Remote access to PCs has long been a tricky IT staple. On the one hand, gaining authorized control to your device and its files is a great thing, allowing for users to have quick access to their most essential electronic items. But on the other hand, this convenience has become a bigger and bigger concern for sophisticated hackers and the infiltration techniques they employ to gain access to your devices. Now, the best remote PC access software isn’t just the one with the most features; rather, it’s the one that’s the most difficult for an unauthorized user to breach.
We’re taking a look at the top 9 most secure software in this arena, focusing on 10 critical security features that we believe should, at the very least, be standard in today’s tech-saturated world. And, also, because we’ve all become so dependent on mobile computing in this day and age, we’re only looking at the software that is available on Windows, OS X, Android, and iOS. Some of the software also have some killer features and impressive extras that more than make up for any areas in which they lack. Here’s our top 9.
Top 1-3:
| Provider | |||
| Rating | 10/10 |
10/10 |
9/10 |
| Data Level Encryption | |||
| Multi-Level Authentication | |||
| IP Filtering | |||
| Keyboard Locking | |||
| Screen Blanking | |||
| Inactivity Time-Out | |||
| Lockout After Unsuccessful Logins | |||
| Desktop Access Notification | |||
| Complex Password Requirement | |||
| Expiring or One-Time Passcode | |||
| Extra Features | LogMeIn has been around for a long time and are often billed as a secure remote PC access option for business needs. | Bomgar’s integration with RADIUS-compliant solutions bolsters their security profile, especially on mobile. | ScreenConnect’s focus on granular permissions more than makes up for not having one-time passcodes. |
| More Info | Visit LogMeIn | Visit Bomgar | Visit ScreenConnect |
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Top 4-6:
| Provider | |||
| Rating | 9/10 |
9/10 |
7/10 |
| Data Level Encryption | |||
| Multi-Level Authentication | |||
| IP Filtering | |||
| Keyboard Locking | |||
| Screen Blanking | |||
| Inactivity Time-Out | |||
| Lockout After Unsuccessful Logins | |||
| Desktop Access Notification | |||
| Complex Password Requirement | |||
| Expiring or One-Time Passcode | |||
| Extra Features | GoToMyPC doesn’t offer one-time passcodes, but instead, users can send out expiring email invitations for access. | NetSupport Manager deals with attempted account breaches with an impressive audit trail that records every event. | TeamViewer’s IP White and Blacklist option can explicitly indicate which accounts can or can’t have session access. |
| More Info | Visit GoToMyPC | Visit NetSupportManager | Visit TeamViewer |
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Top 7-9:
| Provider | |||
| Rating | 6/10 |
6/10 |
5/10 |
| Data Level Encryption | |||
| Multi-Level Authentication | |||
| IP Filtering | |||
| Keyboard Locking | |||
| Screen Blanking | |||
| Inactivity Time-Out | |||
| Lockout After Unsuccessful Logins | |||
| Desktop Access Notification | |||
| Complex Password Requirement | |||
| Expiring or One-Time Passcode | |||
| Extra Features | ISL Online offers an extensive audit record. That’s impressive. But their customer support? Even more impressive. | Splashtop offers a ton of support documents and tools on their site, so there’s always something you can find. | Mikogo doesn’t offer IP filtering options, per se, but they do offer intelligent tunneling technology that makes use of your firewall. |
| More Info | Visit ISLOnline | Visit Splashtop | Visit Mikogo |
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While there’s plenty of software out there for remote PC access, there aren’t many that are versatile enough for mobile and traditional computing platforms… that have the security to boot. The 9 companies on this list have a reach wide enough that includes mobile networking and a presence still approachable enough that can be reached for support at a moment’s notice. They each deal with security in different ways, each robust enough to let business owners and IT departments sleep better at night. And that’s the kind of security we all need anyway.