The Convenience of Remote Technical Support

Our computers are incredibly important to us. We use them for just about everything, from watching random YouTube videos to completing those TPS reports. While things are running smoothly most of the time, you will inevitably encounter some hiccups. Back in the old days, you’d have to disconnect everything and lug it back to a store or service center, but thanks to the wonders of the Internet, you don’t really have to do that at all.

The idea of remote desktop access isn’t exactly new, but like everything else that has to do with computers, the technology behind it has improved and been refined over the years. It’s a lot better now, both from the standpoint of accessibility and from the standpoint of security. To be fair, our constant connection to the Internet can be a bit of a double-edged sword. It grants us access to all this wonderful content, but it can also lead us to some trouble. Then, we might run into problems installing software or setting up new hardware. And none of us want to deal with that.

A few years ago, I wrote a post on my blog about why you want a backup computer. For whatever reason, my laptop was misbehaving and I needed a way to fix it. I was able to use a backup laptop to search for help on the web and I eventually found the solution. Depending on the issue, though, a backup computer may not even be necessary. If your computer still boots up and it can still get itself onto the Internet, remote technical support is a far easier and more straightforward solution.

There are actually companies, like My Computer Works, that specialize in this kind of thing. They dial in with remote access to your computer and then you can watch everything that they’re doing to fix your problem. This is far more efficient than trying to get them to talk you through the process, but you also learn about how to fix the problem if it ever comes up again. If you’d rather just leave it the pros, you can do that too. Especially if you rely on your computer for your livelihood (and time is money), perhaps your time is better spent being productive in another way while the tech support agent fixes your problem.

Remember that the remote desktop access is fundamentally giving that technician full access to your computer. So, nearly any software-based problem that you have, they can fix without ever having to physically access to your computer. They can deal with spyware and malware. They can setup your software and install applications. They can configure your data backup protocols.

You definitely need to be careful about this sort of thing, because you don’t want to hand over the keys to just anyone, but remote technical support with remote desktop access really makes everything easier. When you’re shopping for an Ultrabook, you might check out the warranty information, but it likely won’t help you with software installations or virus infections. That’s where third-party support can come into the picture to make things right.