Tell Me About... LogMeIn

LogMeIn

Michael E. Callahan aka Dr. File Finder

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This question submitted by Annabel Artson, Wyatt James, RichLaliberte, Janet Wilson, Arthur Simonson, and numerous others

I've received quite a few questions about this increasingly popularservice. My colleague, Stacy Reed reviewed LogMeIn and gave itthe coveted "Must Have Application"statues. A short time later, I also gave it the Tucows Editor's Choice Award for excellence. You can read thearticle by clicking HERE! The articles gives you lots of information about the service. You can find out more by visiting their Web site athttp://www.logmein.com/.

So, if there's already an article about this service, and it's receivedour highest honors, why am I writing another article about it?Well, because it seems many of you are confused about why you'dwant or need such a service. I'm here to help out in that regard.

Back a few months I wrote a series of "How To..."articles aboutconnecting using the Remote Desktop feature that comes withWindows XP. You can go back and read these if you like and I'm listingthem here for your convenience. They are, How To...

• Set Up RemoteDesktop
• Set Up Remote DesktopClient
• Use Remote DesktopWith A Router

So, there are articles on Remote Desktop and on LogMeInand still I'm writing another article about LogMeIn. Hang on, I'mgetting there.

When it comes to computers, some people are just naturally good withthem. They catch on fast and feel comfortable with technology. This isparticularly true of young people. After all, they've grown up withcomputers around them. Others are just the opposite and computers andother technology can be very threatening. The is often true of olderpeople who view computers as something mysterious and complex.

Using Remote Desktop might be very easy to some users and totally foreign and complicated for others. If you find yourself in that groupthat either doesn't understand connecting remotely or who simply doesn'twant to fiddle with it, then LogMeIn is a product you might wantto investigate.

A service like LogMeIn, and there are others, removes all of themystery for you. You can use it from a Web browser which means you canaccess your computer from anyplace where you have an Internetconnection. That makes it very flexible. You can go on a tripoverseas and yet still grab documents you left on your computer at home.I've even logged into my main computer from my Verizon XV6700 smartphonebecause it has Internet capability.

LogMeIn is fast, they offer good customer support, and they alsohave a range of products for both newer users and professionals. Whenyou connect via LogMeIn it's very simple and easy-to-use. You don't haveto understand Remote Desktop, you log in to your account, and login toyour computer... it's that simple.

With a system like LogMeIn, it's very secure. This is true, inpart, because you're going through a third-party. You're connecting toyour computer through theirs so you get an extra measure of security.You can work with firewalls and routers and again it does these thingsmore or less transparently. You don't have to understand exactlyhow it works, but it does work and it works very well.

One nice feature about LogMeIn is that it has a freeversion as well as a Pro version. For many users the free version willgive you all the remote functionality you need. Users like me tend tolike the Pro version, while many companies use advance products like:

• LogMeIn Rescue - for remote assistance
• LogMeIn Backup - for doing remote backups
• LogMeIn IT Reach - for IT professionals

I'm testing all of these and I'll have articles on them for you in thenear future so stay tuned.

So, LogMeIn is a service that might be of interest to anyone whois either overwhelmed by trying to access their computer remotely or whojust wants the convenience. Even the Pro version is inexpensive and ifyou don't need that you can use the free version. For many, RemoteDesktop is all the solution they need. But, if you need an easy, worry-free way to access your computer from any remote location, then take alook at LogMeIn!

I'd like to thank Annabel Artson, Wyatt James, Rich and numerous others for asking this question.

If you have a question on any technology topic that you'd like someoneto tell you about you can submit it via email by clicking HERE You will not receive a reply, but all topics will be considered.

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