Dell SAS 6/iR RAID Controller

Dell SAS6/iR Integrated SAS Controller Card Storage controller (RAID)- Serial ATA-300 / SAS- 300 MBps

This RAID controller card does not support RAID 5 or RAID 10. In fact it doesn't support any RAID configuration except for RAID 1 and RAID 0, that's it. It's a Plug-in card that's PCI Express x8 with 2 CH for PC and Unix. The Dell SAS6/iR integrated SAS controller card is designed to connect internal physical hard drives in workstations and servers. It's entry level and comes standard in the dell Poweredge r610 server. The SAS6/iR utilizes high performance SAS 3 Gbps technology to connect to the all the physical internal hard drives. It supports two internal x4 SAS connectors, each containing four ports for a total bandwidth of 12 Gbps, per connector. This card also supports for RAID levels 0 and 1 but not any RAID levels that are higher. It features integrated ARM I/O processor for processing all RAID 0 and RAID 1 operations. Up to 10 physical disks are supported by the integrated striping the SAS6/iR provides. The controller is incorporated with global hot spare feature, it can support a maximum of 2 global hot spares one for each virtual disk.

Dell Storage Controllers

Desktop and server remote access support software

Consolidated HMC 4.5 Server List

Consolidated HMC 4.5 Server List

Microsoft's Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5 platform can be run in a consolidated fashion. Although there's no "official" document that outlines or details the steps involved to detract from the normal deployment. There is an unofficial guide to the HMC 4.0 deployment and that can be used as a basic deployment guide. Although there are differences between the two versions of the deployment and the references in the unofficial deployment document to the Microsoft TechNet doc are all broken, it can give you an outline of deployment.

I have to say that after using this method and indeed after taking making shortcuts to achieve a functioning hosted messaging system, it worked. The collaboration deployment I did not complete. It was required. I deployed only the exchange environment and this is working fine, including outlook anywhere and outlook web access . I'm using the sample provisioning tool and did encounter one awful message when deploying mailboxes for one of the organizations. I was able to create new accounts for the organization but cannot add mailboxes to new accounts. If a mailbox is removed for one of the existing users it cannot be re-added either. Other organization in the hosted environment are not having this problem.

Here's my consolidated server list for HMC 4.5 (10 servers,messaging only).

AD01
AD02
ExCAS01
ExCASOAB01
ExCASHUBEXT01
ExMBX01
ExMBXOAB01
ExUM01
FE01
MPSSQL01

There's no clustering of Exchange servers nor the SQL servers. Microsoft's Plan is much better than this. This is a watered down version as it is a consolidated incarnation of a well planned, thorough and developed solution from Microsoft. In addition, I am relying on the redundancy and failover achieved from the fact I am running all servers on a virtual platform.

Image below is from Microsoft's Deployement Walkthrough > Architecture

How to Uninstall Remove ePO Agent

How to remove the McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator Agent (EPO agent)



Uninstalling the ePO Agent v3 (Shield icon in system tray)
Open a command prompt and fo to the following product installation location:
C:\Program files\Network Associates\Common Framework\
Ten Run the followign command
FrmInst.exe /Remove=Agent



Other options include:
frminst /remove=agent
frminst /remove=updater
frminst /forceuninstall






Need to extract .rar compressed files but want the extra bells and wistles of winRAR?
Information and user opinion for using ExtractNow to Extract rar files without WinRAR can be found at this personal site.

HP Online Desktop Diagnostic Memory Test

HP On-Line Diagnostic - Model HP Compaq dc5100 SFF Memory

This is one of the things that I prefer and like that HP does that at least recently I've not seen from Dell. The fact that I could run a memory test, and not just a status test, while a computer was still in Windows XP.

With Dell, I had to take the system off-line and then run a deep memory scan. With HP's online diagnostics memory test, I was able to keep the desktop system online.


This particualr desktop however, had no memory errors. the computer was acting very erratic. It would freeze, applications would hang, and the time of these accurances was random almost like a memory problem but without blue screens or hard stop errors. The applications and computer would just hang, requiring a hard reboot. This is also a symtom of a tempurature problem. I found this nice little program very handy for checking on the system fans and the tempurature of the desktop.

A nice little freeware product that's a nice little addition to the toolbox is called SpeedFan. Besides the memory test, I installed and ran SpeedFan and it really helped with the problem. It showed the sensores installed on the motherboard and their individual RPM speeds. It also showed the current temperatures of the sensors and not surprisingly, there was an image of flames on one of them and another fan with 0 RPM - it was not spinning at all.

