EPI's Microsoft Terminal Server Hosting Services (also known as Remote Desktop Computing) enables businesses, software publishers and others to deploy applications across the Internet using Microsoft Terminal Services.

This unique service:

• Provides businesses of all sizes with a secure, cost effective solution for deploying windows applications to their employees, no matter where they are located.
   
• Allows software publishers to open new markets, deploying their applications directly to client desktops over the Internet.
   
• Provides a complete managed IT service that delivers high levels of security and availability.

EPI provides a complete hosted environment together with a range of professional support services. EPI deploys and manages your business desktops, provides nightly back-ups of all critical data and provides technical support to you and your staff.

Service Classifications

EPI offers three classes of Remote Desktop services:

• For individuals and businesses that are looking for basic desktop services that include selected Microsoft Office products, but which do not require deployment of custom written or third party application programs, we offer three standard Microsoft Office packages which can be supplemented with additional Microsoft Office components. For information on this service offering, click here.
   
• For businesses looking to deploy one or more custom developed or third party programs, whether these applications are to be delivered to one office or to many remote offices, we offer a fully managed Remote Desktop Business Solutions. For more information on this business solution, click here.
   
• For programmers and software publishers looking for new markets and new ways to deploy their solutions to end-customers, we offer a range of customizable, managed Remote Desktop solutions that supplement your service requirements. For information on EPI solutions for Software Publishers, click here.

What is Remote Desktop Computing

Remote Desktop Computing is a way to deliver application programs like Word, Excel, QuickBooks or just about any other business application your require to end-user desktops through the Internet.

Rather than installing programs individually on each users desktop, applications are installed once on EPI servers. End-users connect to these applications using Microsoft Terminal Services. For example, end-users that use Windows XP desktops run the "Remote Desktop Connection" program which is included with all copies of Windows XP to connect to your application programs.

When they connect they are presented with a remote desktop that displays a list of available programs and users simply click and execute the programs they wish to execute as normal. A typical EPI provisioned Terminal Services session might look something like this:

Individual desktops can, of course, be tailored to meet the needs of your individual business and individual employees or groups of employees.

Connect From Any Where, At Any Time

EPI's Remote Desktop sessions are available to you and your employees no matter where they are, and no matter what time of the day or night they need to connect.

Employees from multiple office locations can connect to our hosted service, with each obtaining the same levels of support and availability. Employees that work from home can access the business applications they need to do their job, whether full time or part time. Employees can connect using a wide range of remote connection services, and even connect using thin-client devices, remote Pocket PC devices or remote tablet PC devices.

Individuals that travel can connect to their office applications from just about anywhere including hotels, Internet cafes, airports and other facilities. Employees can even connect using local dial-up connections while still seeing having similar performance to high speed connections.

Our Services Support Clients Around the World

With EPI's hosted Remote Desktop solutions, geography is no longer a issue. Right now, today, EPI solutions are delivering business solutions to customers throughout North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and other remote locations.

You no longer need to limit access to your business solutions to individuals at specific offices or specific locations. Even offices that might otherwise be too expensive to support using on-site solutions can now be supported using EPI's Remote Desktop solutions.

EPI clients include thousands of businesses, some with offices in just about every corner of the world. These include mining companies, trucking and delivery companies, financial service businesses and all sorts of other business types.

Centralized Management and Support

For many businesses, just knowing that their data is protected and that they can rely on an experienced company like EPI to manage their services is all the justification they need to subscribe to our hosted Remote Desktop solutions. These businesses no longer have to worry about nightly backups, or worry that a local disaster will wipe out vital customer records or other important information.

EPI looks after everything. We manage your solution, we back up your documents and other data and we provide technical support to you and your employees as needed to help ensure that your business succeeds.

We offer a wide range of support options that can be tailored to meet your needs, and we're always available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you solve problems.

Want To Know More?

To find out more about EPI's Remote Desktop terminal service solutions, simply call or write EPI Internet Direct and ask to speak to a Remote Desktop specialist. You can us by telephone by calling (800) 689-9034 or send us an e-mail at: sales@epidirect.com.

If you would like us to contact you, simply click here.

Questions and Answers

Our business has employees located in different cities and some of our staff travel extensively. Is terminal services a way to deliver our business applications to all of these individuals?

Yes. As long as your employees have a way to access the Internet and a compatible workstation they can connect to this service and access their remote desktop.

Do I need a high-speed Internet connection?

No. Individual users may notice some reduction in performance if they connect using a dial-up modem but most clients are quite surprised to see that dial-up modem connections operate almost as quickly as higher speed connections.

