And you can reduce the number of seat licenses you need for productivity software, letting remote users get what they need without any significant additional cost. The dominant way for you to access Windows over the Internet is to use technology from Citrix Systems . Using a Citrix multiuser application server, you can access any Windows application over the Web as if the app were on your desktop. The client is a simple installation and available as either a plug-in, an ActiveX control, or a Java applet. We focused on using Microsoft Office applications during our testing, although it's possible for an ASP to host any application for you.
Performance is the biggest issue.
You will not get the same level of performance that you are used to with a desktop application. We tested over a variety of connection speeds, from 56Kbps to T1 speed. Over a 56-Kbps connection, we observed a noticeable lag in response as we typed. This lessened considerably over a faster connection, but we never felt that we got the same level of responsiveness as when using the applications on our desktop. Using productivity applications over the Internet is not for everyone.