Most IT teams already have a VPN and a meeting tool for remote collaboration, so it’s natural to lean on them when an employee needs help. As more employees work from home and on the road, more of those requests come from devices that are off the office network, outside business hours, or in front of users who can’t easily follow along.
Those tools can get a technician connected, but gaps show up once real troubleshooting starts: admin prompts, reboots, devices with no one in front of them, and remote sessions that leave no record for audits. Each gap adds time to a ticket and makes support harder to repeat across a team.
This guide compares VPNs, screen sharing, and dedicated remote support software, explains where each one fits, and outlines what to look for in remote support tools built for IT teams.
Quick answer: remote support software gives IT teams more control
Dedicated remote support software gives IT teams secure, device-level access and technician workflows built for troubleshooting. Technicians can connect to end-user devices, including unattended computers and servers, to diagnose issues, take control, reboot and reconnect, record sessions, and manage who can access what.
A VPN connects users to a private network, but leaves technicians without a support workflow. Screen-sharing tools are built for meetings and collaboration. They can help with quick walkthroughs, and some let a presenter hand over control, but they depend on the user being present to start and approve the session.
Here’s how the three compare:
Tool | Primary purpose | Best used for | Limitation for IT support |
VPN | Network access | Connecting users to internal apps, servers, or resources | Does not provide a complete technician support workflow |
Screen sharing | Visual collaboration | Meetings, demos, and walking users through simple tasks | Limited control, logging, admin support, and support-specific features |
Remote support software | Secure remote troubleshooting and device support | Help desk support, remote troubleshooting, unattended access, and IT workflows | Requires a dedicated tool, but gives IT teams purpose-built controls |
What VPNs are designed to do
A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between a user’s device and a private network so the user can reach internal applications, file shares, and servers.
Why VPNs fall short for IT support
For help desk and endpoint troubleshooting, VPNs come with several limitations.
1. A VPN alone doesn’t give technicians device access
A VPN connects users to internal resources, but it doesn’t give a technician a view of the device or control over it. IT still needs a separate tool to diagnose the issue, and a standard RDP session on a Windows desktop locks the local user’s screen while the technician is connected, which makes it hard to troubleshoot alongside the user.
2. VPN setup can add friction before support starts
Getting a VPN working can become its own support ticket. Client configuration, authentication problems, network restrictions, and dropped connections must be resolved before a technician can start on the original issue.
3. Broad network access can create extra risk
VPNs often grant access to entire network segments, while a support session usually needs access to one device for a limited time. Dedicated remote support tools can scope access more precisely, controlling which technicians can reach which devices and when.
4. VPNs lack support-specific session records
IT teams often need session recordings, audit logs, and a record of which technician accessed which device for internal reviews and audits. VPN logs can show connection metadata, such as who connected and when, but they don’t document what happened during a support session.
What screen sharing tools are designed to do
Collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom include screen sharing for meetings, demos, and working through documents with colleagues. Teams and Zoom also let a presenter give or approve remote control of their shared screen. For simple issues a technician can walk a user through, that can be enough. It gets harder when the issue needs admin-level changes, a reboot, or access to a device with no one in front of it.
Why screen sharing falls short for IT support
Because screen sharing already works well for collaboration, it’s easy to assume it can cover IT support too. Several issues come up when IT teams rely on meeting tools for support.
1. Screen sharing often depends on the end user
Screen sharing can make it easier to diagnose an issue and guide a user through a fix. It also requires the user to be present, join or start a meeting, share the right screen, and follow the technician’s instructions. That slows down even simple fixes and rules out unattended support entirely.
2. Meeting tools offer limited technician controls
Teams and Zoom let a presenter give or approve remote control, so a technician can move the mouse and type on the shared screen. That control lasts only as long as the meeting and the share, and the user has to approve it each time. Meeting tools also aren’t designed for support tasks such as working through elevated admin prompts or running system tools in the background without interrupting the user.
3. Reboots can break the workflow
Troubleshooting often requires a restart, especially after updates or system changes. In most meeting-based screen sharing, a reboot drops the user out of the call, so they have to rejoin, share their screen, and approve control again before work can continue.
Many dedicated remote support tools reconnect automatically after a reboot, so the technician can pick up where they left off.
4. Audit trails are often too basic for IT needs
As with VPNs, meeting tools typically lack the documentation IT teams need. Support records should show who supported the device, when the session happened, which device was accessed, and what was done. Meeting tools can keep recordings and chat history, but they aren’t built to track support activity across devices and technicians.