Why do you use the term "Remote Desktop"?

Each connected client views a Microsoft Windows desktop that displays icons for each application delivered to them. For example, the desktop may include programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, QuickBooks or other business applications that are used to run your business.

If the client has connected using a standard PC, then they have access to data files located both at your Terminal Service and on their local drives. Windows compatible printers attached to their PC or attached to a Local Area Network are also available.

Although this desktop appears to be operating locally, it is not. It is running remotely. Keyboard, mouse and video display information is transmitted across the Internet to create the illusion of a locally operating Microsoft Windows desktop.

What happens if my connection to the Internet is lost or the power in our office goes out while I am connected to this service?

You would lose your connection but you would not lose your "session". Your session is the desktop image you were viewing immediately before losing your connection. Unless your company has asked EPI to terminate all sessions upon disconnection, this session remains active for up to 3 hours from the moment that you were disconnected.

When the connection is restored your desktop (including any active programs you were running) will still be there and everything will look exactly as it did when your connection was lost.

Can I connect to this service both from the office and from home?

This is up to your organization to decide. Our default policy is to allow all members of your organization to connect at any time, from any location.

If your organization wishes to enact other policies, such as restricting your hours of use or restricting the locations or computers from which access is permitted then you would need to make specific arrangements for this type of home or remote access through whoever is your company's technical liaison.

Is the connection secure?

Yes. The connection between individual clients and remote desktops is encrypted. In addition, when each user connects they must log in using a user identification code (user name) and password.

Are there other levels of security available?

Yes. We support, as an option, both site-to-site and client-to-site Virtual Private Network (VPN) services. When a VPN option is requested your Terminal Service is placed behind a VPN 'tunnel'.

Site-to-site VPN implements a secure network connection between your office and our data center. Only communications between your site and our data center are permitted pass through this connection. Only individuals with appropriate credentials located at this site can gain access to your Terminal Service. Remote access from employee homes or other locations is not allowed.

Client-to-site VPN allows employees to gain access to Terminal Services from their home or other remote locations, but requires them to do so only after connecting to the VPN gateway using compatible dial-up networking software and Remote Desktop software. Access to the service through Internet Explorer or other means is not available.

Site-to-site and client-to-site VPN options can co-exist, so you can easily define a solution that includes both solutions.

Is IPSec Supported?

Yes. IPSec, which uses industry standard cryptography based Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocols to ensure data integrity, data confidentiality, data authentication and replay protection is an option available for selected implementations.

Are Smart Cards Supported?

Not yet. Support for Smart Cards (which require you to have possession of a credit card type security device and a Smart Card reader before a connection is permitted) is under consideration as a future enhancement. No release date for this feature has been determined.

Can I connect using non-PC devices, such as thin-client workstations or other devices.

This depends on the individual devices you wish to connect and the specific service extensions you have selected. Our standard service supports connections using remote PC's running Windows 98 or later, Terminal Services compatible tablet PC's or compatible thin-client devices.

Clients requiring connections to other devices such as Macintosh computers, Unix or Linux workstations, OS2 PC's, legacy DOS PC's, PDA's, tablet PC's, wireless terminals, etc., require a custom implementation of Terminal Services combined with third party software.

Do I have to purchase the software that appears on each individual's desktop?

This depends on the software you require. Most Microsoft software, plus software from some other vendors is available from EPI on a monthly service fee basis. Depending on the software you choose, EPI may require you to purchase or provide proof of licenses before implementation.

If you choose, you may 'mix and match' leased (monthly service fee) software with software that you own. Leased software is maintained by EPI. Your leasing fees include the cost of software maintenance and upgrades.

I am a software vendor who is looking to use Terminal Services to deploy my software to my clients. I have two questions:

1) Who bills my clients, me or you?

Most software vendors bill their end-customer directly, but this depends on the type of service you wish to offer to your clients.

Software vendors should note that certain additional fees may apply when EPI is hosting vendor software for multiple end-customers. You should contact EPI for a complete description of the services offered to software publishers and the various costs incurred.

2) Can I include other software products, such as Microsoft Office, with the solution I market to my customers?

Yes. You can bundle your solution with products such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange Server and other EPI hosted solutions.

What is the minimum term of a Hosted Terminal Services agreement?

Terminal services pricing is based on annual contract pricing. Shorter term contracts (minimum three month service term) are available.

What is the minimum number of desktops that I can purchase?

Our minimum requirement for hosting that includes custom applications is two desktops. Our minimum requirement for hosting services that include EPI provisioned solutions such as MS Office is one desktop.