Item: TeamViewer
Rating: 9
Author: Barry Burd

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I have several computers in different locations as part of my work routine. Sometimes, I'm at one location, and I need to access one of my computers that's at a different location. That's when I use TeamViewer.

Pros and Cons

Full access to the remote computer's screen.
Access to files on the remote computer.

Setting up TeamViewer is never easy. I always get it wrong a few times before I finally get it right.
I trust the security features in TeamViewer, but I'm sure that the presence of TeamViewer on a computer opens some security vulnerabilities.

Return on Investment

With TeamViewer, I've been able to access files and features on several different computers without having to bring those computers with me everywhere I go.

The "economic benefits" question doesn't apply to my line of work. I work for a non-profit organization. I measure value in terms of what I can achieve in my work, not in terms of profit earned. When I need to access a remote computer, something like TeamViewer is an indispensable tool.

Alternatives Considered

Zoom and tawk.to

Zoom is less powerful than TeamViewer when it comes to remote sharing, but Zoom is sufficient for situations in which I want to help students or others with their computer problems. If I want to assist readers with questions about my book, I use the tawk.to messaging app. Both Zoom and tawk.to are more lightweight than TeamViewer, and lightweight is good for situations in which people at both ends of the call don't belong to an already-established team.

Key Insights

Do you think TeamViewer delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with TeamViewer's feature set?

Yes

Did TeamViewer live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of TeamViewer go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy TeamViewer again?

Yes

Ease of Implementation

8: I'm involved in TeamViewer implementation only on my own computers. That is, I use TeamViewer to communicate with one or my computers when I'm actually using a different computer. In this respect, I find TeamViewer difficult to set up. It always requires several attempts before I get it right. I believe this is because TeamViewer is meant for implementation in much larger settings than mine.

Security

I haven't taken advantage of these features.

Other Software Used

Microsoft Office 2016 (discontinued), VMware Fusion, Thunderbird

Likelihood to Recommend

I may have a non-standard use case for TeamViewer. On the TeamViewer Web site, the emphasis seems to be TeamViewer for meetings. I imagine that TeamViewer is great for meetings where people need to share control of one of their computers. But for my purposes, when I'm helping students to use their computers, the sharing facilities in Zoom are sufficient and less intrusive. On the other hand, if I need remote access to a remote computer for the purpose of getting work done on that remote computer, TeamViewer is excellent.

TeamViewer for Non-profits

Overall Satisfaction with TeamViewer