3 things to consider for choosing remote technical support software

 

Remote work’s necessary adoption in 2020 was a quick, urgent decision for many organizations that ultimately led to a fundamental shift in how modern workplaces operate. More than half of businesses started using cloud technology to support remote work, and as of 2023, roughly 60% of all corporate data is stored in the cloud.

That shift demanded connected, secure, and supportive work environments. Following this physical decentralization of employees, remote support solutions became necessary, such as remote desktop software that can provide detailed information and facilitate management from anywhere at any time.

When it comes to remote support, managed service providers (MSPs) have two basic options: self-hosted or cloud-based. Self-hosted remote support means running your tools on private servers. In contrast, cloud-hosted support is handled by a third party—often a subscription-as-service (SaaS) vendor that helps minimize management efforts.

Both options have benefits and drawbacks, but some estimates predict that 85% of businesses will be cloud-first by 2025. That means there’s no time like now to determine the best remote support option for your goals. So, let's explore them below.

What is self-hosted remote support?

Self-hosted remote support tools, usually on-premises, must be accessed on a host device. They’re highly customizable but require more active and timely management.

Accordingly, organizations may rely on self-hosting more often to address industry-specific regulatory compliance issues while keeping sensitive information secure, from individual healthcare data to payment processing particulars. 

Self-hosted remote support requirements

Since self-hosted remote support software is used within your organization’s existing infrastructure, it shouldn’t require a major increase in resources beyond personnel, but you may need additional servers, machines, or scanners.

However, expert setup will be required to prevent self-hosted remote support from interfering with your local network traffic. This option allows you to schedule maintenance and updates at a convenient pace. Remember that delaying those efforts for too long likely incurs additional risk.

Hardware requirements

Different self-hosted remote support tools require different hardware specifications for ideal performance. More advanced tools with features like video conferencing, large-scale file transfers, or multi-user support often require more robust hardware, including higher CPU power, increased RAM, and faster storage.

Software requirements

Assess compatibility with different frameworks and databases, considering the prerequisite software you’ll need to run different self-hosted remote support options. Look for the recommended specifications for available memory and integration with operating systems (such as Windows or open-source Linux).

Maintenance

Self-hosted remote support allows for greater remote control and access. However, it also means you should push regular updates and schedule maintenance to keep your system safe, secure, and ideally configured for your needs.

Key features of self-hosted remote support solutions

While maintenance can be a concern, self-hosted remote support systems can provide a wider range of customization options, increased security, cost-efficient remote control, access methods, and the possibility to integrate with legacy environments.

Security and privacy

By hosting your own remote support, you can guarantee your users that they can trust you and only you—no third parties involved. Other benefits include:

• Never expose highly sensitive detailed information from your users, relying instead on your local network and servers.
• Support multi-factor authentication (MFA) or end-to-end encryption through various methods for extra privacy.
• Significantly reduce the risk of security breaches, as long as best practices are followed in setup and maintenance.

Customization and control

Self-hosted remote support options also allow you to customize your remote support system with more flexibility. Here are a few key ways to do it:

• Take advantage of white labeling and branding opportunities, such as tailored visual themes or CSS for remote desktop software, reflecting your brand’s identity.
• Meet compliance requirements for a wide range of industries and services.

Cost efficiency 

Allowing a third party to host your remote support tools means paying monthly service fees. While self-hosting may involve its own costs, you maintain full control over where the data is stored and which providers you use. 

An organization can choose to self-host a remote support solution while still opting to store data with a third-party provider or in the cloud. Self-hosting does not mean you must handle all infrastructure in-house—it simply gives you the flexibility to decide how and where your data is managed.

Integration capabilities 

Self-hosted remote support systems make it easy to maintain legacy environments, such as a remote desktop for Linux and offer a range of integration and extension possibilities. Users can smoothly perform a number of additional tasks without involving any third parties. 

Best practices for self-hosted remote support

Following best practices for self-hosted remote support maximizes its benefits.

Ensure security

Your self-hosted remote support is only as strong (or as useful) as its security practices. That means: 

• Update, update, update: Stay educated and curious to keep your system free of snags that may deter users. Subscribe to relevant product newsletters or follow industry announcements!
• Always authenticate: External access management controls such as Microsoft Entra ID or Active Directory and third-party authentication providers keep users safe by managing access to resources and preventing identity attacks. 
• Protect your passwords: It’s good business no matter what: change passwords often, use strong passwords containing strings of mixed-case letters and numbers, and never share passwords. Refer to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-63B for more information on strong passwords.

Optimize performance

The more work you put in to optimize your support system’s performance, the more value it will provide to users. Be sure to:

• Consider your configuration: Network configuration affects performance, so monitor issues such as updates that don’t configure devices or hardware components experiencing network delays due to their physical locations.
• Work as a team: Self-hosted remote support keeps all stakeholders trained and alert to risk, allocating resources across an organization rather than concentrating them with individual experts.
• Keep records: Maintain machines, tools, and computers in good condition. Store video recordings as needed and set up alerts so you’ll know immediately when a system needs attention.

Use cases for self-hosted remote support

Consider the following use cases and evaluate whether they align with your organization’s needs.

Small medium businesses (SMBs)

Today’s SMBs are much more likely to employ a remote or hybrid workforce. Still, they’re also less able to absorb the costs and delays of security issues, configuration problems, or external disruptions.

The bottom line? If an SMB has the existing computers, networks, and servers to host remote support, that may be the more affordable option. 

They’ll pay no recurring subscription or support fees. However, as their businesses scale up, so will their servers and other resource demands.

Enterprise companies

Enterprise companies include a more complex range of employees and divisions. They must operate consistently across all aspects of their organizations while remaining nimble and responsive. 

One way to do this? Keep control of data.