A Simple Program to Extract .rar Archives.

ExtractNow is a handy little program that needs to get noticed. If you hate having to install software on your computer that you really don;t use often and really don;t want because of the changes that it's going to make to your system then this is the program if for you for extracting files from rar archives quickly.

I really liked this program for it's fast and simple installation. The download from of the installation package was also very small, just 1 megabyte (1MB). It downloads fast and gets to work fast to get the files out of rar files and into a folder where you can use them.

When Microsoft added the zip technology into the windows explorer shell on every desktop, zip archives became the standard for compressing files. Every now and then I need to decompress files from a rar archive and I have always in the past installed WinRAR to do this and never really used the application again to compress anything. This time on a new Windows Vista system I didn't want to install a big program that makes all sorts of file association changes and adds stuff to the explorer context menu and add a ton of keys and strings into the registry. I wanted a simple program to just extract the files from a rar archive file.

A quick search on the web and I found this little gem, ExtractNow. It's small, it does the job I need it to do and nothing more. I'll never compress a rar file when I can easily create a zip from the explorer right-click context menu so i don;t need a feature rich program if I just want to extract files from a RAR archive. WinRAR and others do have many features built into their programs and some included features for backing up file and folders from you computer to other media or network locations. For just extracting files, those big feature rich archival programs too much for me. Addition information and user opinion for using ExtractNow to Extract rar files without WinRAR can be found at this personal site.

Information Technology Support - Adventure (Rated PG): Computer Desktop and Server Management

Information Technology Support - Adventure (Rated PG): Computer Desktop and Server Management

More than remote control software, Kaseya has some excellent features that aer unparralelled. They have a complete solution for desktop and server management that doesn;t stop at just the desktops or servers. They have a crossplatform support for PC and MACs and can also monitor any SMTP enabled device to alert of a problem before a customer for whom you are monitoring would even know. It has a backup and disaster recover component that allows you to create offisite backups of your customer';s most important computers and servers based on the best imaging software, Acronis.

In addition to remote control through a silently installed agent on the remote computers and servers, their is a very robust and complete ticket system and help desk.

Main features inlcude:

• PC Remote Control/Remote Support


• Patch Management


• Kaseya Computer Audit and Discovery


• Remote Desktop Management


• LAN and Windows Monitoring


• Help Desk and Trouble Ticketing


• Software Deployment & Systems Management


• Network Policy Management


• Backup and Disaster Recovery


• Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware Detection


• Cross Platform Support (PC and MAC)


• User State Management
  
• Power Management

Visit their site for complete information at kaseya.com

Computer & Networking News and Reviews: Remote Support Software Solution

Computer & Networking News and Reviews: Remote Support Software Solution

Gotoassist express is still in beta. This solution for computer remote support software is looking to be a good product for PC remote support. One of the problems encountered with gotoassist the full version was the high price for the online application. It truly had all the features tech support could need but the price was in many instances cost prohibitive.

Citrix Online has created a scaled down but effective version of their application for remote support and have users signing up to beta test the application before its final release. The bugs are being worked out and they'll surely have a nice product that will enable technical support department, help-desks and other computer and application support specialists to get remote access through their PC remote control software.

LiveMeeting is another great application for remote control, online desktop remote support and conferencing and it too has a high price tag but is definitely in the elite category for remote control and PC remote support. It's main intent is for conferencing and collaboration just as Citrix's gotomeeting has both features for collaboration and conferencing and does them well. Innate with the architecture is remote control land that enables remote support. Removing the collaboration or watering it down somewhat to leave the main aspect that's in greater demand at times is the ability to remote control the desktop that's connected. Both support software applications have the ability to select only applications to share to the viewer, they bot also have the option for share the entire desktop remote desktop remote support. PC remote support software is a secondary aspect of the full blown products and are in high demand by information technology and systems integrators.

Web based desktop remote support software doesn't have to cost an exorbitant amount of money and as Citrix has learned it seems, all the features in the world won't help sell the product if it's just too out of range for small budgets. Livemeeting too costs a lot of money and is mostly used by larger support companies and software application developer companies that have the financial flexibility to afford online PC remote support applications in their price range. I suspect that Microsoft too will introduce a smaller version of their product intended for web based remote desktop support and not the full blown collaboration and conferencing application.

