Desktop Remote Support Research

Desktop Remote Support or remote access technology give jet-setting professionals and employees a way to stay connected with headquarters, no matter where they are. The old dial-up connections have now been replaced by faster and more advanced broadband connections that also offer more secure access. As the internet continues to grow, there is a greater focus on VPNs that are supported by ISPs.

A lot of companies like RHUB have embraced remote access technology as part of their plan to implement better telecommunication systems. When they were introduced, remote access solutions were simple and slow dial-up terminal services with terminal emulation. Today’s remote access solutions are considerably more advanced and complicated, and they include remote access services, concentrators, remote desktop control software, managed network or public internet support, and implementation of VPNs using IPSec of SSL.

Moreover, each of the above areas of remote support solutions is going through a constant evolution in order to respond to the growing demands of remote and mobile workers. The biggest improvements seen in these solutions include:

·         Improved quality and availability of broadband connections, which makes it possible to include more applications and increases the need for online connectivity instead of just intermittently dialing in for emails

·         Increased deployment and acceptance of VPN as a standard networking tool for companies to communicate with remote users

·         Gradual addition of new wireless data services like next-gen wireless services and Wi-Fi

·         Constant improvements in call handling capabilities of remote access service devices

·         Development of the outsourcing industry in order to meet the remote networking demands of companies, including carrier-agnostic VPNs offered by operators for tunneling a service across different networks

The current market for these services is quite volatile, with a large number of players offering continuous services such as access software with different management levels, equipment requirements, and customer premises. The biggest players in this market only control a small part of it, and the marketplace offers a wide range of service, hardware, and software products. The leaders in this market can be identified in terms of basic remote access hardware and carrier services sector.

VPNs that establish network connections via carrier PoPs are the direction that the remote access market is headed toward, which is a clear departure from the remote access server model. There is also a clear trend toward the outsourcing of network security, management, and direct access.

The market for managed VPNs is quite healthy and looks like it is absorbing remote access, as well as corporate WAN and extranet sectors. Even though outsourcing is costlier than in-house solutions in some cases, it offers an added of advantage of better monitoring, greater scalability, and more points of presence. Moreover, service level agreements can be set up for making sure remote workers get the necessary access to corporate networks.

Will desktop video conferencing replace room-based video conferencing?

Research shows that room-based video conferencing is much more common than its desktop counterpart.

According to the May 2011 InformationWeek Desktop Video Conferencing Survey, 34% of respondents had desktop video conferencing system deployed with an extra 10% saying they were planning to do the same over the following 12 months. The same poll showed that 78% of the respondents had already implemented a room-based video conferencing system, even though these are usually more expensive and difficult to use.

Still, desktop video conferencing adoption seems to be growing, and could, in a near future, take over room-based video conferencing.

Room-based video conferencing is tied to management and employee training. It’s great and very important to have a room where one can have a meeting with a possible partner or a client through video, or a place where employees can attend seminars without having to leave their office.

But desktop video conferencing, which can be deployed on every computer without the need of a specific space, can be very useful in a working environment and increase productivity substantially. By deploying and implementing a unified communications system, which includes desktop video conferencing, collaboration among employees and between employees and management will increase considerably.

When asked the question “Why is your company using or evaluating desktop video conferencing?” the top answer with the 38% of the responses was “to improve collaboration among employees”, followed by “to reduce travel costs” with 31% and “to improve collaboration with partners and customers.”

The main reason for the disparity between room-based and desktop video conferencing is because the latter was always considered to lack the video quality of the first, which is partially true. Today, this gap is closing especially due to technological developments. Solution vendors have realized that in order to sell video conferencing systems they need to prioritize image quality while maintaining connection speed.

New solutions available in the market, such as RHUB 6-in-1 web conferencing and remote support appliance, deliver a high quality service which can match any room-based video conferencing system, being easier to use and deploy while being cheaper to implement, requiring little to no maintenance.

As technology progresses and vendors come up with new solutions it is only expected that not only desktop video conferencing will catch up with room-based video conferencing, it will surpass it.

