release 1998 ; 18 years ago 1998 stable release version 8.3 1 october 6 2011 ; 5 years ago 2011 10 06 available in english type remote desktop website gotomypc.com gotomypc is remote desktop software that allows users to access computers remotely using a web browser . it was developed by expertcity and launched in 1998 . citrix systems acquired expertcity in 2004 and maintained the gotomypc brand and services . there are three versions of the solution personal pro and corporate . contents 1 product overview 2 history 3 usage 4 reception 5 see also 6 references 7 further reading 8 external links product overview edit gotomypc allows users to access computers and their applications files and network resources 2 remotely and securely using a web browser . 3 4 5 there are three versions of gotomypc the basic version personal is intended for individual users ; a pro edition which was designed for small businesses needing administrative functionality ; and a corporate version for companies needing stronger controls and management features . 2 the corporate version enables the ability to restrict access to the basic version centralizes billing for multiple accounts 6 and offers additional user management features . 4 gotomypc s tag line is fast easy secure . 7 the 2003 version s datastream is encrypted and allows information technology it professionals to track when users gain access to computer remotely but does not allow audit level reporting . for the next release expertcity planned to add lightweight directory access protocol and considered including audit capabilities by integrating gotomypc with third party network security options . 4 gotomypc corporate 4.0 c. 2003 uses advanced encryption standard aes and is compatible with securid and other two factor authentication performers . 4 company data is protected by 128 bit end to end encryption and one time passwords . 2 gotomypc for mac was released in 2010 providing users access to one other macintosh mac or personal computer . 8 gotomypc for ipad launched in 2011 . 9 10 11 the ipad app remotely connects by 3g or wi fi networks and features some multi touch and gesture based controls as well as autocorrection . it mirrors keyboard and mouse movements uses 128 bit aes encryption during data transfers . 12 by 2014 gotomypc was compatible with the os x series of operating systems and a controller app for android and ios . 13 history edit klaus schauser and brian donahoo of expertcity then a privately held company based in santa barbara california 14 led gotomypc s design and development focusing on ease of use form over function . 7 expertcity launched gotomypc in 1998 starting with a personal version and followed by a corporate edition months later . 4 as part of a reverse demand strategy expertcity marketed the products to individual employees instead of corporations because of its limited resources as a startup . 4 in mid 2001 gotomypc required microsoft windows on both ends but expertcity planned to release versions compatible with linux macintosh palm solaris and windows ce . 6 the company also planned to create an infrequent flier plan for users who only need access during occasional travel times . 6 in 2003 gotomypc pro was launched and targeted at small businesses . 4 in december citrix systems agreed to purchase expertcity for 225 million in cash and stock in a deal that closed in 2014 . 5 15 the acquisition was citrix s largest to date . 3 citrix planned to keep the gotomypc brand pricing and services and let expertcity operate from its headquarters in santa barbara under andreas von blottnitz who had served as expertcity s chief executive officer . 5 in 2006 the canadian firm 01 communique filed a patent infringement lawsuit against citrix claiming they filed for a patent in 2000 and obtained one from the united states patent and trademark office uspto in august 2005 for their remote access software i m intouch . 15 16 following an inter partes reexamination the uspto issued a right of appeal notice confirming that all of 01 communique s claims were patentable . 17 01 communique s lawsuit requested unspecified financial damages covering august 2005 to the settlement date . 15 17 in july 2010 the patent infringement claims were upheld . 17 in may 2014 citrix filed a complaint alleging patent infringement by 01 communique s i m intouch meeting and requesting a declaratory judgment against 01 communique alleging that gotomypc did not infringe the original patent . in october the two companies reached an agreement and withdrew their complaints against each other . 18 usage edit in 2002 gotomypc had 55 000 users on the personal version and 140 clients on the corporate edition or 90 percent of all users on personal and 10 percent of all users on corporate . in 2003 the number of personal users surpassed 100 000 . 4 5 the number of clients using the corporate version was 1 500 with an additional 1 000 using gotomypc pro . sixty percent of all customers were still using the personal version while the corporate and pro editions were being used by 30 percent and 10 percent of users respectively . 4 by 2003 gotomypc was most preferred by home offices and smaller companies with limited it resources as well as groups of users requiring specialized remote access privileges . 4 5 the largest corporate client was the texas department of protective and regulatory services with 2 000 users . 4 concerned about security some companies began blocking internet control message protocol traffic to prevent employees who could access computers remotely even when the gotomypc site was blocked from gaining remote access . 