WhitePaper From Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=250C2446-14DC-4F16-8C0A-38A0AAD055B2&displaylang=en

Information Technology Support - Adventure (Rated PG): Computer Remote Support Software

Information Technology Support - Adventure (Rated PG): Computer Remote Support Software





Microsoft LiveMeeting and Cisco's meeting place were both applications that were designed originally by other companies that specialized in conferencing and collaboration software applications. They also included in their products software for PC remote support. It's a feature or part of the package for conferencing. The applications have the option for techs to remote control the client desktops by enabling the client user to share their applications or sharing the entire desktop remotely.

Once enabled, the entire desktop can be viewed by the remote user and if also allowed, they can control over it including mouse and keyboard. Computer remote support software can come bundled within another application like one that's for conferencing or collaboration, as we've seen, it can be a standalone application or online service that gives tech support the tool to reach more of their users and clients spread out all over the world to provide them with web based desktop remote support.

Computer Support - Adventure (Rated PG): Remote Support Software

Computer Support - Adventure (Rated PG): Remote Support Software

Microsoft LiveMeeting

Microsoft LiveMeeting

Part of the Microsft Office Online Movement

Take a product tour and sign-up for demo:

Tour:
http://www.microsoft.com/UC/LMOC/LMOC.html?product=LM&locale=en-us&page=0&status=open

See the demo - live demonstration opportunity for Microsoft's LiveMeeting Conferencing and collaboration software.

Demo:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/livemeeting/HA102403231033.aspx


I had the opportunity to see Microsoft's LiveMeeting in action while working on a service call for one of my clients. The client was having some trouble with their document imaging application for which they had tech support from the vendor. The vendor had a contract for support and whilst they were many states away, they were able to remote into the computer and gain access to the server and the application both server side and client.

Although remote desktop support is not a strange phenomenon to me. I've heard of Microsoft's program desktop remote support (I believe the result of a purchase of another company). I also heard it's main focus was on conferencing and collaboration. I'm a fan, a critical one at times, of Microsoft's products and believe that their product once I saw it would live up to the expectations of expectant Microsoft touch or flavor as they've done with other products they've acquired through purchases.

Microsoft's LiveMeeting was phenomenal. The program for conferencing looked as if it would be a great asset to any company that was looking to host online meetings and collaboration efforts. It was well laid out in appearance and functionality, although I did not look at the conferencing features because the goal at the time was to solve the problem with the application the tech support group was working on. I did have an opportunity to explorer the menu options. I did see the important key elements for conferencing and collaboration. The layout of the application can make a huge difference for users who may not be that experienced in the desktop and online meetings. The result of my quick review was that Microsoft's LiveMeeting was a strong product in the area of online meetings.

Where I did get a little more exposure was in the area of online tech support. Although not touted and support software, the ability to provide desktop remote support was easily apparent. Like many other programs of it kind, there was the choice of allowing the viewing of a applications that were displayed on the desktop or for the entire desktop. As many computer desktop remote support programs do, a full view and control of the computer desktop was the optimum choice in this case. The need to have the technician be able to roam very freely to get to system that were related to the remote support session at hand. As computer remote support software, LiveMeeting had a good quality about it. It was fast it was reliable and provided the ability to apply tech support to customers or clients through the web for web based desktop remote support.

It just so happened that during another support call to this same customer, there was a need to get tech support from the same vendor but this time it was a problem on the desktop client side of their application. The client software would not install and the problem was isolated to this particular desktop which was dell desktop. Although I believed their was a problem on this computer itself, and having tech support remote into it to try and run the install that although a very fat installation that takes a lot of time, usually completed without problems. The computer was having issues but the company's tech support person wanted to call not believing the problem was on the desktop and not the installer application. So we called tech support again. I was looking forward to seeing the desktop support software from Microsoft in action once again. This time the LiveMeeting software was unable to load. Just as the client application software that they were trying to remoter into the desktop to fix was not installing, neither was the application that was intended as desktop remote support was not installing. This is where I believe Microsoft could make a difference with their product to improve it.

The software relies on the windows installer service to get started. If there is a problem with the installer service or with the computer itself that's either corrupting files or not allowing them to start on desktop properly, the program will not start as conferencing, collaboration or as computer remote support software. Microsoft needs to develop a backup method for the software to start a session with the remote client. Java would be the best option. I've seen webex use this and gotoassist. Perhaps because of the settlement with Sun, they no longer look to build applications that require a virtual machine as a component. Activex is another option for them to code as a backup method to connect clients to session but although it may have been in there it wasn't starting for me on this particular computer desktop. We did find a way around this problem to continue the tech support session via remote desktop support. If Microsoft is going to push their product as a computer remote support software package, then they'll need to address this issue and perhaps not rely sole on the windows installer to run initialize and start the program. Computer remote support software needs to not be wroapped around so tightly as to require too many things to be not only presetn o nthe remote desktop for support but needn't be there at all. For computer remote support software, just getting the program to execute and connect and keeping the method as basic is a better choice of direction.