New Research shows that Video Conferencing setups make hacking easy

According to Rapid7, a provider of security risk intelligence solutions, thousands of video conferencing systems raise several security concerns and are vulnerable to hacking.

These security issues might become a big problem for companies that don’t take their video conferencing security serious since many remote conferences take place in corporate meeting rooms, where sensible information is discussed. 

According to HD Moore, Rapid7 CSO and Chief Architect, “many of these [video conferencing systems] are naked on the internet.” He estimates that over 150,000 systems on the internet can be easily hacked into allowing intruders to listen to private conversations using the system’s microphone and watching the conference through the computer cameras.  

In an interview, Moore has said that the biggest mistakes in corporate video conferencing are the auto-answer feature and deploying a video conference without being firewall protected. Moore also added that while many systems are protected behind a firewall, many of them cannot handle the H.323 protocol, leaving the system accessible to intruders.

Moore, while researching for systems vulnerabilities, has accessed video conferences which took place at boardrooms as well as law offices, venture capital firms and research facilities.

“Often, where video conferencing equipment gets located are the same places where the most sensitive meetings take place,” said Mike Tuchen, Chief Executive of Rapid7.   

According to both Moore and Tuchen, stopping such attacks isn’t hard though it requires some technical know-how. One of the easiest ways of preventing spying is by disabling the auto-answer feature, they explained.

Another way might be looking for equipment that offers good security solutions and that it is easy to use and to monitor. With fully implemented security solutions, video conferencing appliances like RHUB Web conferencing appliance solution fully secure video conferencing meetings by barricading them behind firewalls and by using both SSL and proprietary encryptions. 

Governmental agencies are lagging behind in adopting remote access software

In November the American City & Council (ACC) has conducted a survey which found out that 27% of respondents working in a governmental agencies are allowed to telecommute.

In the same survey another question was asked: “Considering the growth of mobile device usage and the greater broadband features, do you plan to allow more employees to telework?” The answer is, at least, surprising. A staggering 75% answered “No.”

What might this number mean? Governmental agencies are getting behind when it comes to revolutionize the workplace and to implement telecommuting as a viable work option. 

Elaborating on their responses, some of the respondents have said that showing up for work is one way of showing the public that they are accountable, while another explained that remote work was only available to accommodate those that are physically challenged and other special cases.

It seems as if governmental agencies still don’t understand what remote work means and what it can do for them, as studies have showed that telecommuting reduces travel expenses and increases productivity as well as employee happiness.

Sure, many governmental employees cannot do their jobs from the comfort of their homes but imagine how much governmental agencies would save if they allowed a more significant part of their workforce to work from home.

Still, some people, like Steve Oppermann, believe that in 2012 more governmental agencies will institute and expand remote work programs.

Steve Oppermann, an HR & EEO consultant, has said to the website GovPro that he thinks “the federal Telework Enhacement Act, as well as administration support, will continue to have a positive effect on expanding telework.” 

The Telework Enhacement Act was created to stimulate and accelerate the rate at which governmental agencies implement remote working policies, but it might not enough if the agencies don’t perceive what telecommuting can do for them. As long as telework is seen as second rate work, telecommuting will have difficulty in becoming a standard practice in governmental agencies.

Remote working solutions, such as RHUB 6-in-1 web conferencing and remote support appliance, can revolutionize the way the agencies relate with their employees, increasing their own productivity while cutting on costs.

Governmental agencies are getting behind in adopting remote work

In November the American City & Council (ACC) has conducted a survey which found out that 27% of respondents working in a governmental agencies are allowed to telecommute.

In the same survey another question was asked: “Considering the growth of mobile device usage and the greater broadband features, do you plan to allow more employees to telework?” The answer is, at least, surprising. A staggering 75% answered “No.”

What might this number mean? Governmental agencies are getting behind when it comes to revolutionize the workplace and to implement telecommuting as a viable work option. 

Elaborating on their responses, some of the respondents have said that showing up for work is one way of showing the public that they are accountable, while another explained that remote work was only available to accommodate those that are physically challenged and other special cases.

It seems as if governmental agencies still don’t understand what remote work means and what it can do for them, as studies have showed that telecommuting reduces travel expenses and increases productivity as well as employee happiness.

