Do we need a VPN to link two PCs together

[HolzKopf]

In our office we have two pcs able to access common documents e.g. purchase invoices, stock records etc. We're about to set up another part time person working from home and it would be useful for her pc to be able to access most of our Word and Excel files. Although only a mile or so away, there is obviously no line of sight or common network.
Anyone have any advice please on how to link these 3 pcs together?
HK

 

[Chris F]

Why not just use dropbox and onedrive?

 

[Clive]

In our office we have two pcs able to access common documents e.g. purchase invoices, stock records etc. We're about to set up another part time person working from home and it would be useful for her pc to be able to access most of our Word and Excel files. Although only a mile or so away, there is obviously no line of sight or common network.
Anyone have any advice please on how to link these 3 pcs together?
HK

cloud

 

[deleted user 837354]

OneDrive and Office 365 allow real-time editing by collaborative working, you can both have the same document in front of you simultaneously if needs be. Obviously it depends on a reasonable internet connection.

Make sure both ends have good PCs, top IT security and the usual ancillaries that enable fast working.

 

[deleted user 837354]

 

[farmerm]

I agree with Ollie. With an office 365 subscription OneDrive is bloody brilliant even with my less than ideal internet speed. It can maintain local copies of folders and files on each machine, synchronise changes and even allow real time collaborative editing. It also stores a copy in the cloud and archive copies so you can roll back a change or recover a deleted file if you cock something up.

 

[deleted user 837354]

The above is just an example and shows how you can access Office documents and work through a browser but you can still work through the usual Office applications (I think a subscription for 5 people is about £60-80 a year) with it.

I had to invest in Office 365 for my academic work having never had any Office type application on my machine for years. I paid the money and have been very impressed indeed by it and the use of OneDrive means I can always access my files even if I'm not at my desk. I can access them on my phone if needs be.

Working through a VPN or via remote access can be done but it can be a bit weird working on a remotely controlled PC. I used to have to do it because the software I used was bespoke but Office can run on nearly anything. Obviously the Android versions do not allow full functionality but you get the idea.

 

[HolzKopf]

In for a sandwich - barsteward day here again early on but now stopped. Easy to complain but we've not got it as bad as others who are inundated. We count our blessings even if the fields are more like paddy fields
Thank you folks for your speedy and useful replies. It now doesn't seem too daunting if we use proprietary products as at least we'll get back up and tutorials. Your input iss much appreciated. I'll have a look at that 365 video later on
HK

 

[deleted user 837354]

If you want guidance on using Office or other mainstream products your local college probably runs evening classes.

There are several videos on how to run and collaborate on Office 365, I've only scratched the surface and that video explains how you can work online through a browser which is not really the real deal.

 

[Hesston4860s]

We used to just use Remote Desktop to access our servers, I’d be sat at home but actually using windows desktop on the servers in Maidenhead. If you have the IP address username and password you in theory can take control of any windows PC anywhere in the world, total control if you've Admin access.
And it’s free !.