Please see a prior related post regarding support software:

http://onlineremotesupportsoftware.blogspot.com/2006/04/remote-support-software-pc-support.html

Computer Support Forum

Found a forum while looking for some computer code. This particular page of this forum has a nice little post that shows very simply how to put a browsers address on an html page. It's just a simple little peice of code but Ithought I'd just share it with everyone.

Even a novice skilled person could add this little feature to their site just as a little amusment thing for thier site visitors.

Every post of mine doesn't have to be serious . . . :)

Remote Support Software

Vista is due before the end of this year.

Vista is due to roll out before the end of this year. It's going to be so cool. Everyone is going to be scrambling to get up to speed wit the new features of the OS. I really like XP and Micrososft has done such a good job with it that I feel Vista is going to be a really fantastic product. Sure it's going to take a few service packs first. Since Vista needs at least a MB of RAM to run, memory sales are sure to climb. Invest in those chip manufactures. . .

Management Tool Monitors and Controls Multi-Vendor Devices From one Location

Tone Software Corporation Tonesoft

ToneSoft's ReliaTel application sounds like an incredible product for monitoring and managing telecommunication devices. The devices could be from multiple vendors too. This is an app that I would love to see in action. Enabling Technologies Corporation has selected TONE’s ReliaTel Remote Management solution to expand the Enabling Managed Services Monitoring business.

Powerful Telecommunications Management Tool Monitors and Controls Multi-Vendor Devices From one Location

"A single convenient application, ReliaTel gives authorized staff complete control of multi-vendor voice systems. The system enables authorized staff to control local and remote devices, enabling global monitoring from one location with a common interface. With no need to buy multiple management packages or depend on outside monitoring centers, maintenance and staff training costs drop dramatically."

Read the rest of the news article on Tone Software's site

Hummingbird to be acquired for $465 million

Source:ITWorld
May 26, 06

Enterprise software developer Hummingbird Ltd. said on Friday that it agreed to be purchased by holding company Symphony Technology Group in a deal valued at US$465 million.

The Toronto company develops enterprise content management (ECM) software that helps organizations manage documents, records, correspondence and contracts.
A third party, Tennenbaum Capital Partners LLC, will invest $135 million to help finance the transaction.
Hummingbird said the deal will generate immediate cash that will allow the company to continue to focus on its mission of offering ECM and connectivity products.

Software for PC remote control on the web

PC Remote Control Software

Providing tech support in a quick effective manner is possible by using remote pc control software on the web. Ordinary software for pc remote control on a network sometimes falls short when it comes to remote controlling system's over the web. One Of the barriers that prevents traditional software from successfully accomplishing the task of accessing the remote pc is the need to establish an inbound network connection to the desktop. One of the features of remote support solutions is that they overcome the common barrier. These packages are specially designed to meet the needs of helpdesks and tech support departments that are trying to reach users anywhere beside their own network to provide remote desktop support. Desktop users need a simple method to trigger on-demand pc remote control software. If the steps requried are too may, confusing, include pop-ups or other decision requiring options, the system will not work as effectively. Microsoft's RDP is a good reliable protocol for desktop remote control. It however falls into the catagory of a LAN or private wan support product since if an attempt to use it over the internet was made without first reconfiguring the remote device, it would fail.

10 user complaints about IT support

Source:Tech Republic
Apr 25 12:21 PM

Being a support pro can entail a fairly high level of aggravation, some (maybe a lot) of which can be laid at the doorstep of the very customer you serve: the end user. But IT pro Becky Roberts advocates taking a step back occasionally and considering the situation from the user's perspective.

The issue of complaints and their resolution is a perennially hot topic in the virtual world of TechRepublic, with views expressed about the peeves of an IT manager and a support tech and complaints about CIOs. But nowhere in all these discussions have the most important people in our universe--our users--been given a voice.

In an attempt to redress this imbalance and put our own complaints in perspective, I took the liberty of asking my users to provide me with their complaints about us, the IT professionals. So here, in no particular order, are my users' grievances, together with a few thoughts about how they might be addressed and/or how they could have been avoided.

