
http://www.pocketpccity.com/software/pocketpc/VNC-Viewer-for-PocketPC-2001-1-2-ce-pocketpc.html
as well as one that seems to works on some PDA operating systems, including Psion, Nokia 92xx, SE P800, SE P900:
http://www.imhotek.com/html/vnc.html
If you can¡¯t bring all your important data and computing power with you, at least you¡¯ll be able to access and control it from anywhere in the world.
Windows, UNIX, and Remote Computing
Until recently, the remote computing platform of choice was UNIX because a UNIX system could be logged into and controlled from a remote terminal anywhere in the world. However, there are currently remote computer access programs for Windows machines that are much easier to use and offer rich features that are not only unavailable for simple SSH or telnet connections, but for any common remote computing administration offered for the UNIX platforms.
For example, AccessDesk from NetworkStreaming can administer several remote systems at one time, install software on all of them, cause them to reboot, and automatically reconnect when they all come back online. If one were to attempt this in UNIX he would have to open up several terminals, issue similar install commands in each terminal to both fetch and install the new software, reboot, and then simply wait several minutes until guessing that the remote machines had come back online and logging into them again.
While this is not an argument that one operating system is better than another, it is meant to dispel a myth that Windows machines are less friendly to remote support needs than are UNIX boxes, as that¡¯s simply not the case anymore, so the myth should not affect your decision to use one operating system or another on your server.