As we begin a capital campaign, we are finding ourselves with the need for remote access to RE for the first time, principally for our campaign consultant who lives an hour away but really needs full and immediate access to all our information. It appears our options are RE:Anywhere or hosting our whole operation with Blackbaud. This is likely to be a temporary need, and at present we do not have the separate Web and database server capability that would be required for RE:Anywhere. The cheaper and easier route seems to be hosting, but I want to know if there are downsides to this arrangement before I recommend it. Anyone have any experience or advice? Mary Rindfleisch
Ridgefield (CT) Library

You could add VPN or even RAS (not recommended, but does work) to their AD account and then revoke it when the need for remote access is gone. Dan Larson Programmer/Analyst St. Cloud Hospital St. Cloud, Minnesota

Do your offsite users have access to your network? Our consultant uses a VPN but this feature does have its limitations. Also, there is limited functionality with Anywhere, it is good for a resource when on the road but I didn't like it when it came to actually working in it. Tracy Forkin Information Officer Johnson & Wales University [Email Removed]

Currently, only our IT manager has any access to our network remotely, and this was a bear to arrange. Many (but not all) of our systems are actually on a web-based network managed by the consortia we belong to, which has its own security guidelines. Our in-house server does not have the right capabilities for remote access to the rest of our stuff. It is pretty clear to me that we would be looking at a hefty cost for infrastructure upgrade before we could even contemplate RE:Anywhere. I guess what I am most concerned to hear from the rest of you is what should I be aware of about Blackbaud hosting. Thanks. Mary Rindfleisch Ridgefield (CT) Library

How about mypc.com or Citrix? LauraAnn Bethea Stamford Health Foundation [Email Removed]

I would recommend logmein.com over mypc.com. This would actually be your cheapest and most straight forward solution for a temporary solution. Just set up a computer somewhere on your network, install logmein on it, and your campaigns person can log into it from any web browser anywhere. It costs 69.95 (unless the prices have changed lately) for the year, but you get a 30 day full trial, and if all you need is the remote access (no file access or the need to invite a guest), you can actually use logmein free for that, and it works better then the built in remote desktop provided by microsoft. Give it a try, it might save you a lot of money in the long run for a temporary solution. Doug Doug Creek University of Alaska Database Administrator [Email Removed] Visit the RE User Forums! http://www.reusers.server-planet.com/

We tried both logmein.com and mypc.com, we preferred the mypc.com. Nonprofits can get a break on the cost. I would suggest you call mypc and ask them if there are discounts for nonprofits. We did and our costs for the year are comparable to logmein.

Hi,
I am the database administrator for a nonprofit in Massachusetts and I work from my home 1500 miles away. We have a computer set up in Massachusetts and use a proxy software to access that.

change the password and access is taken away.

We use a combination of terminal services and VPN to provide remote access. We have about 8 development officers that travel and access the system remotely as well as another dozen or more locations on campus that access us remotely using the same combination. It works great as long as you have a high speed connection. One benefit of terminal services is that Raisers Edge does run much quicker this way instead of just connecting back using VPN and then using Raisers Edge installed on your desktop. I do things from home that take a long time to do in the office via terminal services. And printing functions well with terminal services.