Self-hosted remote support enables enterprise companies to control access to their machines and to set specific parameters for which internal teams have access to which types of information. Large organizations that manage rigorous compliance requirements may prefer self-hosting and internal efforts if available solutions don’t fit their needs well enough.

Self-hosted remote support options can also be cost-effective for enterprise companies with sufficient servers, computers, and tools to run multiple sessions at once. 

IT service providers

Whether supporting an SMB or an enterprise company, IT service providers can use remote access and remote desktop software tools to keep users happy and ensure business operations run smoothly. 

The appealing features of self-hosted remote support are very similar to those prized by SMBs and enterprise companies:

• Remote control of sensitive data
• Localized access on proprietary servers
• No need to involve a third party

If a provider's services require the most granular controls, self-hosting will better enable completely customized configurations.

Educational institutions

Gone are the days when school occurred only within the four walls of a classroom. Modern educational institutions must deliver remote support to their students, and a highly secure, customized, and cost-effective self-hosted remote support option can be extremely appealing for these organizations. 

Here are just a few uses:

• Home or traveling access to school networks or remote computers
• Remote access to lab networks and web browsers
• Remote IT support for student devices, including screen sharing
• Student collaborations via remote web browsers or remote desktops

Healthcare

There’s no industry where privacy, security, and confidentiality are more important than healthcare. Self-hosted remote support solutions allow for more rigorous security protocols and remote control for hosts, helping seamlessly maintain HIPAA compliance. 

What is cloud-based remote support?

Cloud-based remote support is hosted by a third-party organization, often a software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendor. For a fee, it stores your data in the cloud rather than on a local network. 

With the infrastructure and management shifted to partners, you can access your users and scale your operations while trusting your provider to keep your systems safe.

Scalability and accessibility

By their very nature, cloud-based systems are designed to be accessed remotely. That translates to ease for your users, wherever they are. Subscriptions can often also be adjusted if your needs have scaled up or down, allowing for wide-ranging cost and resource flexibility.

Moreover, unlike self-hosted options, cloud-based remote support systems upgrade automatically and maintain backups for additional security and accessibility.

Cost and ease of use

While self-hosted remote support can be more cost-efficient for certain businesses, cloud-based systems often have lower upfront costs for a few reasons:

• You’re paying for a subscription, not for installation and onboarding. 
• When there’s a need for troubleshooting, your provider will handle it.
• Required maintenance should be included in the cost of your subscription.

Comparing self-hosted and cloud-based remote support

There’s no definitive “right” answer to the question of self-hosted or cloud-based. Remote support is about giving your users access, security, clarity, and peace of mind. 

Does that mean more control over your data or the freedom of handing that control to someone else? The ability to calibrate your customization or the appeal of risk mitigation with a third party? 

It all depends on the size of your business, the types of data you handle, and the users you serve.

Key feature comparison

When it comes to performance, reliability, and uptime, cloud-based remote support is the clear winner for a few reasons:

• Offload the time and cost required for upkeep and maintenance.
• Access your remote (or hybrid) workforce with minimal local network needs.
• Maximize uptime, minimize downtime, and allocate resources more efficiently.

Security concerns, however, often cut both ways. The size of your business—and your team’s corresponding capabilities—will dictate the ease with which you can handle updates, maintenance, and other security measures.

The most cost-efficient approach, too, will depend on your existing infrastructure. Will you make a one-time purchase of a cloud-based system with yearly updates, or will your subscription require monthly payments? Is a self-hosted approach more affordable for your SMB, or will the ongoing time investment make it too costly?

Business considerations

Industries or businesses dealing with highly specialized software or extremely sensitive data may benefit from a self-hosted remote support tool. A few examples include:

• Healthcare
• Film and television production
• Major enterprise companies and corporations

Most businesses, however, may benefit from allowing a third party to handle the costs and headaches of remote support. This is particularly true for SMBs. It may be worthwhile to give a third party access to your data in exchange for their services.

Making the decision: factors to consider

Ultimately, you’ll need to consider your business’s specific needs and constraints. Is cost, convenience, or control most important? Are you handling highly specialized private data?

Business needs and constraints

Assessing your current infrastructure will help you make this call. What are your team’s capabilities? What resources are at your disposal? What are your users' expectations, and which needs do they want to see met?

Additionally, consider whether hybrid strategies may be viable. Larger organizations may be able to adopt a ‘cloud-first’ strategy for all non-sensitive purposes or tasks not subject to regulatory compliance but maintain self-hosted remote support for the most critical environments and data.

Setup and implementation

While their later operation may be cost-efficient, self-hosted remote support tools usually require considerable time and financial resources at the implementation stage, including costs such as:

• Hardware needed to build your server
• Domain name purchase
• Configuration costs from your internet service provider (ISP) for new software

However, Cloud-based remote support options are often preconfigured, ensuring they’re ready for action “right out of the box.” They often provide the URL or subdomain for you, so you don’t need to worry about purchasing a static IP address, dealing with ISP allowances, or experiencing loopback issues.

Security, maintenance, and upgrades 

As discussed above, security isn’t a simple question. Self-hosted remote support tools require businesses to secure ports manually, set up firewalls, establish SSL certificates, and push upgrades. This upkeep can get expensive, and resulting downtime can poke holes in your revenue stream.

Conversely, cloud-based tools assume that updates and bug fixes happen automatically, helping ensure that you’re always using the most recent version of the product. This may make stringent security compliance more difficult, so some industries rely on self-hosted support.

Learn more about cloud-based remote support

Ready to make the right remote support decision for your business? ScreenConnect provides your personnel with the remote support capabilities necessary to ensure prompt user resolution. Whatever the incident, ScreenConnect helps users get back on task and helps IT staff better allocate their bandwidth.

Learn more about ScreenConnect Remote Support.