Remote PC Control From … Anywhere?

Remote control software like Symantec’s market-leading pcAnywhere have been around for years, but a feisty new entry adds expanded capabilities. GoToMyPC from Expertcity gives PC and notebook users the ability to access and control another PC remotely, but it also can be operated by non-PC, Internet devices and terminals. Once users register a PC at the GoToMyPC.com Web site, they have access to all the files and programs on that PC from any other Internet location. The company says GoToMyPC is “firewall friendly” and offers highly secure, high performance remote access with minimal overhead.

“You can even grab a Windows screen and shrink the image for other devices like a Web Pad, and run applications like PowerPoint that don’t run (natively) on those devices,” says Klaus Schauser, the Chief Technical Officer and co-founder of ExpertCity who unveiled the product at this week’s Showcase conference in Palm Springs. GoToMyPC is slated to be available as a free public beta starting February 1 thru April 30, 2001. Once the final full version is available, GoToMyPC will transition to a paid service (likely in the $15-$20 per month range, the company says.)

Because it’s a Net service, GoToMyPC doesnt require any special applications be installed on the remote computer, just an Internet connected system with the Internet Explorer or Netscape browser.

John Schlesinger at the investment banking firm Wit SoundView, has been beta testing GoToMyPC and found it helpful in his work. “GoToMyPC gives me universal access to my desktop and frees me from having to transfer my data back and forth between my laptop and desktop,” says Schlesinger. “Now I don’t need to anticipate the files I think I might want.”

GoToMyPC uses 128-bit, end-to-end encryption and nested passwords to ensure a secure connection.