Hybrid and remote working are now established ways of working for many organisations. As a result, employees increasingly need secure and reliable access to business applications from outside the office.

In this article, we explain how VPN and Remote Desktop can be used to access TeleForm remotely, the advantages and limitations of each approach, and some alternative options for organisations that need to capture forms from remote locations.

What is a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?

A VPN is a private connection between your home computer and an office network.

How does VPN software work?

Once connected, the remote computer can access authorised resources on the corporate network as though it were connected to the local office network. Depending on the configuration, you can access personal, confidential or commercially sensitive data on file servers and applications as if you were at your desk, regardless of your geographical location.

Although many larger organisations may prefer the enhanced support provided by commercial solutions, many small business broadband routers and all current versions of Windows have built-in VPN capabilities. This means that, with due consideration of the security options, you can set up a VPN connection with no additional hardware or software costs.

A properly configured VPN can provide a secure connection and protect your data when transmitting information between distributed offices.

Advantages of using a VPN

• Secure remote access: A properly configured VPN can protect your data and provide a secure connection when transmitting information between distributed offices, offering peace of mind when working from home or remotely.
• Use public Wi-Fi safely: A VPN connection is useful for people working in a shared office, hotel, or café as they encrypt traffic and connections over public Wi-Fi, which is vulnerable to cyber-attacks by malicious hackers.
• Transparent: Once connected, a VPN is invisible to users, who can continue to work as if they were in the office.
• Supports scanning: Once connected over a VPN, you can run the TeleForm Scan Station to scan forms from a locally connected scanner. Scanned images are transmitted to the TeleForm environment.

Disadvantages of using a VPN

• Reduced speed: VPN connections are slower due to the limited bandwidth of consumer broadband connections and the distance between the connection and data encryption, which adds extra security at the cost of speed.
• Setup complexity: Setting up a VPN connection can be complex with many security and encryption options available. Configuring a VPN securely can be difficult for inexperienced teams, and the last thing you want is an insecure network giving a false sense of security!

What is Remote Desktop?

Remote Desktop, commonly referred to as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) or Remote Desktop Services (RDS), provides a remote worker with a screen-sharing connection between their home computer and their work computer (physically still located in the office).

Rather than running the TeleForm application and processing data on the user’s home PC, the user connects to a workstation or server within the organisation and interacts with the application through the Remote Desktop session.

This can be particularly useful for TeleForm because the processing and data exchange remain close to the TeleForm server, reducing the impact of network latency on applications such as Reader and Verifier.

How does remote desktop work?

To set up a connection, the remote worker will need to run RDP client software. At the same time, the office workstation must be permanently left on or in a ‘sleep’ state, running the RDP server software.

All “Professional” and “Enterprise” editions of Windows include both an RDP server and client component, and although the “Home” editions do not include a server component, they can still be used as a client.

Remote desktop client apps are also available for iOS, Android, Linux and macOS.

Advantages of remote desktop

• Simple set-up: You can configure a remote desktop connection in a few simple steps. Once enabled, enter the host PC’s IP address and wait for the connection to complete.
• Quick: Once connected, you can access your files and use your normal applications at the same speed as if you were in the office.
• Cost-effective: In most cases, you will be able to use the software installed on your office PC without needing to purchase additional licenses for your home PC.

Disadvantages of remote desktop

• No TeleForm scanning: There is no built-in support for accessing local USB devices, such as scanners. This prevents you from scanning forms into TeleForm.
• Can be insecure: To protect access, you will probably need a VPN in addition to the RDP connection itself.

Accessing TeleForm remotely

The most important consideration is that TeleForm performs best when its software, server and associated hardware are located on the same physical network.

This is because TeleForm is designed for high-volume and high-speed forms processing where images and many small transitions are performed by client PC’s over the network. The limited bandwidth of remote connections is a problem here, but more significant is the inherent latency of remote connections, which can slow applications such as the TeleForm Verifier to an unacceptable level.

Use a VPN for remote scanning

However, it is possible to connect remotely over a VPN.

This is useful if a connection to a physical scanner is necessary and latency is not such an issue, such as scanning. You will need a USB scanner to connect to your home PC. Once the scanner is configured (and the VPN is set up), you can scan forms via the TeleForm Scan Station on your PC, with the images sent to the TeleForm server over the VPN connection.

Use Remote Desktop for Reader and Verifier

With scanning complete, the remote desktop connection to your office PC runs the high-volume parts of the process that require a low-latency connection, such as the TeleForm Reader and Verifier.

With RDP, even over a standard consumer broadband connection, you can have a near-normal verification experience, with images displaying and the Verifier responding to keystrokes with only the slightest delay.

A typical remote TeleForm setup

In summary, a combination of VPN and Remote Desktop may provide a practical solution for organisations that need to scan and process forms in TeleForm remotely.

A possible configuration is outlined below:

1. Connect the home PC to the organisation’s corporate network using a VPN
2. Connect a compatible scanner to the remote computer
3. Use TeleForm Scan Station on the home PC to scan forms
4. Use Remote Desktop to connect to a PC in the office
5. Run TeleForm Reader and Verifier within the corporate network

Alternative options for remote TeleForm capture

TeleForm provides several options for data capture from remote sites or branch networks. One option is TeleForm Web Capture Option (WCO), which runs the standard identification, evaluation, verification, and export process on the data in a web browser.

Alternatively, ePC has developed eScan to provide scanning, reconciliation, error rectification and secure transmission of scanned image batches to a central location for further processing.

What about electronic forms?

Is your paper-based process suitable for digitisation?

ePC provides electronic form solutions that eliminate the need to print, distribute, complete, scan and return paper documents.

Electronic forms can also be combined with workflow automation to route information automatically for review and approval, enforce business rules, provide audit trails and integrate with existing business systems.

Which approach is right for your organisation?

There is no single answer for every TeleForm installation.

The best solution will depend on your overall objective.

Conclusion

TeleForm remains a powerful platform for capturing information from paper forms, validating data, and exporting information into business systems.

However, how TeleForm is accessed can have a significant impact on the user experience.

If your employees are working from home or distributed locations, we recommend reviewing how your TeleForm environment is configured and asking whether your current approach provides the performance and security you require.

For remote workers, a combination of VPN for remote scanning and Remote Desktop for forms processing provides an effective approach.

For organisations with distributed offices or high-volume remote capture requirements, solutions such as TeleForm Web Capture Option, Remote Capture Station or eScan may be more appropriate.

Additionally, if the underlying business process is still paper-based, it may be worth considering whether electronic forms and workflow automation could provide a more efficient long-term solution.

Need help with your TeleForm environment?

ePC is an OpenText OEM Partner and has over 20 years’ experience implementing TeleForm solutions. We can help you assess your existing TeleForm environment, identify the most appropriate approach to remote access, and provide technical assistance with implementation.

We can also help you explore alternatives to paper-based processes, including electronic forms and workflow automation.

If you need help configuring TeleForm for remote working or want to explore electronic forms, call 03300 100 000 or complete our contact form.