Remote Access Freak Out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh how bad weather seems to bring out the worst in people. The words out of every employee's mouth are, "Remote access, I need remote access!" My response is generally, "You already have it" or "Haven't you read the 15 previous emails I sent you about remote access?" Typically my response is met with silence or the ubiquitous question of, "What is my login name?"

Exchange Active Sync, Outlook Web Access (OWA for the geeky types out there), GoToMyPc, LogMeIn, and web-based applications all make anywhere, anytime remote access possible. When OWA and a SaaS solution are combines, you don't even need technology like GoToMyPc or LogMeIn. The only hitch is when you add an Apple Mac to the equation and have to sort through the various problems with Safari web browser compatibility issues.

My philosophy on remote access is that it's supposed to support on a limited basis an employee working from outside the office. By it's very nature you don't get the same experience working from home as you do sitting at your desk in the office. When the remote worker calls me up and says, "Hey, my email looks different," I generally take a minute to compose myself then tell them that they are using a light-weight version of Outlook designed especially for the web and thus, it will be different. As for the SaaS solution, generally the only different between how it functions at the office and at home is the speed of the person's connection to the Internet (unless someone has FiOS at home, the office is faster). Plus let's not forget about employees sending & receiving emails on their iPhone, Blackberry, and Android smartphones - thank you Microsoft Exchange Active Sync!

I hope the weather gets better (i.e, warmer) soon. Then again, hurricane season is right around the corner so maybe the cold weather isn't so bad. Ask me about Hurricane Ike sometime.

Rob