What dedicated remote support software gives IT teams
Purpose-built remote support software closes each of those gaps. These are the capabilities that matter most for IT teams.
1. Secure attended and unattended access
With attended access, the end user is present and grants permission, so no one connects to their device without approval. Unattended access lets technicians reach approved devices when no one is present, which suits after-hours maintenance and devices such as servers and kiosks.
2. Device-level visibility and control
Technicians can see the issue, take control of the device, and fix it directly, which removes the back-and-forth of talking a user through each step. Multi-monitor support and full keyboard and mouse control make this practical on complex setups.
3. Support tools built into the session
Dedicated tools keep common support tasks inside the session: file transfer, chat, reboot and reconnect, multi-monitor support, session recording, background tools for system-level tasks, and the option to bring another technician into the session for harder issues.
4. Granular permissions and access controls
IT teams need to control which technicians can access which devices, when, and under what conditions. Remote support tools handle this with role-based permissions, device grouping, and access policies, along with account protections such as multi-factor authentication and single sign-on.
5. Session logging and audit readiness
Support logs are vital for identifying suspicious activity and maintaining audit-readiness. Remote support tools include logging capabilities that enable IT teams to review activity, document work, maintain accountability, and support IT compliance.
6. Help desk and ITSM workflow integration
Remote support is usually one step in a ticketing workflow. Integrations with help desk and ITSM tools let technicians launch sessions from tickets and connect session activity to the incident, which cuts down on manual documentation.
How Splashtop Remote Support helps IT teams move beyond ad hoc support
Splashtop Remote Support is built for IT teams and help desks that support employees across locations and devices, with the same security foundation Splashtop uses for secure remote work. Here’s how it addresses the gaps VPNs and screen sharing leave.
1. Support managed and unmanaged devices
Technicians can remotely control managed Windows, Mac, and Linux computers with or without a user present. For devices without a pre-installed agent, the user runs the Splashtop SOS app and shares a session code, and attended support extends to iOS and Android devices. Splashtop Remote Support Enterprise adds unattended access for Android devices.
2. Handle admin prompts, reboots, and escalations in one session
Sessions include remote control, file transfer, chat, in-session voice calls, multi-to-multi monitor support, and session recording. Technicians can elevate to admin to work through UAC prompts in a standard Windows user session, reboot and reconnect without asking the user to rejoin anything, and use background actions such as Task Manager, Registry Editor, and remote command without interrupting the user. When an issue needs another set of eyes, up to three technicians can join the same session with a multi-license subscription.
3. Control who can access what
Sessions are protected with end-to-end encryption and logged for audits, and accounts are protected with two-factor authentication. Admins manage user roles, access, and computer grouping from the web console. For larger teams, Splashtop Remote Support Enterprise adds single sign-on, granular access controls, IP whitelisting, SIEM logging, and cloud session recording.
4. Connect support to tickets and endpoint management
Splashtop Remote Support integrates with PSA ticketing and ITSM tools, including Freshservice, Freshdesk, Zendesk, Spiceworks, Jira, and Microsoft Teams, so support activity stays connected to the request that started it. Teams ready to move from reactive fixes to ongoing maintenance can add Splashtop AEM for real-time patching, monitoring, and remediation from the same console.
What to look for in remote support software
When evaluating remote support tools, these capabilities cover the gaps outlined above:
Attended and unattended access to ensure accessibility.
Support for the operating systems and device types your users rely on.
Strong authentication options to keep accounts secure.
Granular user and technician permissions to manage who can access what.
Session logging and reporting for audits and accountability.
File transfer and clipboard support.
Remote reboot and reconnect.
Multi-monitor support.
Technician collaboration and escalation for more complex issues.
ITSM or help desk integrations to improve support workflows.
Easy deployment for managed and unmanaged devices.
Scalable licensing for internal IT teams or MSPs.
Give your IT team a support workflow built for the job
VPNs keep employees connected to company resources, and screen sharing keeps meetings and quick walkthroughs simple. Neither gives IT teams a consistent way to reach devices, work through admin prompts and reboots, and document what happened. Remote IT support software built for the job turns one-off fixes into a workflow every technician can repeat.
With a dedicated tool, technicians can reach remote devices directly, resolve more issues in a single session, and leave a record of every connection for reviews and audits.
Splashtop Remote Support brings attended and unattended support, technician tools, and session logging into one workflow, so your team can support employees wherever they work.
See how it fits your team’s workflow with a free trial of Splashtop.
