TO REMOTE, OR NOT TO REMOTE, THAT IS THE QUESTION?

May 19, 2014

9:57 PM

Remote Access - You Will Need It One Day (Maybe Today!)

If you support clients, sooner or later you will find that you need to have software with which to gain ‘remote access’ to your client’s computer for some form of support. Here are four alternatives.

If you support clients, sooner or later you will find that you need to have software with which to gain ‘remote access’ to your client’s computer for some form of support. Just tonight for example, I remoted into a computer in Florida (that is what I said Florida) just to examine a file. Intuit long ago recognized this fact and offered ‘discounted’ remote access software to work with QuickBooks for ProAdvisors and Accountant product owners; that service steadily declined in ‘feature set’ and increased in price (it was at one time free for the entire feature set, but times have changed).

While there are many ‘free for the moment’ trial versions of this type of software on the market, and some ‘free versions’ not intended for commercial use (if you read their terms of service closely), I always question ‘anything’ for free, especially if I am going to connect my computer up to it.

Professional grade remote control/access software isn’t cheap (I have listed some prices, but I do not guarantee any of them, they come exclusively from marketing materials available from each vendor). I thought I would mention what many consider the four of the top-of-the-line products, and I am mentioning them in no particular order as to rankings from ANY source. You may use, or know of, other similar products, or you may have comments about some of these or the one you use. I am absolutely certain that our readers would love to hear about the products you like, or dislike, and why. So feel free to submit your comments below.

I am going to begin by discussing the ‘professional version’ of the software that Intuit still makes available for ProAdvisors and/or those using the ‘Accountant version’ of QuickBooks or QuickBooks Enterprise.

Cisco WebEx® Support Center Remote Access allows you to create and support networks of thousands of computers, from any web browser. Perform real-time service and maintenance tasks remotely any time, with or without users present. Solve customer support and internal IT help desk problems quickly and easily right from your browser. Boost productivity and improve customer satisfaction with WebEx Remote Access. Pricing starts at $99 per month, although there is a special ‘limited version’ of this product available directly through QuickBooks to ProAdvisors for significantly less; however, that version provides access only to ‘QuickBooks’ on the remote computer(s).

TeamViewer permits you to remote control any computer or Mac over the internet within seconds. TeamViewer allows you to control computers remotely as if you were sitting right in front of them. You can provide technical support to mobile devices such as iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android device, all from the convenience of your work station. Pricing for this product starts at $749 (you purchase it outright); higher priced versions provide additional features to the standard business license priced herein, but there are no monthly fees with these products.

GoToAssist enables you to provide fast and easy live remote support with a solution designed to meet your specific business needs. IT professionals, consultants and managed service providers can quickly deliver live and unattended technical assistance with GoToAssist’s powerful remote support software. Transition from a support call to an online support session with just one click. Access and control end users’ PC and Mac computers to resolve issues quickly. Pricing for this product starts at $69 per month; however, they also offer what they call a ‘remote support day pass’ for $6.95 (1 time charge) which provides full service for 24-hours if you only need to provide remote support services on occasion.

LogMeIn(123) Rescue allows you stay productive away from your desk with anytime, anywhere access to your computers. You can remotely view, diagnose and fix computers and mobile devices by connecting to devices anywhere in the world in less than a minute. Supports Windows, Windows mobile, Android, Apple-OS, BlackBerry and Synbian operating systems. This product starts at $129 per month., although I understand that there may be some pricing variations based upon ‘expected volume’. (And someone told me that they do offer ‘coupon discounts’ if you search hard enough.)

I only briefly pointed out some of the key ‘marketing factors’ associated with these four products. I don’t intend to mention which of these I personally use (right now), or why I chose it, because I don’t want anyone to think I am endorsing a specific product; however, I certainly would like to hear your stories about your remote software choices (that's what the comment section is for).

