I don't agree that it is harder than it used to be, unless you specifically mean there are a few more dialogs to hop through during install and initial setup which is annoying on recent versions. But you do this once, just like Windows UAP.

Apple sells remote management software* if you don't want to buy your own KVM solution, it's $79.99 but given that there are no per-user limits and it has been continually updated for ~20 years, I'd say it's often overlooked in discussions of remotely managing Macs.

If you want a free solution, Tahoe w/ ssh FileVault unlock makes using a Mac as a server more useful than ever with a non-Apple VNC product of your choice.

* Mac App Store link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-remote-desktop/id4099073...