#1: Applications and hardware that don't work
#2: Inconsistency of WiFi configurations
#3: Slow computer/network
#4: Frequently required password changes
#5: Not being administrators of their machines
#6: Spam filtering
#7: Restricted Web access
#8: Not being allowed to use company computers for personal use
#9: Unresponsiveness of the IT department
#10: Arrogance of the IT department

RDP falls short for over the web pc remote control accses

PC Remote Control on the Web

supports system more effectively and efficiently can simply be achieved using pc remote control on the web. The end user and computer desktop could be located anywhere in the world and by simply access the computer with pc remote control software can give a support engineer quick access to resolve the problem saving lengthy traveling time or frustrating telephone calls trying to talk an average user though screens and command to diagnose. Although Microsoft's rdp is a valuable tool for computer remote control, it has it's limitations when used over the web.

PC Remote Control over the Web

RDP is a valuable tool for supporting computer systems and is best used on the lcoal area network or a closed corporate or enterprise wide area network. It's limitation over the web stems from the need to establish an inbount session to the remote desktop requires modifications to the router or firewall at the far end prior to attempting to connect. PC remote control over the web can be achieved without limitation by using support tools that download to the remote computer by the end users initiation then the software is configured, or obtains its configuration, to connect outbound from the remote network to the support technician.

Remote PC Control over the Web

Remote pc control on the web is prevelent in almost every company. There a various uses of remote pc control through the internet. One of the uses that are most prevelent is where a computer user is at another office or location and accesses their desktop system at the office to work as if they were sitting right in front of it. This allows for a mobile work force and in many cases a dispersed work force as this permits employees to work from home during inclement wheather of even as some employers do hire marketing, temp, or part-time eployees and rather than using valuable office space for them they just set them up with internet access and a pc to control remotely to work on. Another reason for or use of pc remote control over the web is for supporting users quickly. Remote control tools have always been in use by support people looking to assist users without having to go to the location the computer desktop user is residing or working from. Some of the most common software packages,like symantec pc anywhere or carbon copy, have been in use since before the internet and consisted of dial-up. With the emmergence of the internet as the largest netowrk in the world, the reach and speed of remote support sessions has surpassed all expectations that were previous ly thought. The dial-up barrier has been broken long aago and more tools are available for assisting remote computer users with speed and efficiency to match.

EMC Takes VTLs Down Market

Source:Enterprise IT Planet

April 19, 2006

EMC on Monday announced a number of changes to its virtual tape library (VTL) product lineup.
The changes to the Clariion Disk Library family include a new entry-level Clariion DL210 model for mid-size enterprises and branch offices, and for the whole line, virtual tape "shredding" capability for deleting data to meet business and regulatory demands.
EMC is also integrating its NetWorker 7.3 backup and recovery software with the Clariion Disk Library line for better media management capabilities. The Hopkinton, Mass.-based storage giant also announced support for the IBM System i (formerly iSeries) platform, and command line interface (CLI) support.
The Clariion DL210 uses 500GB Serial ATA (SATA) disk drives and can scale from four to 24 terabytes of capacity. The appliance enables disk-based backup and restore without requiring customers to change their current operations or backup infrastructures by emulating open systems tape libraries, drives and media. It offers remote replication capabilities and up to 3:1 compression.

Instant Virtual Extranet v2

Instant Virtual Extranet v2

Plug-in Network Appliances Enable Secure Remote Access By Browser

The Instant Virtual Extranet (IVE) appliances, the flagship product line from Neoteris, Inc., are plug-in devices for network administrators that enable secure remote access to corporate network resources for employees or business partners. The appliances themselves are installed onsite, on the organization's LAN, and serve as somewhat of an access proxy; enabling remote users to access corporate servers and applications using only their Web browser as an interface. The remote users connect to the devices using their public Internet connection and existing Web browsers (no additional client software is required); and the device then communicates with the host servers or applications via its built-in support for multiple communication protocols.

Remote Support Software - PC Support Through the Web

Online pc remote support software

Todays computer support market demands faster technical support response times. With almost evrey aspect of individuals japs centralized around computer use, downtime is a loss of productivity on avery corporate level. There are multiple vendors providing solutions for remote support software service and software. Some with satic configuration and other with more flexible designs. With the many vendors comes numerous methods for providing online pc remote support software services. Many of which are web based and others that are standalone applications. Numerous vendors supply an ASP style approach which permits their customers to just log into their server, usualy through a web browser interface. Then, their remote customers or end-users whome they are trying to support remotely in turn login as well using the same method. The remote user whom they are trying to assist by providing on-demand remote desktop support to also just login into the third party server - this in simple terms is the ASP model for online remote support software . The remote user then enters an email address or a special code on the site. Once that is successfully done, remote control software downloads to their system. Some remote technologies are built around java and other are executable files that require the user to click on run or open like a normal internet file download.

