Desktop Sharing and Remote Desktop Monitoring

Desktop Sharing and Remote Desktop Monitoring are vague ill defined terminologies encompassing various separate technologies to share,control a remote computer. Desktop Sharing and Remote Desktop Monitoring both are neologisms added by various PC software manufacturers for the intention to make a novice or a general computer understand the literal meaning – by using a software pair, you can see and control my computer without any need of special hardware setup.

Demystifying Desktop Sharing and Remote Desktop Monitoring

As said,  Desktop Sharing and Remote Desktop Monitoring are vague ill defined words and can point any of the following technologies used by the softwares :

• Sharing and Control of Screen of a Remote Computer using a software pair over HTTP, with or without any protection and encryption of data. TeamViewer is such an example of prototype software, and not really suitable for protecting privacy of data when non VPN shared Internet connection is used as after the handshake a direct connection via UDP or TCP is established despite it confers initial encryption. It is suitable only in case of a VPN setup with dedicated IP for ensuring full protection of data. Most importantly, if these softwares are run through Emulators like Wine on Linux, due to various complex gateways, it can be a vulnerable point.
• Microsoft Windows has Remote Desktop Protocol and Microsoft NetMeeting in older OS which has more security, but has limitations of practical usage.
• Virtual Network Computing or VNC is one of the best solution as hardware level protection can be provided, SSL can be implemented.
• Various softwares from VMware, Oracle can share and control a remote desktop and is the industrial standard as the layers can be defined physically to isolate the environments.

Usages of Desktop Sharing and Remote Desktop Monitoring

Application and Hardware Resource Sharing : This is the most common need for Desktop Sharing at enterprise, Banking, Academic fields.

Cobrowsing, Help by Third Party :  TeamViewer or Windows default softwares are suitable for this kind of application as the third party is known, both parties understand the needs and risks, sessions are not too longer, no knowledge of networking is needed.

Server, Workstation monitoring : These are important for system critical websites, supercomputers with proper setup. Full Virtualization setup, dedicated Internet connections are required for the mainframe computer or datacenter.
If you want help your friend or relative, Desktop Sharing with TeamViewer like software is suitable but for other usages, complex technologies are needed for security.