Who it's for / Consultants
For consultants who travel light and still need their client's tools.
Consultants work in other people's systems, and other people's systems are very often Windows. You want to travel light, keep client data off your personal machine and still be productive on day one. A browser tab onto a Windows machine does all three.
A familiar scene
Monday morning at a client's office. You were told to bring your laptop. What they meant was: bring a laptop that can run our reporting tool, which is Windows only. Yours cannot.
You open a link. The tool appears, with your own sign-in and the client's data kept on a machine that is not your laptop. On the way home, you carry nothing you would have to explain.
Imagined, but familiar. Not a customer story.
What changes for you.
Start on day one
No waiting for a spare laptop to be configured and handed over. Open a link and start.
Travel with any device
A Mac, an iPad or a Chromebook is enough. The heavy lifting happens on the far machine.
Keep client data off your device
A strong answer to the client's first security question, and a tidy end to the engagement.
Hand back cleanly
When the work ends, remove access in one step and tell the client it is done.
How to try it.
- 1.
Ask what you actually need
Which programs, which versions, who holds the licence, and how will you connect?
- 2.
Agree where files live
Settle in writing that client files stay on the remote machine.
- 3.
Test before day one
Open the program and do a realistic task before you arrive.
Things to be honest about
We would rather you hear these from us first.
- Clients who require a VPN into their own network. Ask early how they expect you to connect.
- Licences held by the client, which may need to approve remote use.
- Connection quality at the client's site. Test it.
- Copy and paste and downloads, which move data off the far machine by habit.
Questions people ask.
Will clients accept this?
Often they prefer it because their data stays off a personal device. Explain it early and ask what they need.
What about a client VPN?
Some clients insist on one. Ask early, because it changes how you set things up.
Can I use an iPad?
Yes, with a keyboard and trackpad for anything longer than a quick check.
Worth reading
8 min read
Working with a client's Windows-only tools
A client needs you in their Windows software and you work on a Mac or tablet. A checklist for access, licences, files, security and handover.
Read7 min read
Can you use Windows apps on an iPad?
An iPad cannot install Windows programs, but it can control them from afar. How it works, what feels awkward on a touchscreen, and how to make it comfortable.
Read9 min read
Keeping client files safe on a remote PC
Using a remote Windows machine can keep client data off your laptop. What actually protects files, what does not, and the habits that make the difference.
Read