There other remote control software vendors that require the purchase of server hardware that's to be installed and homed on their cusotmer's own network giving them that extra feel of security. Since the equipment and software is on their premisses in their own data center they always know who has access to the server gives them added protection. In addition, having the on-demand remote support software and server hardware located in their own office, allows them to meet certain standards imposed by regulatory bodies such as HIPPA in the medical community. Remote pc control on the web in the medical community and remote computer access in general is begining to be more closely scrutenized and regulated.

Remote Support Software

The third type of on-demand remote pc control support software packages would be the stand alone applications. These come in multiple flavors. One is a full blown application like the famous symantec software pc anywhere which I believe has been for many years one of the best remote desktop control products for the enterprise for decades. The other type is one which the technical person looking to provide support has a piece of software installed on their system and their remote computer user downloads an executable that's pre-programmed with networking information to get to the tech support person's network and computer. The two software pieces then connect up to each other providing the tech support personnel with remote control of the far-end computer on the web. Some of these ask fo addition security information and yet others do not. The drawback to this type of softare is the fact that it's pre-programming is hard coded into the software. Usually the way to change it is to purchase another executable. A more dynamic approach is to have the technician run a peice of software on thier computer as before. It could even be a browser add-on like an active x control. The remote computer side could still be required to downalod software in the form of a java applet or an executable but with both of these methods have the network information required to connect back to the support engineer allow for change. It either can download with updated information or can fetch the information required each time. By doing so the information is updated an not static. this permits for a more dynamic and cost effective approach that addresses changes in ISPs or change of locations.

The ultamate goal of remote control support of computers is to save time. In most cases, by saving time the cost of providing the service goes down. This tends to lead to more productivity from current staff thus decreasing the need to bring more technicians into the support group. With technology developing as fast as it does and just about all market segments moving and changing at speeds never before seen in the industrial history of the world the remote control approach lends to a faster more agile support work force.

Internet Anywhere - Internet Access via Satellite

Satellite Internet Access allows anyone anywhere to have internet access. For those of you involved in the telco or isp world. The last mike is the worst. the last mile degredates many dsl services and cable is not available everywhere.

Below is an excerpt from FAQ page for DataStorm Services

You can read the rest at their website by just clicking on the following link.

http://www.internetanywhere.us/pages/883502/index.htm

The link above is a great question and answer session. It will address most all common questions.

Remote control software: A growing market

Remote control software:
A growing market


While remote control technology has been around for quite some time now roughly about twenty years, in this day and age of the Internet, wireless networks both local area and broadband, self-support and heightened security across your e-business infrastructure, remote control is perhaps the one IT support tool that has received the least amount of face time over recent years. It's mostly because remote control traditionally has not been viewed as sexy. That is until now.

Remote control software is changing quickly and dramatically. No longer is it just the primative peer-to-peer dial-up technology we remember that could put us in contact with our remote hardware, software and networks in an effort to avoid a physical trip. With the advent of the web and the emergence of the support portal, our old well established and liked friend is growing up. It has moved into the enterprise, as well as the call center helpdesk, and become a valuable technical support tool. And now it's evolved to more than fixing problems on computers but into roles that include e-support, e-learning and the ASP model.

The growing market

Computer remote control over the web

"Essentially the remote control market has had a few different faces over the last several years," says Stephen Drakel, senior research analyst at Framingham, Mass.-based IDC. "Its origins started in early remote access software, and over the last few years it has moved to more of a complementary component to management software and help desk software and is really a key component there."


The remote control market is so healthy, in fact, that in May 2000, Drakel forecasted the market would grow 19.8 percent from 1999 to 2004-moving from annual revenues of $349.2 million to $638 million respectively. At that time, Drakel also projected a growth rate of 19.4 percent with annual revenues of $417 million for 2000 alone.

But if the market has remained relatively steady in terms of its offerings, one must ask what is prompting this growth and why the sudden uptick of interest in pc remote control technology and its capabilities?

