I'm trying a small business venture and I need to be able to access some pc's remotely. This will be tier3 level stuff so it would be a pure nightmare to try and walk these end users through steps for full support. So I'm looking for something that is simple and easy to use. Maybe something I can send to them by email and they can download, go to a certain website so I can get access, or anything that is not a hassle. I'm considering the following: Logmein - I like this setup and don't mind paying but they can be very expensive. I'd prefer free or low cost but they seem to be the most expensive so far. RDM+ - I have some of their software on my blackberrys for personal use to access my own computers remotely. They work great. Although I'm not familiar with their PC remote support. VLC - I use this at my job but not sure if I can use it on my own. I'd love to be able to just perhaps purchase a program and use it on my own with no monthly charge but that might not be realistic. Netmeeting or Livemeeting - We use this as a last resort at my job to access remote employees company machines. Not sure if their is a way to use these programs for the same purpose. Any ideas or recommendations?
LiveMeeting is awful for remote access - it's flaky enough to get running on clients computers for presentations (at least last time I used it, about a year ago). GoToMeeting isn't specifically designed for remote access, but if it's for support stuff it will probably work pretty well since you can bounce screen controls between the people in the meeting. VNC is a little bit of a pain to set up (especially when it comes to firewall stuff) but quite reliable once its in place.
Crossloop seems quite good. I came across it the other day, haven't had a chance to try it yet. Supports OSX and Windows. The user downloads and runs the app, which gives them a code you can type in on your copy of Crossloop.
I use Dameware at work. It requires a little configuring (user credentials) but once in place it works very well. Also used WinVNC, that worked well and PCDuo, that's okay.
http://www.teamviewer.com/index.aspx there is a full app that you can use on your end, and a small file that you can tell your client to download, a username and passkey is generated by the client and sent to you, and you have instant access to their desktop. it comes in Windows and OSX flavors, and works between the 2 OS' fine.
I've used RealVNC in lan settings and it seems to work fine for that, depending on the available video ram in the systems tho, can get sluggish.
Ive used TeamViewer 3 and Bomgar similar types of applications (no local instalation files required). Both use a secure web site to allow access to the target PC. I have no idea what the the licence costs would be.