The joys of modern networking are numerous and it’s sometimes difficult to imagine the world as it was ten or even five years ago. It would take months to get through all the things I love about the way IT works today, but one thing I really need to take a minute to acknowledge is remote networking. As a cost-saving device, remote support can’t be beaten.

What does remote networking mean?

Well, simply put, remote networking means that I can access your computer (with your permission, of course!), from anywhere. In the world. So I could be on my vacation in the Bahamas and you could have a server failure in the South of Durban, and in a few short moments I’ll have logged into your server, identified the problem, corrected it and rebooted. The next thing you know, you’re back online. No waiting for your IT guy to finish at his current client, then make the long trip from where he is to where you are. No costly travel expenses.

It means that I can support five clients at once, and bill each one accordingly: you only pay for the time it takes me to fix your problem, nothing more. And did I mention the fact that you don’t have to wait for me to drive out to you?

Obviously, not everything can be fixed offsite. Sometimes there’s a problem that just can’t be solved without a screwdriver and some face time. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say I really enjoy any opportunity to use a power tool.

But even so, I am grateful to be an IT support consultant in an age where remote support is a simple matter, because I can deliver better solutions, faster, to more people.