Drakel thinks much of the new limelight being cast upon remote control is due to the growing influence of the Internet and e-support market, as well as the ongoing pain businesses continue to feel when it comes to hiring and keeping skilled IT staff. And a look at many of the vendors in the computer remote control market space helps to confirm his intuition.

Remote desktop control on the web

I would like to add at this point that i have personnaly used many remote support products and find that they are all an invaluable tool for support. The time that is saved by remote accessing computers to provide support is obvious the first time a tool such as this is used. once you have accessed the desktop over the internet and fixed the problem in several minutes whereas just driving to the location could have taken up to an hour with average times to commute to destination for support within the 20 minute to 30 minute range. In my case, tech support trips to the city for resolving even minor computer desktop of network issues, depending on time of day ,could take as long as several hours. With luck an hour to get in and at least 20 to find parking before you even enter the customers office and get behind the keyboard of the problem computer. Remotely accessing the same computer now is done in minutes and tech support is much more efficient. Custoemr satisfaction increases as well sicne now they no longer have to wait as long for desktop support.

Enexity - Securelink

Enexity - Securelink

Found this online pc remote support software vendor on the web. They don't have a household name like INtel but it seems there software is reaching approval by support services companies and they've scored some nice deals and contracts.

Below are a couple of excerpts from their news section that names a few of the compnaies that are using Enexity.

12.20.05 - Mediware chooses Enexity's SecureLink™ to enhance remote support and increase customer satisfaction

10.31.2005 - QuadraMed Standardizes on Enexity's SecureLink™ for remote support

09.20.2005 - i2 Technologies Uses Enexity's SecureLink™ as its Primary Remote Service and Support Solution

About Enexity

Enexity helps companies get the most out of their enterprise software applications. We designed the SecureLink™ Virtual Support Network family of products from the ground up to enable secure, remote service and support for your server based software. As a result, you get faster times to resolution with less IT involvement. Our next generation security features keep you in control and you will appreciate the reporting and monitoring capabilities. More secure, more effective... get more out of your enterprise software with Enexity’s SecureLink VSNs.

Read More...

VPNremote

VPNet Introduces Powerful New Remote Client

VPNremote 3.0 offers service providers and enterprises a unique remote access solution that provides IPSec security and digital certificate authentication without compromising ease-of-use

Release: 27-Mar-2000

"VPNet Technologies, Inc., a leader in Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions for service providers and enterprises, today introduced VPNremote(TM) Client 3.0, the latest version of its Windows® compatible remote access software for VPNs. As a key component of the VPNware(TM) family of integrated VPN solutions, VPNremote Client 3.0 offers a unique array of features that greatly reduce the complexity faced by remote users, and dramatically eases the burden faced by security administrators when distributing, configuring, and managing a remote access VPN solution. [For more information on the complete VPNware 3.0 software release, see the accompanying press release, "VPNet Technologies Introduces Innovative Centralized Policy-based Management System for Large-Scale VPNs" also dated March 27, 2000.]

"The need to provide secure remote access over public networks has produced a succession of network access and security technologies that have typically proved to be overly costly to deploy, scale, and manage, as well as being overly complex for the typical end user," said R. Michael Allen, chairman and CEO of VPNet. "The resulting strain on already taxed information technology and end user technical support staffs has had the net effect of slowing down the rate of adoption and deployment of the advanced secure remote access solutions that have come of age."

Key features of this new client remote support software release include support for the ISAKMP/OAKLEY (IKE) key management protocol for IPSec; feature rich and easy-to-use GUI-based Certificate Manager, User Profile, and Connection Management utilities; a dynamic client configuration process that simplifies VPN policy distribution; standards-based support for all major PKI vendors and smartcards; and enhanced event and error logging for easy troubleshooting. Together, these features provide a client software environment that overcomes the difficulties commonly encountered in deploying and supporting IPSec VPN remote access clients.

"The principle challenges faced by organizations when deploying a remote access VPN is first, the ease with which a security administrator can deploy and manage the client software, and second, the ease with which the average end user can install, configure, and use the client software solution," Allen continued. "This overarching perspective was used to guide the development of our first release of the IKE VPNremote Client."

Easy Administration of Thousands of Users
Client software pre-configuration and distribution has been dramatically enhanced in this latest version of VPNremote. Using a unique two-phase configuration management process, VPNremote 3.0 addresses one of the most challenging areas of deploying an IPSec VPN remote access solution — the process of setting up and managing the VPN configuration and security policy information on the end user's PC. At time of install, an initialization file is used to construct a user profile containing all parameters required for the user to contact a VPNet VSU(TM) gateway, get authenticated, and have VPN policy information dynamically set up and installed. The security administrator pre-configures these parameters as a part of the VPN setup and software distribution processes — with no end-user intervention required.

