ARD for me is based on a LAN, but can be used over WAN via VPN, but the latency makes ARD a less ideal tool. There are other cross platform tools that can do what ARD does which to me add value when managing a mixed environment
mRemote is well suited if you need to manage multiple types of servers and/or network devices. Instead of opening a dedicated Putty session and having to manage all of the windows, mRemote can handle all of this with different tabs. If you only have a few devices (less than 10), mRemote could be overwhelming for the need and not quite match up with what you are needing.
Tabbed Views. Each server remote desktop is viewed in its own separate tab, similar to a web browser. This makes it much quicker and easier to switch between them than using separate windows.
Storing credentials. You can configure it with log on credentials for each system, saving time on accessing as you don't need to enter a password each time.
Multiple connection types. I use the traditional RDP the most, but mRemoteNG allows many different connection types, similar to Putty.
It is a fairly unique tool in the level of integration it has with Apple Desktop products. It definitely needs some engineering attention, and it should be expanded to the iOS arena. It is not perfect, but it is very useful and fills an otherwise fairly empty niche in the support toolkit realm. The built-in screen sharing app in macOS handles the direct screen control or viewing function fairly well, but it does not have all of the other mass control features that Apple Remote Desktop supplies.
Once it is set up, it is quite straightforward to use. However, currently, it requires both a script to run to set up permissions and controls, AND a command from the MDM to authorize it to be active. The MDM management command is manual. This is not conducive to an automated workflow, and sometimes gets forgotten. Then, the endpoint is not contactable until someone realizes that the MDM command was not sent or was not successful.
It's very easy to setup and use. The tree structure organizes the multiple connections in a hierarchical manner which makes it easy to browse and the tabbed browsing make it simple to switch between multiple ongoing connections You can even export the list of connections and import it to another setup.
I would feel much more comfortable having one of these alternative solutions as our Remote Desktop management tools. Each has their drawbacks and expenses associated with them, but we simply have too large of a deployment to not be considering alternatives. If it is the only solution you can afford, it is OK to start here. I could see where this would have a return on investment, but it is really only suitable for a very small and localized scale. If employees are at all mobile, the duct taping of products necessary (VPN, distribution points, script repositories) would be very cumbersome.
mRemoteNG is far more useful than LogMeIn when on the same network, or VPN as the servers, as it allows multiple server screens open in multiple tabs. LogMeIn is much more useful when working out of the office for its ability to connect anywhere, but each system accessed is in a separate window making navigation a little tricky. Sometimes I use them in tandem however, LogMeIn to access a machine in my network, then mRemoteNG to access multiple machines from there!
Apple Remote Desktop has a positive return on investment because for the expense to the school, the value it brings to teachers is important. The return on improved student performance is very difficult to measure financially, but there is a definite return.
The overall objective of education is to increase student learning, ARD does that phenomenally. Parents see the tool used and are impressed at what the capabilities of the tool can do and how it impacts how active their students are as well as how well they can learn.
One negative impact is that teachers rely too much on this tool rather than on actually teaching sometimes.
