One of our larger customers in western Massachusetts runs a very large income tax preparation business and wanted us to start servicing his computers remotely. At first I thought it was for convenience, but after talking to him I realized it was to prevent data breaches. “We can see everything you do.”
He was right, aside from being incredibly convenient, remote service allows the customer to watch everything a technician does. Rather than leave the computer behind, remote access strips any privacy questions. If the person monitoring the process decides information is being compromised he or she can disconnect at any time.
Leaving a piece of technology to be serviced is always a scary proposition. Financial documents, family pictures and all sorts of other information are stored on the devices. No matter the information, in the wrong hands it could end up being sifted through and stolen.
Remote service isn’t the right choice for all repairs. Obviously if the computer can’t connect to the internet then remote service simply won’t work. Hard drive replacements require physically removing parts which also can’t be performed remotely. Setting up a printer or other hardware remotely requires someone on the other end to make physical connections.
Many service companies provide remote support to their clients at varying levels. Low level support may create a basic encrypted connection between the client and provider. On the other hand, the service use by my company is HIPAA compliant and uses very high encryption. For most home computers basic software is adequate, but sensitive information requires a higher level of security.
Remote service has gained a bad reputation lately because of fake service calls from foreign countries claiming to be legitimate. These companies have tainted the market and made customers more wary of letting people connect to their computers. Reputable computer repair firms will never contact you with threats or false claims.
Aside from privacy, convenience is the other reason people choose remote service. Disconnecting and reconnecting wires before and after service can be daunting, especially if it’s been a few years since the computer was installed. Dragging a computer around in the rain, snow or cold isn’t exactly fun either.
As a provider, we’ve noticed a lot of desk space being freed up because of remote service. Rather than handle one or two computers at a time, remotely servicing computers allows us to handle multiples. While one scan is running the remote technician can flip to another computer to initiate another process.
If remote service is something you’ve been considering you should vet the provider as you would with any other. Question how long they’ve been in business and research their credentials and history. As I shopped our competition I noticed many more businesses are offering remote support because it has a very low cost of entry. Like any other service, you get what you pay for.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can read past articles at www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)