GoToMyPC
Encyclopedia
GoToMyPC is a remote control software service
that enables the user to operate their computer from another computer, over the Internet. Citrix Online
, a division of Citrix Systems
, produces GoToMyPC.
, CA, founded in 1997 to provide third-party tech-support services. It was modeled after competing software such as pcAnywhere
from Symantec
, allowing the desktop view of a host computer
to be manipulated from a client computer
that is connected through a TCP/IP network. GoToMyPC enlarged that software model by using the Internet
for connectivity, protecting transmissions with high-security encryption
and multiple passwords. By combining a web-hosted subscription service
with software installed on the host computer, transmissions could be passed through highly restrictive firewalls
. In its product literature and press releases Expertcity spoke of patent
protection for its proprietary technology
.
In December 2003, Citrix Systems
of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
, acquired the GoToMyPC service and its developer, Expertcity, for $225 million, half cash and half stock. News reports from January 2006 indicated that Citrix had attained the leading market share
for web-hosted remote access. The following month, however, Citrix was faced with a lawsuit filed by 01 Communique
Laboratory of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, claiming that GoToMyPC infringes a patent. Expertcity appears to have introduced key features of the GoToMyPC service during 2001, while the 01 Communique patent was filed June 16, 2000. The 01 Communique Laboratory patent application was published November 21, 2002, before acquisition of Expertcity by Citrix. As of 2010, the patent infringement claims have been upheld, and Citrix has appealed the decision.
Expertcity was co-founded by Klaus Schauser, Malte Muenke, and Bernd Oliver Christiansen. The original online marketers for its GoToMyPC product were John Greathouse, Dan Engel, and Terry Whalen. The current CEO of Citrix Online is Brett Caine, and global marketing is led by Erin Hintz.
, and Corporate—providing increasing service management capabilities. GoToMyPC allows remote access to a PC from an Internet
-connected computer or wireless
device running any of several operating system
s. Software is installed and remote access is obtained by logging onto the GoToMyPC website. GoToMyPC features in all editions include:
In February of 2011, a GoToMyPC app for iPad was launched.
Many competing products exist, including other web-hosted services, and both commercial and free software. Some are listed below, under See also.
develops GoToMeeting
, GoToWebinar, GoToTraining, GoToManage, GoToAssist, and HiDef Corporate.
Software as a Service
Software as a service , sometimes referred to as "on-demand software," is a software delivery model in which software and its associated data are hosted centrally and are typically accessed by users using a thin client, normally using a web browser over the Internet.SaaS has become a common...
that enables the user to operate their computer from another computer, over the Internet. Citrix Online
Citrix Online
Citrix Online is a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. that sells web-based remote access, support, and collaboration software and services. Its products are GoToAssist, GoToMeeting, GoToMyPC, GoToManage, GoToTraining, GoToWebinar, and HiDef Corporate....
, a division of Citrix Systems
Citrix Systems
Citrix Systems, Inc. is a multinational corporation founded in 1989, that provides server and desktop virtualization, networking, software-as-a-service , and cloud computing technologies, including Xen open source products....
, produces GoToMyPC.
Technology and business development
GoToMyPC was originally developed by Expertcity of Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, CA, founded in 1997 to provide third-party tech-support services. It was modeled after competing software such as pcAnywhere
PcAnywhere
pcAnywhere is a suite of computer programs by Symantec which allows a user of the pcAnywhere remote program on a computer to connect to a personal computer running the pcAnywhere host if both are connected to the internet or the same LAN and the password is known...
from Symantec
Symantec
Symantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...
, allowing the desktop view of a host computer
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
to be manipulated from a client computer
Client (computing)
A client is an application or system that accesses a service made available by a server. The server is often on another computer system, in which case the client accesses the service by way of a network....
that is connected through a TCP/IP network. GoToMyPC enlarged that software model by using the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
for connectivity, protecting transmissions with high-security encryption
Encryption
In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
and multiple passwords. By combining a web-hosted subscription service
Web hosting service
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing Internet...
with software installed on the host computer, transmissions could be passed through highly restrictive firewalls
Firewall (computing)
A firewall is a device or set of devices designed to permit or deny network transmissions based upon a set of rules and is frequently used to protect networks from unauthorized access while permitting legitimate communications to pass....
. In its product literature and press releases Expertcity spoke of patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
protection for its proprietary technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
.
In December 2003, Citrix Systems
Citrix Systems
Citrix Systems, Inc. is a multinational corporation founded in 1989, that provides server and desktop virtualization, networking, software-as-a-service , and cloud computing technologies, including Xen open source products....
of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, acquired the GoToMyPC service and its developer, Expertcity, for $225 million, half cash and half stock. News reports from January 2006 indicated that Citrix had attained the leading market share
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
for web-hosted remote access. The following month, however, Citrix was faced with a lawsuit filed by 01 Communique
01 Communique
01 Communique is a Canadian technology company based in Mississauga, Ontario. The company develops integrated communications software and services. 01 Communique specializes in providing remote access to information stored on a Desktop PC over the Internet...
