How Remote Desktop Protocol Works – RDP Explained for Business Users

What Actually Travels Over an RDP Connection?

When you use Remote Desktop to access a cloud server, the actual applications and data stay on the server. What travels over the network: compressed video of the server's screen (only the parts that changed since the last frame), your keyboard inputs (a few bytes per keypress), and your mouse position and clicks (a few bytes per movement). A Tally report that is 10 MB on the server is not transferred to your device — you see a compressed image of it on your screen.

This is why RDP works acceptably on modest internet connections (2–5 Mbps is comfortable for typical accounting software use) and why data never leaves the server — your device is just a remote display, not a data storage location.

How Is RDP Encrypted?

RDP uses TLS (Transport Layer Security — the same encryption used by HTTPS websites) to encrypt all data between your device and the server. An attacker intercepting the network traffic between your laptop and the cloud server sees only encrypted data they cannot read. The screen images, keyboard inputs, and mouse movements are all encrypted in transit.

This is why RDP-based cloud access is more secure from a data interception perspective than having application files on your local device and syncing them via email or USB drives. Ask our team about security configuration for RDP access on your cloud server.