Sure, many governmental employees cannot do their jobs from the comfort of their homes but imagine how much governmental agencies would save if they allowed a more significant part of their workforce to work from home.

Still, some people, like Steve Oppermann, believe that in 2012 more governmental agencies will institute and expand remote work programs.

Steve Oppermann, an HR & EEO consultant, has said to the website GovPro that he thinks “the federal Telework Enhacement Act, as well as administration support, will continue to have a positive effect on expanding telework.” 

The Telework Enhacement Act was created to stimulate and accelerate the rate at which governmental agencies implement remote working policies, but it might not enough if the agencies don’t perceive what telecommuting can do for them. As long as telework is seen as second rate work, telecommuting will have difficulty in becoming a standard practice in governmental agencies.

Remote working solutions, such as RHUB 6-in-1 web conferencing and remote support appliance, can revolutionize the way the agencies relate with their employees, increasing their own productivity while cutting on costs.

SMB are deploying web conferences as well as remote support appliance

After a 2008 and a 2009 which took the world on big ride through economic recession, making companies big and small delay their ICT investment and network upgrades, 2011 finally saw the global economy take the first steps towards economic recovery and analysts are now expecting that companies all over the world will resume their investments and spending in better infrastructure.

According to a new GIA (Global Industry Analysts, Inc.) report which takes a look at the global networking hardware and software industry, the information technology and communications (ICT) market will reach $214.2 billion in 2015, with 52% of the companies planning to increase their spending in network equipment in the immediate future. 

With networking speeds going beyond the 10-Gigabit Ethernet and with the increase of cheap and innovative solutions available in the market which take advantage of such speeds, enterprises are feeling the pressure to update their networks to avoid server congestions.

The market for Ethernet Switches will also start to grow to 2012, after having slowed down in 2009 and 2010, in part due to a global economy coming back from a deep recession, in part due to an increase in the adoption and deployment of data centers. Another market that will notice an increasing demand is the Router segment, since the use of Remote Access Servers and Virtual Private Network is increasing as well.

The fact is that, with increased networking speeds, SMBs are starting to feel the need to give their employees better solutions to enhance communications at the enterprise level. Such solutions include video and web conferencing, which allow companies to deploy conferences, as well as remote support, which allows companies to remotely provide assistance to their clients directly on their computers, saving money and time and increasing productivity.

The increase in investments is expected to rise especially in the government, healthcare and financial sectors.

ICT Market Expected to Reach $214.2 Billion by 2015

After a 2008 and a 2009 which took the world on big ride through economic recession, making companies big and small delay their ICT investment and network upgrades, 2011 finally saw the global economy take the first steps towards economic recovery and analysts are now expecting that companies all over the world will resume their investments and spending in better infrastructure.

According to a new GIA (Global Industry Analysts, Inc.) report which takes a look at the global networking hardware and software industry, the information technology and communications (ICT) market will reach $214.2 billion in 2015, with 52% of the companies planning to increase their spending in network equipment in the immediate future. 

With networking speeds going beyond the 10-Gigabit Ethernet and with the increase of cheap and innovative solutions available in the market which take advantage of such speeds, enterprises are feeling the pressure to update their networks to avoid server congestions.

The market for Ethernet Switches will also start to grow to 2012, after having slowed down in 2009 and 2010, in part due to a global economy coming back from a deep recession, in part due to an increase in the adoption and deployment of data centers. Another market that will notice an increasing demand is the Router segment, since the use of Remote Access Servers and Virtual Private Network is increasing as well.

The fact is that, with increased networking speeds, SMBs are starting to feel the need to give their employees better solutions to enhance communications at the enterprise level. Such solutions include video and web conferencing, which allow companies to deploy conferences, as well as remote support, which allows companies to remotely provide assistance to their clients directly on their computers, saving money and time and increasing productivity.

The increase in investments is expected to rise especially in the government, healthcare and financial sectors.

