Connecting to workloads for remote desktop or remote assistance

The remote desktop and assistance functionality is a convenient way to connect to the workloads in your organization for remote control or remote assistance. Starting from December 2022, the functionality supports the NEAR, RDP, and Screen sharing protocols. For more information, see Remote connection protocols.

You can use the remote desktop functionality to perform the following tasks.

  • Connect to remote Windows, macOS, and Linux workloads by using NEAR in observe mode.

  • Connect to remote Windows workloads by using RDP.

  • Connect to remote macOS workloads by using Screen sharing in observe or curtain mode.

  • Connect to managed workloads and remotely control them by using cloud remote connections.

  • Connect to unmanaged workloads and remotely control them by using direct remote connections.

  • Connect to unmanaged remote workloads by using Acronis Quick Assist.

  • Connect to remote workloads by using different authentication methods: with remote workload credentials, by asking for permission to observe or control, or with an access code (for Quick Assist).

  • Observe multiple monitors at the same time in multi-view.

  • Record remote sessions (when connected via NEAR).

  • View the session history report.

For more information about the features that are part of the Standard and Advanced Management packs, see Supported remote desktop and assistance features.

You can use the remote assistance functionality to perform the following tasks.

  • Connect to remote Windows, macOS, and Linux workloads by using NEAR in control mode.

  • Connect to remote macOS workloads by using Screen sharing in control mode.

  • Provide remote assistance to workloads by using cloud remote connections.

  • Transfer files between the local and remote workloads.

  • Perform basic management actions on the remote workload: restart, shut down, sleep, empty recycle bin, and log out the remote user.

  • Monitor the remote workload by periodically taking screenshots of its desktop.

For more information about the features that are part of the Standard protection and Advanced Management, see Supported remote desktop and assistance features.

To activate the complete remote desktop and assistance functionality for a managed workload, you must configure and apply a remote management plan to the workload. Although you can apply only one remote management plan on a workload, depending on your needs, you can configure different remote management plans and apply them to different workloads.

For example, you can create a remote management plan that has only the RDP protocol enabled and apply it to some workloads. In that way, you will be able to remotely connect to these workloads without activating the Advanced Management license per workload, and without paying any additional fees.

On the other hand, you can create another remote management plan that has the NEAR and Screen sharing protocols enabled. In this case, the Advanced Management license per workload will be activated, and you will be charged for each workload to which this remote management plan is applied.

For more information about remote management plans and working with them, see Remote management plans.

The remote desktop and assistance functionality requires:

  • a one-time installation of Connect Client on the managing (host) workload. The system will suggest you to download the client when you attempt performing a remote action (remote control or remote assistance) on a target workload for the first time. Alternatively, you can download Connect Client from the Downloads window in the Protection console. For more information about the settings that you can configure, see Configuring the Connect Client settings.

  • installation of Connect Agent on the managed workloads. The Connect Agent is a module that is part of the Protection agent, starting from version 15.0.31266.

  • for macOS remote workloads, the required system permissions should be granted to the Connect Agent. For more information, see Installing protection agents in macOS.

  • running the Acronis Quick Assist application on the unmanaged workloads. You can download Acronis Quick Assist from the website.

For more information about the supported platforms by each remote desktop and assistance component, see Supported platforms.