If you are a computer guru, skip this article.

Many small business owners, managers, teachers, students, and just about everyone else has had the need to access a computer from a remote location.

A business owner from New York just may want to access today's sales figures or a customer's buying history from his hotel room in California. A student may want to access the term paper from his college dorm that was written on his home computer. You may want to show relatives photos of your children that are stored on your home computer. As a Congress person, you may want to access some secret documents that you may have on your office computers. You may want to help a friend with software problems like helping them add up the totals on a spreadsheet.

You get the idea. There are plenty of reasons that you may want to access your home or business computer from a remote location.

There are several software programs that will allow you to have Remote Access using the Internet. Normally, you install a software program onto each computer and gain access to the remote computers using the Remote Access Services that are provided by the software company of your choice.

Some of these Remote Access Services are FREE. For example, LogMeIn.com offers FREE access to a remote computer. 

When you have Remote Access to a computer, it is just like sitting in front of that computer. If you are sitting in your room at a Marriott Hotel in California using  your laptop, you can see exactly what is on your screen in your convenience store in Manhattan. In other words, it's just like sitting in front of your home or business computer. You have complete control of the computer you are accessing.

When you add additional features, you need to pay a monthly or annual fee for the services. For example, if you want to copy files from one computer to another using LogMeIn.com, you need to buy the professional version.

Most of the available Remote Access Services give you a 30 day trial. Some versions can wake up your computer from a hibernate or sleep mode. Some versions can even turn on your computer by accessing a compatible UPS (uninterruptible power supply).

Once you learn how to use it, it only takes a minute or so to install and logon using your remote access software.

All remote access services are password protected. Only those users with the correct password can access your computer. If you are paranoid about allowing access to your business computers, you can shut down remote access at any time. Remote computing is pretty safe. No one can log onto your computer without your established password. If you password is 1-2-3, you are asking for trouble. If your password is x3944Y3!@34, it is unlikely that anyone could hack into your computer.

For those of you who are using IPads or Android devices, you can access your devices using LogMeIn.com, GoToMyPc.com and other remote services.

Here's a site where you can read about the various Remote Computing Services that are available:

Best Remote PC Access Services

In my opinion, I would start with LogMeIn.com. The FREE version may be all you need. If you want to print remotely or transfer files, you can upgrade to the Professional version at a reasonable price.

You can download the FREE version and read some more extensive reviews of the product at:

LogMeIn.com FREE Trial

GoToMyPc.com is an excellent product and perhaps easier to use than LogMeIn.com. You are limited to a 30 day trial, it's monthly fee is a little high, and you need to give them your credit card number for the trial. GoToMyPc.com is a very legit company, so you don't have to worry about canceling your account as long as you cancel prior to 30 days.

GoToMyPc

I'm also a big fan of ShowMyPc.com. It's really fast to install and easy to use. The FREE version may be all you need.

ShowMyPc

Annual Keylogger Warning

You can purchase a USB keylogger from TigerDirect.com for $49.99.

A keyboard logger keeps track of every key that you press on your computer. Anyone, with very little computer experience, can use a keylogger.

Just buy a keylogger from TigerDirect.com. The link is below. TigerDirect.com is a very legitimate company that sells computers, computer software, and peripherals.

Plug your USB keylogger into your computer and your device will record up to 6 months of keystrokes into the memory of the device.

Credit card numbers, emails, website browsing, and anything you type on the keyboard will be stored on the USB keylogger.

Once you remove the USB keylogger from a computer, you can plug it into another computer and see every keystroke typed on the original computer. You can use any word processor, Notepad, or Wordpad to see all of the keystrokes stored on the device.

As the owner or manager of a retail store, one of your employees can stick this keylogger onto your private computer. Since most USB ports are somewhere on the back of your desktop, it's unlikely that you will even know that you have an extra device plugged into your computer. Once your employee removes the keylogger, he can easily see all of your private emails or passwords that you may have typed in using your keyboard.

Do you cheat on your spouse? It's easy to see your private email messages.

If you ever use a hotel computer, any employee or guest can add a keylogger to any of the complementary business computers available at the hotel. It's unlikely that anyone will ever get caught spying on your keystrokes.

Just to be clear, I am not trying to teach you how to spy on your employees, spouses, or children. You do need to be weary of your surroundings and the safety of your computer records.

You can disable the USB ports on your computer. Search Google for disable USB port.  

You can detect USB devices plugged into your computer by checking the list of devices plugged into your computer.

A keylogging device is just another thing that you need to worry about related to security and privacy.

For more information on key loggers go to:

Key Logger at TigerDirect.com

or search Google for USB Key Logger.