January 25, 2005
Secure Remote PC Access: MyWebEx PC





WebEx Communications Inc., well-known for its flagship online meeting application, WebEx, has taken an aggressive step into the PC remote control service sector. On Jan 24, 2005 they launched MyWebEx PC, a web-based PC remote access service aimed squarely at individuals and small businesses, allowing them to access remote PCs from any computer equipped with a suitable browser and internet connection.

There are two versions of the service: MyWebEx PC Free (for up to 5 PCs) and MyWebEx PC Pro. The Free version, as the name suggests, is available free of charge and has a reduced feature set in comparison to the Pro version, which is available for a modest fee.





The service is very easy to sign up to, with a wizard to take you through the process smoothly. Remote control is enabled with the installation of the MyWebEx PC Agent on the remote computer. Both the remote and local computers have to be running Windows 95, 98, ME, XP, 2000, or NT and Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.X and above.

I would like to see less reliance on Internet Explorer (IE) for services like this, because the trend is towards alternative browsers like Firefox. I can probably guess why the decision to go with IE has been made, but there are a growing number of users of other browsers who might not use this service because of its mandatory use of IE.

MyWebEx PC has modest internet connection speed requirements, being able to utilise, as a minimum, a 56k dialup connection. Once you have set up your account, and installed the software on the remote PC, you can access that PC via the MyWebEx PC website. The interface is very user-friendly and should pose no problems, even for the less experienced computer user.

Both MyWebEx PC Free and Pro incorporate a simple set of functions -


  • Lock the remote keyboard and mouse

  • Blank the remote PC screen

  • Copy and paste content between computers

In addition, both versions employ data encryption technology to ensure secure communications.

MyWebEx PC Pro has extra features including Phone Authentication for added security, Remote Printing, File Transfer, Usage Activity Reports and Application Level Access Control to prevent access to the entire desktop resources from a remote location.

This is a straightforward service with a useful set of features, and design values that focus on simplicity and ease of use. There are a number of established players providing similar services, but I expect WebEx to leverage their status in the online conferencing world and make inroads in this new market.

Recommended.

MyWebEx PC Free: https://www.mywebexpc.com/signup.php

Pricing:

  • MyWebEx PC Free - No charge

  • MyWebEx PC Pro - USD 9.95 per month/PC (USD 7.45 per month/PC with annual subscription plan)

More info: https://www.mywebexpc.com/

System requirements: http://www.mywebexpc.com/faq.php




posted by Robin Good on Tuesday, January 25 2005


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Readers' Comments    




2006-09-14 15:19:29

Tom

There is another interesting service that facilitates easy remote access your files and emails from anywhere in the world. It’s called RemotePC (www.remotepc.com). Using it, you can read your emails, work on the office or personal documents and and retrieve important documents and data files from your home or office computer, while you are enjoying a vacation.

Signup for their 30-day free trial and try their really cool features. From a remote computer (Viewer) you can easily see the desktop of your `RemotePC’ enabled computer (Host). Using your computer’s mouse and keyboard you can launch applications, read emails and edit documents in the remote computer, as if you are sitting in front of it. The entire communication between the Host and the Viewer is encrypted using 128-bit RC4/SSL to ensure security during remote access.

If you want to share data, you can do that also with RemotePC. Using RemoteDatayou can create sharable links and send them to friends and colleagues. RemoteData comes free with a RemotePC account and it works behind most firewalls and proxy servers.

If you are looking to remotely troubleshoot your customers’ PCs, RemotePC has a solution for it too. Remote Access Helpdesk solution can help you troubleshoot PCs and considerably enhance your customer support capabilities. Transfer files and folders between the Host and Viewer computers with Remote Access Helpdesk. The great thing about it is that you can even take a `remote’ printout from the Host machine with a printer accessible locally. What more do you need?

For small businesses, RemotePC has a plan that allows access up to 25 computers, all within a single administrative account. With this, you will get a `Full Screen Mode’that makes you feel as though you are directly working on the remote computer. You will also get a full color view, which provides a realistic feel of the remote computer during remote access







2005-03-09 22:33:11

Tori

Couldn't get it to work. I'll stick with logmein for free remote access.







2005-02-03 18:04:11

Chris

This is a very interesting new product, not just for its service, but also for its history.
The free product itself is very easy to install, but lacks features. I was very surprised by the lack of any provision for file transfer. However, the speed is reasonable and the price is obviously ok. The free version has less features than Microsoft Remote Desktop which comes as standard with Windows 2000 and XP, but is capable of running server side on a modest Windows 95 PC with 166Mhz CPU, something which you could never get Remote Desktop to do! Also, as stated in the review above, it MyWebExPC can run on a 56k modem (though having only tried over broadband, I'm unaware of performance at this speed).

The product is quite simliar to Access Anywhere, and cynics might suggest WebEx have simply renamed an existinf product to compete with GoToMyPC (an interesting comparison is here: here).

Regardless of the reason for the product launch, MyWebExPC is definately an interesting new product.











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