Use both remote support and video conferencing to support your customer

Video conferencing is one of the best innovations to hit the market in these last few years. Though video and web conferencing exist for more than a decade, only in the last five years did video and web conferencing solutions became cheap and advanced enough to be adopted by companies all over the globe and to be an important part of their daily operations. 

Video conferencing is so important that it changed the way people communicate and meet in a business environment, allowing for people who are distant from each other to meet face to face and work on a virtual environment.

But video and web conferencing solutions are not alone. Together with remote support solutions, video and web conferencing can be much more effective and extend its usefulness.

Remote support solutions allow for its users to remotely connect and to provide direct support to someone else using their own computer.

How useful is this during a video or web conferencing call? Imagine that you’re talking to somebody and a problem with the computer in the other end of the line arises.  Using a remote support solution you can solve the problem directly without the need to be there and without waiting any time. 

Now imagine that you’re using a conference call to teach new employees or colleagues. A remote support solution enables you to be talking to them and, at the same time, to be showing them directly on their computers what they have to do, where to find the documents they need and how to use software and other tools.

And then there is customer support. Using video conferencing and remote support, you can talk to customers face to face and to be providing assistance to them on their workstations. All this saves time and money.

The best news for companies who need or would like to have both video conferencing and remote support is that there are solutions in the market that provide both remote support and video and web conferencing, such as RHUB TurboMeeting and TurboSupport appliances. 

Get Remote Support and Video Conferencing in one App from RHUB

Video conferencing is one of the best innovations to hit the market in these last few years. Though video and web conferencing exist for more than a decade, only in the last five years did video and web conferencing solutions became cheap and advanced enough to be adopted by companies all over the globe and to be an important part of their daily operations. 

Video conferencing is so important that it changed the way people communicate and meet in a business environment, allowing for people who are distant from each other to meet face to face and work on a virtual environment.

But video and web conferencing solutions are not alone. Together with remote support solutions, video and web conferencing can be much more effective and extend its usefulness.

Remote support solutions allow for its users to remotely connect and to provide direct support to someone else using their own computer.

How useful is this during a video or web conferencing call? Imagine that you’re talking to somebody and a problem with the computer in the other end of the line arises.  Using a remote support solution you can solve the problem directly without the need to be there and without waiting any time. 

Now imagine that you’re using a conference call to teach new employees or colleagues. A remote support solution enables you to be talking to them and, at the same time, to be showing them directly on their computers what they have to do, where to find the documents they need and how to use software and other tools.

And then there is customer support. Using video conferencing and remote support, you can talk to customers face to face and to be providing assistance to them on their workstations. All this saves time and money.

The best news for companies who need or would like to have both video conferencing and remote support is that there are solutions in the market that provide both remote support and video and web conferencing, such as RHUB TurboMeeting and TurboSupport appliances. 

Remote Support as a complement to your Video Conferencing solution

Video conferencing is one of the best innovations to hit the market in these last few years. Though video and web conferencing exist for more than a decade, only in the last five years did video and web conferencing solutions became cheap and advanced enough to be adopted by companies all over the globe and to be an important part of their daily operations. 

Video conferencing is so important that it changed the way people communicate and meet in a business environment, allowing for people who are distant from each other to meet face to face and work on a virtual environment.

But video and web conferencing solutions are not alone. Together with remote support solutions, video and web conferencing can be much more effective and extend its usefulness.

Remote support solutions allow for its users to remotely connect and to provide direct support to someone else using their own computer.

How useful is this during a video or web conferencing call? Imagine that you’re talking to somebody and a problem with the computer in the other end of the line arises.  Using a remote support solution you can solve the problem directly without the need to be there and without waiting any time. 

Now imagine that you’re using a conference call to teach new employees or colleagues. A remote support solution enables you to be talking to them and, at the same time, to be showing them directly on their computers what they have to do, where to find the documents they need and how to use software and other tools.

And then there is customer support. Using video conferencing and remote support, you can talk to customers face to face and to be providing assistance to them on their workstations. All this saves time and money.

The best news for companies who need or would like to have both video conferencing and remote support is that there are solutions in the market that provide both remote support and video and web conferencing, such as RHUB TurboMeeting and TurboSupport appliances.