Remote Access and Hosting options (macOS)
Working from home, satellite office or on the road? Would you rather have your AcctVantage Server hosted on the cloud? This article describes a number of options for you to consider.
Some of the products and services referenced below are 3rd party platforms. Remote access can be setup to work in a mixed macOS and Windows environment in most cases.
It must be noted, the options below are what we have tested and found to work. There are many alternatives to address this issue that your IT staff or consultants may be more familiar or more comfortable with. We are happy to help in any way we can!
1:1 Screen Sharing Options
The simplest option is to use any number of screen sharing utilities to access a computer on the office LAN. The computer at the office would run the AcctVantage Client app while the remote user connects via a screen sharing utility such as:
- Splashtop Business (this is what we use to connect to your machine during a Support call)
- LogMeIn
- TeamViewer
- macOS Screen Sharing
- many many more....
Considerations for screen sharing applications include how to best manage printing and file sharing between the remote and office computers. Each application will approach these issues in a different way.
The limitation here is that you need a host computer on the office network for each remote connection.
Remote Desktop Services, General
Apple supports a feature known as Remote Desktop Services (RDS) or Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
This service allows you to host <more than 1> user account on a single computer at the office site. Each user that logs into the RDP server will see a unique desktop environment and will be able to use their account on that server computer to access applications, including the AcctVantage Client app.
The number of concurrent users supported by RDS is primarily a function of the hardware. There is a direct relationship between the processor speed, number of processor cores and available RAM vs. the number of concurrent users that can be supported. Several RDP servers can be used simultaneously to support an unlimited number of remote users.
The AcctVantage Server application can also run on the RDP server in its own user account. With enough computing power, you could have a single computer on your office network that runs both the AcctVantage Server and a number of AcctVantage Client sessions simultaneously! Alternatively, your AcctVantage Server can continue to run on its own dedicated server machine while the RDP machines(s) host the AcctVantage Client sessions.
Remote Desktop Services are best setup and configured by a qualified systems engineer. There are many options to consider that will differ from site to site.
Apple Remote Desktop
These articles provides setup instructions to access your macOS office computer from any remote location with internet access.
Apple Remote Desktop User Guide
Apple Remote Desktop (App Store)
This article provides setup instructions to access your Windows office computer from a remote macOS computer.
Chrome Remote Desktop
See the link below for instructions to use Google's version of Remote Desktop.
NuoRDS
NuoRDS offers several apps for remote connections.
NuoRDS is a 3rd party application that requires separate licensing. Our intention is to describe our testing an experience with the tool, but you should do your own diligence to decide if it's right for you!
Hosted Servers
Coupled with the Remote Access options above, hosting your AcctVantage Server in the cloud can be accomplished.
Our testing has been primarily with MacMiniVault (If you sign up, please use Referral Code: k1-5) although other options exist. With MacMiniVault, you can buy or lease a dedicated computer (Mac Mini, Mac Pro) that is configured to your needs. AcctVantage Client and AcctVantage Server can installed on the hosted computer to provide cloud access to your AcctVantage system from anywhere.
Add more hosted computers as needed to support any number of concurrent users. Hosting is highly reliable and scalable, taking much of the burden for IT support of your plate.