Hi Angela:

If you are giving access to several users on a regular basis, then Terminal Services is a good solution. It allows multiple users to access your LAN simultaneously from outside the office. Terminal Services is a software product from Microsoft. It is generally recommended that you set up a separate server for this purpose though not necessary. As you can tell, this can become expensive.

On the other hand, if the access is intended for just 1 or 2 people on an infrequent basis (ie. to work from home), consider a remote access product like GoToMyPC. The cost is $20/month USD. This family of products allows you to access your office computer remotely just as if you were sitting in front of it.

High speed internet access is important to make either of these options usable.