When thinking about VPN vs remote desktop, this can come in handy if you don’t foresee needing access to certain files stored locally. Sometimes referred to as “screen sharing,” remote desktop can give you full access to your desktop computer from anywhere with an internet connection. It’s perfect for people who are frequently on the go, work out of a home office, or are often out in the field and need access to their local desktop computer. Remote desktop solutions are becoming more and more common with the increased prevalence of distributed workforces and more employees regularly working from home. It’s the commonly used name for a group of applications that allow you to access computers or devices from a remote location. RDP stands for Remote Desktop Protocol and is sometimes just referred to as Remote Desktop. Once it’s set up, that’s the way it stays. But if you forget to share a folder you need remote access to before you leave the office, you won’t be able to retroactively share the folder remotely with your VPN. Once you set up shared resources on the VPN – like printers, servers, or shared folders – you would have remote access to them. One thing to keep in mind as you consider VPN vs remote desktop solutions is that VPNs only offer access to resources that are already shared on the network. With a VPN, you’d be able to virtually login to your office’s local network and print as if you were there. If you’re out in the field and need to print something, typically you’d have to wait until you’re back and can connect to the network directly.

So let’s say you have a special printer in your office that’s connected to your office’s local network. The VPN can have specific settings and allow for more shared access among the devices connected to it.Ī VPN also allows applications that only work on local networks to be accessed through the internet once you’re logged into the VPN. Essentially, a VPN creates a smaller, private network on top of a larger public network – most commonly the internet.

There are other differences, like security vulnerabilities and levels of flexibility and control, but understanding what each one does will help you decide which solution will be best for you.

The most important thing to know about the difference between VPN vs remote desktop solutions is that they are functionally different things.

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