How to access Remote Desktop securely?

Windows has a tool, called Remote Desktop , that allows a remote employee to access the system from another computer.

This tool is being an ally for companies that are adapting to the current scenario and encouraging their employees to work from home . The Remote Desktop allows the user, even remotely, to access the company's computer and be able to use software and documents, reducing the impact on productivity.

However, despite this solution being effective in this objective, it is a constant target of invasion attempts to deploy ransomware with data blocking and hijacking. alert has already been issued regarding the large wave of attacks on the remote desktop protocol (RDP). The alert even mentions the existence on the black market of selling lists of servers vulnerable to invasion, which have unrestricted access to the standard port of the remote desktop (3389).

But then, how can I access Remote Desktop securely, without compromising the security of the company and employees?

To solve these problems related to security in accessing resources on the company's internal network by remote users, many IT managers and analysts are adopting Corporate VPNs .

Tutorial to access Remote Desktop through Business VPN

Business VPN is a great solution specifically for small and medium businesses so they can offer their employees secure remote access and monitor security threats.

A great advantage of Lumiun's Corporate VPN over other Corporate VPN solutions is that it applies to employees who are working remotely, in a home office, the same rules for protecting and monitoring internet access that exist on the company's internal network. As a result, the organization's existing internet usage policy remains in force, with the aim of improving information security and employee productivity.

To help in this adaptation scenario, due to the COVID-19 , Lumiun is making the Business VPN available on all plans, for current and new customers, at no additional cost, for 90 days.

Therefore, you can now have a corporate VPN for your company and all the other features that Lumiun offers for R$97/month for up to 10 simultaneous devices.

Note: The special offer to use the Business VPN on all plans ended on 06/30/2020 and is now only available on the Lumiun Enterprise Plan.

Without further ado, let's go step by step to access Remote Desktop on your Windows 10 computer or Windows, Android or iOS device to connect to a remote computer securely with Lumiun's Business VPN.

1st Step: Enable Remote Desktop on the computer that will be accessed remotely

The first thing to do is configure the computer that will be accessed remotely, activating Remote Desktop.

1. Click Start , Settings (the gear symbol), System , and finally Remote Desktop ;
2. Turn on the Enable Remote Desktop . Windows 10 will ask if you want to confirm the change, just click Confirm;

Step 2: Add user accounts to allow access to the computer

With Remote Desktop enabled, let's select users who can remotely access this computer, in addition to the system administrator .

1. In the same window, in the User accounts , click Select users who can remotely access this computer ;

Add button ;

3. In the Enter the object names to be selected , type Authenticated users and click the OK ;

OK button and that's it! The computer that will be accessed remotely is already configured.

3rd Step: Discover the computer's IP

Now let's find out the IP of the computer that we are going to access remotely.

1. Windows + R keys simultaneously ;
2. Open field Run window type cmd and press Enter;

3. At the command prompt, type ipconfig , press Enter and note the IP address in the IPv4 Address ;

Step 4: Activate Lumiun Business VPN

After completing the configuration on the computer that will be accessed remotely, we will now activate the Business VPN for the network and define the users who can connect.

1. In the Lumiun control panel, access Manage and Business VPN ;

2. In the networks table, click the Activate for the network you want to allow VPN access to;

3. In the users table, enable those who can access the VPN using the Activate ;

5th Step: Install VPN client on the device that will be used by the user

With the Business VPN active, it's time to start the configuration on the computer that will be used by the user in the home office or remotely.

1. On the same page that activated the Business VPN, download the VPN client software and install it on the computer that will be used in the home office or remotely.

2. Install the newly downloaded software;

6th Step: Import configuration file into the VPN Client

With the VPN client installed, we will import the configuration file that will allow you to access the company's network securely.

1. On the Enterprise VPN page of the Lumiun control panel, download the Configuration File for the network you want to connect;

2. Click on the Windows Start OpenVPN and click on the application to open;

3. In the bottom right corner a message and a VPN Client icon will be displayed;

4. Right-click on the OpenVPN icon and then on the Import File ;

5. Select the configuration file you downloaded from the Lumiun panel;

7th Step: Connect to Lumiun Business VPN

We're almost at the end! To ensure secure remote access, let's first connect to Lumiun's Business VPN.

1. Right- click the OpenVPN icon and then click the Connect ;

2. Enter the email and password of the user with permission on the Lumiun control panel and click the OK ;

3. Wait a few seconds and that's it, you are connected via Business VPN to your company's network. Notice the message that will be displayed in the bottom right corner and the green OpenVPN icon;

Administrator user account you can track which users are connected via VPN and also which websites the user is accessing.

Step 8: Access Windows 10 Remote Desktop

Finally, we have reached the last step to access the Remote Desktop of a company computer from your home.

1. In the Windows search field, type Remote Desktop Connection and click on the application;

2. In Computer , type the IP address you wrote down in Step 3, and click Connect;

3. Enter your Windows account details and click the OK to access the Remote Desktop;

4. In the certificate alert, select the Do not ask again about connections to this computer and click the Yes .

And that's it, you're connected to the Remote Desktop of your company's computer securely through Lumiun's Business VPN.

Now, the creativity is up to you!  

Download the Business VPN presentation and discover how this tool will increase the security of your company's data and also increase the team's productivity .

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