4 in 2004 citrix confirmed that more than 3 800 companies were using the pro edition . 2 reception edit following gotomypc s launch beta user greg alwang wrote a positive review of the software for pc magazine . 19 he said the file transfer features were basic compared to those offered by competitor pcanywhere but complimented the product s usability and concluded gotomypc is revolutionary and pcanywhere is evolutionary . 7 in the 2000s gotomypc received several recognitions for its performance including laptop magazine s ultimate choice award for remote access in the software category 2004 pc magazine s best utility product 2003 pc world s world class award for best remote access software 2004 and windows it pro s readers choice award for best remote control product . 2 in 2003 network world s toni kistner recommended gotomypc for users who require remote access to large data stores on desktops or local applications too costly to operate on home computers or who do not want to lose important desktop data should their personal computer be lost or stolen . 4 in a 2011 review of gotomypc s ipad app jeffrey wilson of pc magazine said the app works as advertised i was able to control my work pc from a distance but it could benefit from a more responsive interaction with the host computer . 20 tony bradley of pc world said that he saw gotomypc as an insurance plan that would allow him to use applications or data from his laptop on his ipad but he was unsure if it would be worth the monthly subscription fee . 21 in 2013 the international data corporation named gotomypc the best remote access option for the fifth consecutive year . 7 in 2014 michael horowitz of computerworld said that using gotomypc as a middleman reduced firewall concerns and the need to name machines which were safer because the software prevented them from accepting unsolicited inbound connection requests . 13 see also edit comparison of remote desktop software gotomeeting references edit gotomypc . cnet . retrieved june 14 2016 . a b c d e hutton jacqui november 17 2004 . citrix gotomypc pro helps 3 800 small businesses maximise productivity with fast easy secure remote access . itweb . retrieved april 11 2016 . a b burke steven december 19 2003 . citrix acquires expertcity . crn magazine . westborough massachusetts the channel company . retrieved april 11 2016 . a b c d e f g h i j k l m kistner toni december 8 2003 . expertcity tries to change its image . network world . idg network world inc. 20 49 37 . retrieved april 11 2016 . a b c d e cowley stacy december 18 2003 . citrix buys gotomypc maker for 225 million . network world . retrieved april 11 2016 . a b c pogue david june 7 2001 . state of the art putting you at the pc remotely . the new york times . retrieved april 11 2016 . a b c d greathouse john april 16 2014 . beauty killed the beast how gotomypc beat pcanywhere . forbes . forbes inc. issn 0015 6914 . retrieved april 13 2016 . martin mel january 3 2010 . gotomypc now includes mac compatibility . engadget . retrieved april 13 2016 . titlow john paul march 4 2011 . smb tech roundup apple & google court small businesses gotomypc for ipad and cheap a b testing . readwrite . wearable world . retrieved april 13 2016 . alani faisal march 7 2011 . 10 gotomypc ipad 2 for business . computer weekly . techtarget . issn 0010 4787 . retrieved april 13 2016 . biggs john . gotomypc goes to your ipad . techcrunch . retrieved april 13 2016 . hamilton c. gotomypc debuts for ipad . gigaom . knowingly corp. retrieved april 13 2016 . a b horowitz michael august 7 2012 . gotomypc offers remote control convenience . computerworld . framingham massachusetts international data corporation . issn 0010 4841 . retrieved april 11 2016 . magid lawrence j. march 22 2001 . gotomypc while i sit 350 miles away . los angeles times . tribune publishing . issn 0458 3035 . oclc 3638237 . retrieved april 13 2001 . a b c danner patrick february 2 2006 . citrix systems sued over patent . miami herald . the mcclatchy company . issn 0898 865x . oclc 2733685 . archived from the original on february 5 2006 . retrieved april 11 2016 . united states patent meyer et al. system computer product and method for providing a private communication portal . united states patent and trademark office . august 9 2005 . retrieved april 11 2016 . a b c cheung maxine july 16 2010 . canadian software developer wins patent ruling over citrix . computer dealer news . retrieved april 11 2016 . 01 communique provides an update on its patent litigation against citrix systems inc. press release . cnw group . 01 communique laboratory inc. october 23 2014 . retrieved april 14 2016 . alwang greg march 20 2001 . remote access options . pc magazine . ziff davis inc. 20 6 28 . issn 0888 8507 . retrieved april 13 2016 . wilson jeffrey l. february 28 2011 . citrix gotomypc for ipad . pc magazine . retrieved april 13 2016 . bradley tony february 28 2011 . hands on with gotomypc for ipad app . pc world . international data group . issn 0737 8939 . retrieved april 13 2016 . further reading edit awang greg january 15 2002 . go to your pc from anywhere . pc magazine . 21 1 39 . gotomypc . pc magazine . 21 13 148 150 . july 2002 . never stray far from your pc . pc magazine . 22 10 40 42 . june 17 2003 . soper mark edward october 13 2004 . absolute beginner s guide to home networking . pearson education . lowe scott 2005 . using gotomypc . home networking the missing manual . o reilly media inc. pp. 215 221 . external links edit software portal official website product information gotomypc . sc magazine . haymarket