Combine easy access to the Internet, the common use of home computers, and the demand of users to access their files from home, and here come Web-based remote control tools. These tools bring back the security risks of personal remote control.

The selling point for personal remote control is that users enjoy the freedom to control their workstations from anywhere, at anytime, from any computer. The legacy market for this process, originally called "remote takeover," was defined by leading remote control products such as Symantec PCAnywhere and Altiris Carbon Copy; however, that market fell apart because of cost, complexity, and security concerns, and was replaced by Windows Terminal Services supplemented with products such as Citrix MetaFrame. The legacy personal remote control market refocused and specialized on help desk support, which generally involves attended and supervised control of workstations.

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