How Is Remote IT Maintenance Even Possible?
The idea someone in a different place can help you deal with IT needs can surprise many folks. Remote IT maintenance service providers, though, help businesses and people keep their systems running every day. If you're thinking about moving to a remote model, it can be helpful to understand how this works. Clients ought to know these four things about how the magic happens.
Servers and Software
For people who aren't hardcore IT techs, it may be surprising to learn their computer can act as a server for remote IT maintenance purposes. People commonly think of servers as systems that handle websites for thousands or millions of clients.
That's one way a server can operate, but there is another. In the remote IT model, the server is a small piece of software that sends and receives data from one external party. The IT professional handling your machine's maintenance needs would be that external party in this case. A tech can use the software to log into your machine and perform maintenance work.
Authorization and Security
Notably, the server can't be reckless in accepting connections. Instead, it has to have a strong authorization and security model. This prevents random parties from detecting the presence of a remote connection and abusing it. Only someone who has the right credentials from the service provider can access the remote features.
What Can a Technician Maintain Remotely?
Virtually anything a person at the seat can do with the system is also accessible to a remote technician. If you need to update key pieces of software, for example, they can get the job done. Also, it's frequently possible to use remote systems to perform hundreds or even thousands of simultaneous updates. If an organization has many systems, this can save time and grief by automating and economizing the update process.
With the advent of cloud computing, it's even possible for technicians to handle resources upgrades remotely. In this scenario, they have access to provisioned resources so they can expand memory, storage, and even processing power.
Troubleshooting
A major benefit of remote IT maintenance is the ability to show a technician what's going on. You can log in while they're also on the system. If you need to show them exactly what happens when you try to load a particular file, for example, the tech sees it as it happens. They can then either make corrections or show you what to do to address the problem.