Once users have been authenticated at the VSU gateway, their VPN policy information is automatically downloaded and installed on the PC. User configuration information is maintained and updated using VPNmanager(TM), VPNet's VPN management software, and is stored on the system LDAP directory server. Remote user policy information is dynamically updated each time they log on to their VPN using VPNremote's flexible, high-performance Dyna-Policy configuration protocol. The hands-off configuration process is repeated at every logon with no unwanted delays or performance degradation. This dramatically enhances the end-user out-of-box experience, and places VPN policy management responsibility where it belongs — with the security administrator. It also enables a powerful distribution model that makes feasible large-scale remote access VPN deployments and makes VPNremote 3.0 the most easily distributed IPSec VPN client in the industry.

"In deploying VPN client software, our experience has clearly shown that ease-of-use is the paramount issue," said Kamy Kavianian, director of VPN marketing for Concentric Network. "While there are alternatives when considering an IPSec VPN client, VPNet's VPNremote 3.0 offers the advanced features required to provide the robust security demanded by our managed services customers without sacrificing usability and burdening end users and support staff with unnecessary and unwelcome complexity."

Enhanced End-User Experience
VPNremote 3.0 has dramatically enhanced the end-user experience across the board — from installation, to configuration, to actual usage. Installation has been simplified by integrating all files needed for WIN 95/98/NT/ 2000 platforms within a single, small self-extracting executable. This install package contains the initialization file that has been pre-configured by the security administrator. VPNremote 3.0 users enjoy a simple "single-click" installation without being required to interpret or understand the broad range of configuration parameters. Once the remote support software has been installed, the user is responsible only to enter a username, e-mail address, and password using the intuitive and easy-to-use Connection Manager to get authenticated and begin using VPNremote.

VPNremote 3.0 provides an advanced Certificate Manager that enables end users to easily and intuitively request, import, and use digital certificates. Features such as standard protocol support for on-line certificate enrollment, and standards-based support for smartcards to store and protect RSA keys and digital certificates make VPNremote a powerful but easy-to-use certificate management tool. VPNremote 3.0 supports leading certificate authorities including VeriSign, RSA Security, Entrust, and Baltimore, among others. User's keys and certificates are also exportable as a part of a user's profile to enable them to access their VPNs without having to carry a laptop. A user can store their profile on either a smartcard or disk and access their VPN from any PC or kiosk hosting the VPNremote 3.0 software.

To ease the burden of end-user technical support faced by both service providers and enterprises, VPNremote 3.0 has been designed to be simple to install, configure, and use. VPNremote also provides a number of levels of on-board help and technical support designed to minimize the frequency — and maximize the effectiveness — of technical support calls. The first level is a comprehensive on-line help utility that presents detailed user help and technical descriptions for product features and functions performed. Additionally, detailed error messaging and an on-board event logging and viewing utility have been provided to define in simple terms the cause of problems that may be interfering with or preventing client operation, and to assist with problems requiring help desk remote support. This allows network administrators to track down problems easily and resolve them quickly.

Comprehensive and Interoperable IPSec Implementation
VPNremote 3.0 offers standards based support for IPSec VPN security. This provides a remote access solution that is robust and secure, and one that offers an enhanced level of interoperability with IPSec-based network security solutions from other VPN and security applications vendors. The VPNet implementation of the IKE key management protocol allows the use of either pre-shared secrets or X.509 digital certificates for authentication and key management. VPNremote 3.0 has been designed to be fully compliant with ICSA 1.1 IPSec certification criteria, including the extended Cryptography, Certificate Authority Interaction, and Enhanced Functionality requirements.

VPNremote Client 3.0 is available in 3DES and DES versions and is compatible with Windows 95/98, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000.

About VPNet Technologies
VPNet Technologies, Inc. (www.vpn.com) is the first company formed with a singular focus on VPNs and is the leading provider of VPN solutions to service providers and enterprises. Founded in October 1995 and based in Milpitas, Calif., the company develops and markets cost-effective products and services for implementing high-performance virtual private networks. VPNet's scalable VPNware System delivers the highest levels of security, performance, and manageability across a wide range of VPN applications. VPNet's innovative VPNsure Services enable service providers and enterprises to outsource the design, implementation, and management of their VPNs."

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