Applications that complement remote access platforms are moving towards the Internet of Things (IoT) and augmented reality (AR). Krunal Patel, head of business – India and South Asia, TeamViewer, discusses with Deepshikha Shukla of Electronics For You the various benefits of remote access platforms.

KRUNAL PATEL HEAD OF BUSINESS – INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA, TEAMVIEWER
Q. What technologies are involved in developing platforms like TeamViewer?
A. Security, scalability and manageability are the key requirements for remote support platforms like TeamViewer. Such platforms provide enterprise-grade remote access software, which is hosted on ISO 27001-certified and HIPAA- and SOC2-compliant infrastructure. TeamViewer traffic is secured using RSA public/private key exchange and AES (256-bit) session encryption. It supports all major operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, iOS, Chrome OS and Unix, in addition to a variety of devices like servers, desktops, laptops, tablets and cellphones.
Q. How has AR helped achieve remote support?
A. AR allows fixing issues remotely by assisting on-site staff and clients through troubleshooting, problem resolution, product setup and more. This makes it possible to connect to the camera images of a mobile device and get these images transmitted to a computer in real time. This is done while communicating via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and interacting using 3D annotations. AR helps users fix issues in the real world by drawing and highlighting on the screen real-world objects.
AR is shifting the boundaries of remote support. Key audience for AR-based video remote support is the field operations staff. Currently, there are no robust video streaming software that can be integrated with service ticketing tools to provide remote support with VoIP at the same time
Q. How are the technical support issues resolved?
A. There are solutions for remote support, remote access and online meetings that allow users to assist their customers remotely, work with colleagues from a distance and stay connected with your own devices.
An ideal remote support solution covers the entire business lifecycle and addresses specific needs including screen sharing, remote desktop, remote access, instant business chat, Web and video conferencing, backup, anti-malware, online whiteboards and more.
As an example, we have set up support centres based on local time zones for providing technical support in all major countries. Also, our software actively runs on more than 400 million devices, of which at least 30 million are connected to TeamViewer at any point in time.
Q. How is secure hyper connectivity achieved in such platforms?
A. TeamViewer IoT Cloud is a Web management platform where users can connect their devices, initiate remote access and set up smart monitoring for their IoT networks. It uses full encryption based on 2048-bit RSA private/public key exchange and 256-bit AES session encoding. This uses the same security level as HTTPS/SSL.
The key exchange also guarantees that data transfer is completely encoded from client to client, so that any routers or servers in between (including our routers) are unable to read or analyse the data stream. Security and privacy must always be a top priority during development.
A platform like TeamViewer IoT cloud can be used across industries to build a smart and connected IoT fabric for global businesses. Some use cases would be smart building management, smart farming, smart retail and smart manufacturing.
Q. How is the Indian remote access and collaboration platform space growing globally?
A. The global remote access management market is growing rapidly at a CAGR of 12 to 15 per cent. India is showing fast growth, and we are aiming for 100 per cent year-on-year growth for TeamViewer applications.
Q. How are you planning to contribute to the tech ecosystem of India?
A. We provide application program interfaces and software development kits for developers and OEMs to integrate with their solutions. These enable them to integrate with other systems and applications, to optimise processes and increase productivity. These also allow them to work centrally from a single location and avoid switching between applications. Many customers have built various use cases on TeamViewer as it is open to work with the tech ecosystem of India.