Looking for an RDP Alternative?
RDP is the acronym for Remote Desktop Protocol, which is an open source display protocol developed by Microsoft® that is widely used for remote access to Windows® computers. RDP enables a user to remotely access and control the desktop display of another computer over a local network or the internet. Because RDP is open source, it’s long been a target for hackers, who have found and exploited multiple security weaknesses in the protocol, driving security-conscious IT teams to look for an RDP alternative.
RDP is not a remote access solution in itself; rather, it is used to enable a one-to-one connection between two graphical user interfaces—the user’s machine and another device. RDP is used by software applications identified as Remote Access or Remote Desktop solutions, which allow one computer to connect to another computer. Once the connection is made, the user can control and use the applications on the remote device.
Remote Access/Remote Desktop solutions are primarily used by IT support personnel to diagnose system issues on an end user’s machine or to provide one-on-one user training. Another function of Remote Access/Remote Desktop solutions is to allow a system administrator to manage or troubleshoot remote servers (physical or virtual), or allow a developer to remotely access a work machine for application development, testing, etc.
These solutions are also used to enable remote work by allowing an end user to remotely access their work computer using another computer (for example, a home computer). However, this approach necessitates that the applications the user needs to work remotely are available on their work machine.
Remote Desktop technologies enabling a one-to-one connection abound. As noted above, some remote desktop products do support RDP as their display protocol, including Solar Winds, Royal TS, SupRemo, and Splashtop. Remote desktop companies offering an alternative to RDP as a display protocol include TeamViewer, Edovia, and AnyDesk.
In contrast, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS), which uses RDP, enables one-to-many connections. RDS, Microsoft’s implementation of thin client architecture, allows any computer running RDS to be accessed by any remote client machine that supports RDP to manage and deliver Windows-based applications and desktops to multiple end users.
If you’re looking for a Remote Desktop alternative that enables one-to-many connections, consider GO-Global, a multi-user application delivery solution that doesn’t use RDP or RDS. Instead, GO-Global’s Virtual Display Driver converts Windows graphic commands to GraphOn’s proprietary RapidX Protocol, enabling one-to-many connections without RDP or RDS.
To download a GO-Global free trial and see for yourself, click here.
