Windows 7 - Xampp remote access

I am working on a website with Xampp installed and want to be able to access it either over a network for different users but prefer to access it over the internet. I have searched Apache Friend's, YouTube, Google, and can not find the correct instructions to perform this action. Right now I can only access it locally on my laptop only.

Also, I have read about security issue's but why is accessing Xampp server worse than normal security issue's. Is it because you open a port for access to the server? The computer I will run this on will basicly only have the Xampp server and the website. And since I backup my work often with removable media, why would security be any worse than normal?

I would prefer internet access so I can work on it remotely if need be. If possible as much detail would be appreciated to get started. Plus hopefully I will learn something else in the computer world. Even if in the end it doesn't work out. I basicly want to work on sites before they go live on a hosting company server.

Thanks for your help!