Laboratory of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, claiming that GoToMyPC infringes a patent. Expertcity appears to have introduced key features of the GoToMyPC service during 2001, while the 01 Communique patent was filed June 16, 2000. The 01 Communique Laboratory patent application was published November 21, 2002, before acquisition of Expertcity by Citrix. As of 2010, the patent infringement claims have been upheld, and Citrix has appealed the decision.
Expertcity was co-founded by Klaus Schauser, Malte Muenke, and Bernd Oliver Christiansen. The original online marketers for its GoToMyPC product were John Greathouse, Dan Engel, and Terry Whalen. The current CEO of Citrix Online is Brett Caine, and global marketing is led by Erin Hintz.
Editions and features
GoToMyPC has been sold in three editions—Personal, ProGoToMyPC Pro
GoToMyPC Pro is a Web-hosted service created and marketed by Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems. It is remote control software, which means that it enables the user to operate his or her computer from another computer, via the Internet....
, and Corporate—providing increasing service management capabilities. GoToMyPC allows remote access to a PC from an Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-connected computer or wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
device running any of several operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s. Software is installed and remote access is obtained by logging onto the GoToMyPC website. GoToMyPC features in all editions include:
- EncryptionEncryptionIn cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
and authenticationAuthenticationAuthentication is the act of confirming the truth of an attribute of a datum or entity...
security provided by a Secure Sockets LayerTransport Layer SecurityTransport Layer Security and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer , are cryptographic protocols that provide communication security over the Internet...
(SSL) Web site with end-to-end 128-bit Advanced Encryption StandardAdvanced Encryption StandardAdvanced Encryption Standard is a specification for the encryption of electronic data. It has been adopted by the U.S. government and is now used worldwide. It supersedes DES...
(AES) encryption and the Secure remote password protocolSecure remote password protocolThe Secure Remote Password protocol is a password-authenticated key agreement protocol.- Overview :The SRP protocol has a number of desirable properties: it allows a user to authenticate themselves to a server, it is resistant to dictionary attacks mounted by an eavesdropper, and it does not...
. - Data compressionData compressionIn computer science and information theory, data compression, source coding or bit-rate reduction is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation would use....
to decrease lag time between client and host PC - 24-bit color when accessing a host PC supporting this display mode
- File transferFile Transfer ProtocolFile Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
for moving files between computers - Remote PrintingComputer printerIn computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a text or graphics of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable or, in most new printers, a...
, supporting any printer configured on a host computer - Remote Sound for listening to sound on host computer
- Performance tuning, allowing users to adjust speed and screen appearance
- Multi-monitorComputer displayA monitor or display is an electronic visual display for computers. The monitor comprises the display device, circuitry, and an enclosure...
support for a client PC - Guest Invite, allowing a user to invite a second person to view or share control of a PC
In February of 2011, a GoToMyPC app for iPad was launched.
Many competing products exist, including other web-hosted services, and both commercial and free software. Some are listed below, under See also.
Citrix Online web-based products
GoToMyPC is a part of Citrix Online’s collection of web-based software. In addition to GoToMyPC, Citrix OnlineCitrix Online
Citrix Online is a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. that sells web-based remote access, support, and collaboration software and services. Its products are GoToAssist, GoToMeeting, GoToMyPC, GoToManage, GoToTraining, GoToWebinar, and HiDef Corporate....
develops GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is a Web-hosted service created and marketed by Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems. It is a remote meeting and desktop sharing software that enables the user to meet with other computer users, customers, clients or colleagues via the Internet in real-time.- Technology...
, GoToWebinar, GoToTraining, GoToManage, GoToAssist, and HiDef Corporate.
See also
- Citrix XenApp
- Comparison of remote desktop software
- GoToMeetingGoToMeetingGoToMeeting is a Web-hosted service created and marketed by Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems. It is a remote meeting and desktop sharing software that enables the user to meet with other computer users, customers, clients or colleagues via the Internet in real-time.- Technology...
- NX technologyNX technologyNX technology is a computer program that handles remote X Window System connections, and attempts to greatly improve on the performance of the native X display protocol to the point that it can be usable over a slow link such as a dial-up modem...
- PC File Transfer
- Remote Desktop ProtocolRemote Desktop ProtocolRemote Desktop Protocol is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft, which provides a user with a graphical interface to another computer. The protocol is an extension of the ITU-T T.128 application sharing protocol. Clients exist for most versions of Microsoft Windows , Linux, Unix, Mac OS...
(RDP) - Terminal ServicesTerminal ServicesRemote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2008 R2, formerly known as Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008 and previous versions, is one of the components of Microsoft Windows that allows a user to access applications and data on a remote computer over a network, using the Remote Desktop...
- Virtual Network ComputingVirtual Network ComputingIn computing, Virtual Network Computing is a graphical desktop sharing system that uses the RFB protocol to remotely control another computer...
(VNC)
External links
- GoToMyPC Web site for software installation and computer access.