Device groups
Devices are organised in groups, for example by client, site or department, so a large estate stays manageable from one remote desktop manager rather than a list of saved connections.
Hesper remote access: remote desktop software with approvals and session logs
Remote desktop software lets an authorised technician see and control a computer from elsewhere. Hesper remote access, for managed service providers and in-house IT teams, builds on open-source RustDesk with a management layer Arke Technologies in Johannesburg owns: device groups, approvals and session logs. It launches in November 2026; early access is open.
What remote desktop software does
Remote desktop software, also called remote access desktop software or remote support software, lets a person use another computer over a network: see its screen, control the mouse and keyboard, move files and restart services without being in the room. IT teams use it for two jobs:
- Attended support. A helpdesk technician joins a user's session, with the user present, to fix a fault or show them how.
- Unattended access. An authorised administrator reaches a server or an unmanned computer, often after hours, to patch or repair it.
Remote desktop connection software in the narrow sense is different. Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection, built into Windows, signs you in to a Windows computer over the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) as if you sat at it; the computer you reach must run Windows Pro, Enterprise, Education or Windows Server. It suits working on a machine, not helping the person in front of it.
Free remote desktop software: when free is enough
Free remote desktop software, from Chrome Remote Desktop to the RustDesk client, is enough when one person needs occasional access to their own computers. An organisation needs more than a connection: a list of who may reach which device, a record of every session, a way to revoke access the day someone leaves, and a licence that allows commercial use. Some free tools are licensed for personal use only, and an unapproved one on a work laptop is shadow IT with a door into your network.
Free software is not a free service. Someone still hosts, patches, secures and supports it. Our guide to RustDesk for business sets out those running costs.
How Hesper remote access works
Hesper is our IT operations platform for managed service providers and in-house IT teams. Its remote access builds on RustDesk, the open-source remote desktop software, and adds a management layer we own:
Approvals
Remote sessions are approved before a technician connects.
Session logs
A record of every remote session, for your service reviews and your auditors.
One platform
Remote access sits beside monitoring every 15 minutes, faults raised as tickets, standard automated repairs gated by recorded human approval, and ticketing tied to SLA clocks. See Hesper monitoring, automation and ticketing.
Built first for our own managed service
Hesper is designed around the way our own technicians support clients under SLA, before it is offered to anyone else.
Security and governance for remote access
Remote access is the most privileged tool in IT: whoever holds it can see what users see and change what administrators change. That makes it a governance matter as well as a technical one.
- Privileged remote access. Privileged remote access (PRA) means controlling and recording remote sessions to servers and administrator accounts. Approvals and session logs apply the same discipline to everyday support.
- No hidden remote desktop software. Software that runs without the user knowing is how spyware and support scams work. We do not deploy it: sessions are approved and logged.
- POPIA. A screen can show personal information, so a remote session is processing: it needs a purpose, authorisation and a record.
- King IV and audit. Session logs are evidence for King IV Principle 12 (technology and information governance) and for internal audit. Our controls are aligned with ISO/IEC 27001.
- RDP hygiene. Never open port 3389 to the internet; exposed RDP is a common route in for ransomware.
Early access, pricing and procurement
Hesper launches in November 2026, and pricing will be published at launch. Until then, join the early-access list.
If you need governed remote support now, our remote IT support and managed IT services already work this way: our own RustDesk-based platform on our servers in Johannesburg, every session approved and logged, incidents prioritised from P1 (critical outage) to P4 (low-impact request) with targets agreed in your SLA, and a monthly service review.
Arke Technologies (Pty) Ltd is a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor (135% procurement recognition; sworn affidavit available on request); company documents, our CSD supplier number and SARS tax compliance status are available on request. Your devices, data and credentials stay yours: if you leave our managed service, we remove our client software, close our access and hand over the documentation.
