People are fast discovering the presence of better options as to communities that offer online collaboration. One of the most promising is ShowMyPC which is able to provide tools for Instant Collaboration both to service providers and users. It is a free community alternative to WebEx as its tools facilitate Desktop Sharing and Remote PC Access.



In essence, this Delaware, USA incorporated company seriously seeks to build the ideal community for online collaboration or remote support through its tools and software. ShowMyPC ensures its financial capability by selling solutions and products to enterprises as well as small businesses which it has been doing since 2002. It is a service application for accessing one's home or office PC remotely ? which utilizes VNC or Virtual Network Computing for desktop sharing over Secure Shell or SSH to guarantee secured and safe communication.

Remote Desktop Sharing provides the capability to technology consultants or administrators to have full access and control on small business servers remotely. The experience can be rightfully compared to one where the person feels as if he/she is sitting right in front of their own PCs, when circumstances prevent them from doing just that. Remote Desktop Sharing is also sometimes referred to as Screen Sharing or Desktop Streaming.

There are certain scenarios where Remote Desktop Sharing is considered a good solution. Systems can be accessed remotely even during non-business hours to enable configuration changes without affecting the users. A consultant can add or delete employees while configuring their personal profile and doing minor changes right in his/her own office without the need for an expensive on-site call. Immediate action can also be taken in cases of server emergency.

ShowMyPC uses SSH which is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged over a secure channel between two computers. Confidentiality and integrity of data are provided by encryption. The authentication of a remote computer as well as the user is made possible by the public-key cryptography. One of its featured services is allowing the use of a person's private middle SSH server.

There is a wide range of ShowMyPC Hosting Plans which are categorized as either individual, premium, professional and business. The individual plans are free although there may be some limitations in some features such as file sharing and application sharing. The other plans that come in reasonable fees more than compensate for such limitations as they adjust to professional and business requirements.

For an individual's use however, the free service which is instant and does away with registrations and log-ins could be quite suitable. It is a great comfort to know that ShowMyPC's support and engineering teams are located all over the world, although they can easily be contacted via email. One advantage which ShowMyPC has, even over WebEx which has clearly established its market share solely in business is that the former serves business as well as community.

Web meetings, online presentations and various collaboration solutions need not be monopolies of businesses as more and more individual users see the need for an effective tool to communicate regardless of geographical limitations. ShowMyPC fills a void as it combines remote access technology with security and availability to better serve the online community.