>We are using Windows 10 Workstations over a Novel server which we will soon be switching to a Linux one. We are looking at using Tight VNC which is a free product to connect to local machines on our Network as well as other machines outside of our company in comparison to other products which may charge for business use.
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>My question is does anyone see any security concerns with using this product? Why would I not just use this one for free over paying for other software out there?

Regarding security, my understanding is TightVNC is good, but like all other products needs to be updated from time to time to address newly found vulnerabilities.

The main choice when evaluating remote access options is whether you want to use direct connectivity, or 3rd-party mediated connectivity.

TightVNC and Windows Remote Desktop (RDP) are two of many examples of direct connectivity. To use it, client software on your computer makes a direct connection to the host you want to access. This typically means opening firewall ports on the remote host. If the host is at a remote site, it may mean reconfiguring the remote site's border firewall and/or using a VPN before being able to connect. This can reduce security at the remote site and you may run into resistance from sysadmins getting it set up. However, once set up there are usually no further costs involved.

LogMeIn and TeamViewer are examples of 3rd-party mediated connectivity. To connect, you log on to the 3rd party's site. You then specify the computer to which you want to connect and the 3rd party establishes the connection between your machine and the remote host. The huge advantage of this method is no reconfiguration of incoming firewall rules is required, so security can actually be better than any direct connection method. These 3rd-party services require infrastructure so they typically charge a monthly or yearly fee.

Other things to think about when evaluating options:

- Available features such as remote printing and remote sound

- Quality of experience: can you get true full screen or is it windowed/scaled? Responsiveness - IME the gold standard for Windows is RDP; with decent bandwidth the experience is so good you sometimes forget you're working remotely

- Ease of installation and configuration - typically this is better with paid products

- Ease of use - do users have to go through lots of manual steps each time they want to connect? Again, this is usually streamlined with paid products

- High-security options e.g. on Linux it's possible to tunnel VNC through SSH for improved security