AnyDesk.com - Your new best friend

I am not and have never had any stake or affiliation with AnyDesk whatsoever. 

I was recently introduced to AnyDesk, a remote desktop software, and no joke, it has made my life so much easier. As the Training and Development Manager for a 30-person firm, I wear many hats. The most obvious one is the training and development of new-hire and incumbent recruiters, but of course, my unofficial title also includes: Recruiter, IT, Helpdesk, ohmigod why can't I find [insert program, add-on, widget, extension, email, etc.] on my computer any longer!!!

My firm is headquartered in beautiful Encinitas, a cute beach town just north of downtown San Diego, with remote locations in Orange County, Texas and Florida. My colleagues are a range of ages including Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and soon even a Gen Zer! I use different learning techniques depending on their technology skill level.

I could probably publish a whole other article on the challenges (and fun!) of managing different generations but I won't. There are hundreds of articles out there, countless websites, and even conferences and workshops dedicated to the "art of managing a multi-generational workforce." You've probably seen this info-graphic at least once if not 100 times on LinkedIn. Still, its a goodie so I'll leave it right here.

Exactly one year ago we changed the applicant tracking system we used at the firm (which we'd been using for 10+ years) and it was my responsibility to ensure everyone (HQ & remote) was up to speed and using it consistently. Prior to using AnyDesk, I couldn't remotely view my recruiter's desktops or control their mouse to diagnose issues or concerns; the benefit didn't outweigh the cost of purchasing a monthly product subscription. I would have ask 101 questions before finding out the problem and figuring out a solution, IF we even did. Sometimes we'd reach a dead end. If I'm in California and my recruiter is in Florida, there's only so much I can do with the resources I had.

Fast-forward to earlier this year when I was demoing a click-to-dial software I'll soon be rolling out for my recruiters. I was told to hop on to AnyDesk.com so I can click around the Account Manager's desktop and get familiar with the software.

The AnyDesk process starts when you download a portable file that you can immediately run to share a desktop. To share a desktop, another AnyDesk user will enter your PC’s ID (AnyDesk-Address) or vice versa. When you receive a request for connection, you can accept or reject it. As soon as the session is started, users can share mouse and keyboard control, take screenshot of the controlled desktop, and synchronize clipboard (https://icecreamapps.com/blog/teamviewer-alternatives-5-best-remote-desktop-software/). 

After realizing AnyDesk was free, I bookmarked it and did some research. I've found that AnyDesk is a great, fairly new (it's been around for just over 2 years) remote access software that many are saying is better than TeamViewer (if you're using Windows). The free version truly is FREE without a nag screen (an advertisement that routinely asks the user to register and pay for the software) and time restriction.

Here's what else I found:

• It was created by previous TeamViewer Developers
• It is free for non-commercial use
• Their paid versions are remarkably affordable: Their pro version is around €180 per year and there are no usage limitations and the license can be extended to multiple seats (one connection at a time per tech, extra concurrent connections cost extra), a custom client with your logo and settings, and central management of client installs.
• It's FAST 

"It's better than RDP, better than Teamviewer. Super-low latency, high quality desktop rendering. I'm truly impressed how well this works, even to outside connections (off our local network)."

• The desk IDs are easy to remember. If you launch the portable client, it'll give you the standard random number, but if you install it, you get hostname@ad as your ID# which is easy to remember.
• You can set up unattended access

I seriously can't stress enough how FAST and effectively I've been able to help my colleagues with their IT issues. Where before it could take all day to diagnose a problem, after the ability to view a remote screen, it literally took seconds. My recruiters feel the same way because an IT problem costs time and in our business TIME IS MONEY.

I honestly say that can't live without it. Now that I've shared my story of my favorite work-place technology I'd love to know yours! What program can you not live without?