WHAT IS REMOTE NETWORK ACCESS TECHNOLOGY? or REMOTE ACCESS SERVICE ( RAS )
Remote network access technology allows access to a computer or a network from a remote distance. Employees at branch or satellite offices or telecommuters, and travelling staff members may need access to the company or agency’s network and are able to do so via remote access. Users working from home get access through an Internet service provider (ISP) or Dial-up connection through desktop, notebook, or handheld computer modem over regular telephone lines.
These days almost every company offers some type of remote access to accommodate employees working outside the office and others like business partners, vendors, or external technical support. Remote Access Service (RAS) allows remote clients to dial-in and connect to network as if they were locally connected in the office.
VPN REMOTE ACCESS TECHNOLOGY
VPN (Virtual Private Network) & Tunneling A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a private connection over a public network such as the Internet. VPNs can save a company a lot of money because it use Internet connection rather than expensive long-distance point-to-point connections such as dial-up, ISDN, and leased lines, to allow remote networks and remote employees to connect to the corporate network.
A site-to-site or LAN-to-LAN VPN as shown below is typically used for connecting branch offices of a single organization or for creating an extranet for business partners. The second main type of VPN is called remote access VPN and is mostly used for remote and mobile users who need to access the corporate network regardless of their location be it at home, at a hotel, on a business trip, or at a business partner’s office. Internet connection is required and VPN client software is installed on the client’s operating system which establishes a tunnel to the corporate network after a connection with a local ISP is established. http://www.techexams.net/technotes/securityplus/ras.shtml

BENEFITS OF REMOTE ACCESS TO EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES
Increase in Productivity
Enabling employees to access the company's network from home means they can work in the evenings instead of staying late at the office to access files and programs on the company's network. Employees can have constant, up-to-date access to details of their company's inventory, products and services making a business more responsive to its customers thereby generating more sales.
Convenience and Security
RAS allows employees to access their computer from anywhere in the globe. They are able to leave their computers at home without worrying about needing to carry data physically on it. If there is a need to access data on the computer, a RAS connection can be used to retrieve the information without compromising security.
Cost Savings for Employers
Remote workers save employers costs on travel, office space, maintenance and parking space requirements.
Cost Savings for Employee
When working from home there is no need for professional clothing, thereby saving lots of money yearly. Same also applies to gas or public transportation, parking, lunches out, dry cleaning, and child care. It is also a tax benefit to have a home office. http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Can-business-benefit-from-remote-access http://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/telecommuting-advantages-and-some-disadvantages-for-good-measure/

DRAWBACKS OF REMOTE ACCESS
Security Risks
Without implementing proper procedures, policies and practices, remote accessing a company’s network can pose serious security risks. Common practices should include periodically changing passwords and educating employees about the importance of remote access security. A company’s network is also at risk if an employee’s computer gets affected with a virus or stolen.
Reliability
Remote access networks are open, running networks run over the Internet and therefore not as reliable and efficient as closed networks that run over wires. If the Internet service is performing poorly, it compromises the remote access connection therefore the reliability of the RAS is highly dependent on the internet service. Wi-Fi servers are often slower than wired servers.
Speed
Speed of the service is also dependent on the number of people accessing the network at the same time via RAS. Uploads, downloads and transfers all take longer to complete with higher traffic.

http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Can-business-benefit-from-remote-access http://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/telecommuting-advantages-and-some-disadvantages-for-good-measure/ http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Sm-Z/Telecommuting.html#ixzz3Y9dpR3y8 http://www.ehow.com/list_7569718_remote-access-disadvantages.html REMOTE ACCESS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Hardware - Perle, Extreme Networks, Nortel, Cisco
Software – Avia/ Lucent, VPNet
Firewalls, Routers or Encryption programs - Checkpoint, Netscreen , Watchguard. http://www.ehow.com/list_5779073_advantages-remote-access-vpn.html

WHAT IS PORTABLE EXTERNAL STORAGE TECHNOLOGY?
External storage comprises of portable devices that temporarily stores, backs up, and transports data and information such as personal files, documents, pictures, videos, music etc. from one computer to another. Some people use it to store information that is not needed frequently in preparation for emergencies.
COMMON TYPES OF EXTERNAL STORAGE DEVICES
USB flash drive (or thumb/jump drive) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated flash Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. They are removable and rewritable, and physically small, some weighing less than 30 grams (1.1 oz.) They have speed and high capacity and are very flexible because they have no moving parts also making them durable and reliable. Up to one terabyte of storage space is now available on these types of devices and they can last as long as 10-years.
Memory card (or memory stick) is an integrated circuit for storage and transfer of digital data in most electronic devices. It can store data in a variety of forms such as texts, graphics, digital images etc. Memory cards are available in various storage sizes ranging from 4 to 64 Megabytes
External hard drives are usually used in addition with the computer’s internal hard drive in order to store and transport data. An external hard drive is external to the main computer tower but can be connected to the computer via an interface cable, which allows it to communicate with the computer and pass data back and forth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_storage http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-external-hard-drive.htm