Comments (13)

Comment Feed

Cheapest and highest performance solution

I use Splashtop Business... $60 a year!! it's known to be the fastest too... people use it even to play remote PC games (& I have tried streaming video and audio... works like magic).
Besides PC/MAC, I also use Splashtop's mobile apps... iPad and Android phone... all work great with touch interface.

NiNiAccountant more than 8 years ago

Easy Solution

I would prefer remotely accessing a computer and trouble shooting a technical problem rather than travelling all the way to clients location. Hence, I mostly use tools like logmein, R-HUB remote support servers (http://www.rhubcom.com) etc.

Jason Sampson more than 9 years ago

Good information

Thank you all for your comments. I have been researching to find something that would work with a remote client and this is excellent information to make a decision with.

Noreen more than 9 years ago

showmypc.com

I use the $14/mo showmypc.com plan, which allows me to point clients to mehrcpa.showmypc.com and run the program on their side.

@Brett Barry, thanks for the Chrome Remote Desktop tip, love it!

Michael J Mehr, CPT.CITP more than 9 years ago

LogmeInCentral/Remote Desktop

Many of my smaller clients are on LogMeInCentral which is essentially LogMeInFree for 100 computers. It's easy to send a client a deployment file and get it installed at the client's end. It's $299 per year for up to 100 computers. This works out to about $25 per month. You can also add LogMeInPro for additional fees if clients like to be able to print, etc. remotely, etc. There is also a way to deploy Windows Updates, etc.

It is a stable and easy to use solution for the bookkeeper/accountant.

There is also remote desktop that is included in Windows 7 and 8.1 Professional Editions. This would need to be set up. However, once set up there is no more costs. You can print and share files. This is for more sophisticated clients with an IT department.

Laura Chapman more than 9 years ago

Remote Access

I use Webex but its "glitchy". Sometimes when you disconnect the client has to restart the ageent because the clients computer shows off-line. Its inexpensive though, I'm paying $29.95 a month for 10 licenses.

James more than 9 years ago

Gotoassist

I use gotoassist. I can setup multiple simultaneous sessions. This is a big help if I need to login to the server and a workstation to try to fix a problem. It also has good chat capability as well as the ability to transfer files while connected. Must say that my favorite feature is the reports. As one who sometimes forgets to look at the clock and note how long I worked, I can run a gotoassist report and see how much time I was connected. Really helps me capture billable time.

Caren Schwartz more than 9 years ago

A quick once a month option

So for the past year I have used the free Cisco webex to access quickbooks to quickly file sales tax for a client. I just need the sales tax liability report and then pay the sales tax. That is it. I don't want to have to increase the price to my client and I don't want to go to their place of business for a quick thing. Any suggestions?

Michele more than 9 years ago

Remote Access - TeamViewer

..has been totally worth the price. I have my clients install this on their machines at no cost to them for I own the license. Many have given me "unattended access" but I love the "rolling" password for those who don't. They are secure in knowing that once I end a session, I cannot return to their system without their permission. I also can access systems away from my home office with my license.

Bernadette Amos more than 9 years ago

WebEx

I recently learned that the QuickBooks.WebEx is no longer compatible with Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 due to a patch released by MicroSoft. There is also a work around needed if using Internet Explorer 10 or 11.

Paula Bruggeman more than 9 years ago

Remote Software - Techinline

I have used Techinline for many years now and they are improving with time.
www.techinline.com. It has enough feature for what I use and unattended access, if needed. Copy and paste files..Check it out... $300/year

Judy Borland more than 9 years ago

Remote access

I've had excellent results with GoToMyPC, which also has an iPad app.

Bill Winkler more than 9 years ago

My Favorites

I am assuming this article is about unattended remote access. My favorite is Chrome Remote Desktop. It is free and very easy to set up and access. For attended access, GoToMeeting and their $20/month 5-user max plan is an affordable option for a tried and true service. Mikogo was a previous favorite because it is free, but there were too many hurdles getting some users to even get into a session.

Brett Barry more than 9 years ago