Remote-support software 2021
Now more than ever, remote-support software is a crucial part of your IT suite. Dave Mitchell reveals how to choose the right solution for your needs, and tests four high-quality contenders
We reveal how to choose the right solution for your needs, before testing four contenders.
L ast year, when the pandemic struck and working from home suddenly became a necessity, it was understandable if support for remote workers was ad-hoc and patchy. Now, as the era of lockdowns hopefully draws to an end, many businesses are ready to permanently embrace flexible working models – and that means they need to find a reliable and manageable way of delivering technical support to staff across diverse locations.
Luckily, the solution is already out there. Remotesupport software is a mature technology that’s been around for many years. It means there’s no need to waste time on unproductive and frustrating phone calls: support technicians can put themselves in front of a user’s computer without leaving the comfort of their own desk – or, as it might be, their own home.
Growing demand for remote support during the pandemic has ensured that there’s now a wealth of affordable solutions for SMBs. In this month’s buyer’s guide we look at on-premises and cloud-hosted solutions from four of the biggest names in the business – ConnectWise,
ISL Online, LogMeIn and NetSupport – to help you choose the one that best fits your new working practices.
Cloud connected
Cloud-hosted remote support is an attractive choice for businesses developing a hybrid working model. It allows technicians to access a troublesome workstation or laptop regardless of where either party is physically located. There’s not even a need for anything to be installed: technicians can initiate support sessions from their personal cloud portal, while end users grant access by clicking on a web link and entering a unique security code supplied to them by the technician.
All good cloud providers offer free time-limited trial accounts, so you can try out their services to see if they’re right for your requirements. Be aware, though, that some trials have limited features; you’ll need to buy a subscription to enable support for multiple technicians and functions such as reporting or portal branding.
Indeed, licensing can be confusing, with different vendors using different pricing schemes, based variously on simultaneous support sessions, the number of technicians and the
amount of clients you want to support. Nearly all offer tempting savings with yearly contracts, but if you’re just trialling a system, look for monthly billing and an easy contract exit policy.
Our house
Cloud-based support systems are convenient, but those demanding more hands-on control will prefer an on-premises support solution. This requires an on-site server, but the hardware requirements are low (you can even use a regular Windows 10 PC) and deployment is easier than you might fear, taking only ten minutes for the initial installation.
Although on-premises solutions were originally developed to provide support over local networks, most have evolved to support remote workers just as easily as those in the office. They often use a proprietary gateway service to handle secure connections over the internet – but check whether this is included in the price as it may be an optional extra.
For the strictest possible security, some remote-support systems allow you to deploy agents that can only accept connections from the specific on-premises server that created the install package. Remote clients may also be restricted to connecting a specific gateway address, rather than being open to the internet.
Sleeper agents
All remote-support products require some sort of software to be running on the client system. With ondemand access, a temporary agent is downloaded to the remote system for the duration of the session, and removed without trace once the connection is closed. This is great for security: it means the client is always using the latest version of the agent software, and outside of active support sessions there’s no remote-access component for a would-be attacker to try to break into.
If you need all-hours access to unattended systems, however, you will have to leave an agent running full-time. All good cloud-hosted products offer this as an option, and even let you push the agent out from the technician’s console. This raises security concerns, however: you should ensure that unattended agents can only be installed when a user is present to verify the requester’s authenticity – some products disable remote control during this phase to ensure that technicians can’t accept the installation request themselves.
Help on the way
It’s tempting to try to save money by using free remote-access tools, such as Chrome Remote Desktop or Windows 10’s Quick Assist feature. It’s a false economy, though. With minimal management features these tools can be a security nightmare, and they’re also lacking a heap of features compared to proper businessclass remote-support solutions. For example, you can expect both on-premises and cloud-hosted products to include integrated file transfer, audio and video chat capabilities, along with screen sharing, session recording, reboot and reconnect services and hardware and software inventory functions.
They will often have better cross-platform support too. While most products focus primarily on Windows systems, many offer agents for macOS, and some support Linux endpoints too. And while you can’t remotely control iPads or iPhones (due to the operating system’s strict sec urity model), many remote-support products provide apps that allow these devices to broadcast their screen to a technician.
On the other side of the support connection, there’s no reason why IT staff shouldn’t also enjoy the freedom to use their preferred platform, be that desktop or mobile. Most remotes upport products include apps that allow them to connect to and control client systems from a smartphone or tablet.
As businesses put together their post-pandemic working practices, remote-support software has a hugely valuable – perhaps indispensable – part to play. On the following pages we review four products offering a wealth of powerful features at affordable prices; read on to see which one will smooth your business’ transition into the new era of flexible working.
“With on-demand access, a temporary agent is downloaded to the remote system for the duration of the session”