When to use Remote Desktop over VPN

Windows has two major mechanisms for allowing remote users controlled, protected access on a server: the virtual private network (VPN) and remote desktop. These methods are designed to solve different problems, so which should you use and when? To help you answer that question, I will provide a technical overview of each and offer comparisons in the following tip.
What is a VPN?
A VPN is an extension of a private network that redirects a client's network traffic to the remote server through an encrypted connection. It is best suited for giving someone direct, protected connectivity to a specific resource available through the server.
For instance, at one of my old jobs, a file repository was available as a shared network drive in the office. If someone connected to the office VPN from outside, they could connect to the same shared drives and gain access to the company intranet, among other things.
What is a remote desktop?
Unlike VPNs, Remote Desktop in Windows 2000 or XP Professional allows the user to run