Remote desktop software lets a technician see and control a computer from anywhere over the internet, to fix it while the user watches. It is also called remote access software or remote support software. The technician sees the user's screen in a window, and moves the user's mouse and types on the user's keyboard from far away.
The software has two modes. In attended access, the user is present. The user opens a small app, reads out a session code to the technician and clicks Allow. In unattended access, the company installs the software on a machine in advance, such as a server or a factory machine. Approved technicians can then connect at any time, without anyone at the machine.
Here is how a session works. The app on the user's computer sends a stream of images of the screen. The technician's mouse movements and key presses are sent back and carried out on the user's computer. The connection is encrypted, so that nobody in between can read it. Office networks often block direct connections from outside. So both computers first connect out to the software company's own servers, which both sides can reach. These servers set up the session. If the two computers cannot then connect directly, the servers also pass the data between them.
Take, for example, a branch manager at a cooperative bank in Shillong whose laptop cannot print. She calls the IT team at the head office in Guwahati. The technician asks her to open the support app. The app shows a 9-digit ID and a one-time password. She reads them out, the technician enters them, and she clicks Allow. The technician now sees her screen. He reinstalls the printer driver while she watches the cursor move, and the page prints six minutes later. The session is recorded and attached to her ticket in the ITSM software. Managed service providers use the same software to support their small clients, through their managed service provider platform.
Remote access is used as much for machines in factories as for laptops in offices. For instance, a maker of packaging machines in Ahmedabad can connect to one of its machines at a pharmaceutical plant in Baddi, read its error log and change a setting. Factory networks must be guarded carefully. So OT and IoT security controls which outside connections may reach such machines. Some remote-access companies also sell meeting and cloud phone system products.
The same software is also misused. Scammers phone people, pretend to be from a bank or a support team, and ask them to install a remote access app. They then watch the person type an OTP or a UPI PIN. So the rule is simple: never read a session code to someone who called you. Many apps now show a warning before a session starts.
Remote desktop software is different from virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Remote desktop software lets someone control an existing computer for a short session. With VDI, the employee's whole desktop always runs on a server.