Beyond Regular Computer Service
Posted on January 4, 2006
Filed Under Business Computing, IT Industry, Security |
Traditionally when a computer breaks the owner will bring it into a shop for repair or a technician will come on-site to fix it. Times have changed however and while tradition still has its place, there are alternatives.
With a high speed Internet connection it is possible to connect to a remote computer with the owners’ knowledge and permission to provide assistance or fix problems. This of course isn’t possible with a computer that won’t boot up or connect to the Internet, but many problems can be solved this way with little trouble.
Microsoft took a huge step toward making this method of getting help easier with Windows XP’s ‘Remote Assistance’. Remote Assistance is only available on Windows XP Home Edition or Professional and the person providing assistance must also be running Windows XP.
Remote Assistance can be started in one of three ways:
• From ‘Help and Support’
• From Windows Messenger, and
• By sending a file, for example as an email attachment.
Remote Assistance is an offshoot of Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol and if your computer is behind a firewall, a small change at the firewall may be required.
With Remote Assistance you (the ‘novice’) can invite someone (the ‘expert’) be it a friend, family member, computer technician, whoever, to log on to your computer and help you out with a problem. There is a chat function so you can communicate and you can allow the expert to take control of your computer while you watch what he or she is doing.
Remote Assistance is a great tool for the home user to get support but businesses often require more than break/fix service.
For Windows servers, the concept of managing a computer remotely is taken to the next level with Terminal Services. Terminal Services provide full access to the remote server just as though the support technician is sitting in front of the server monitor.
Gaining huge momentum in the U.S. is the concept of remote network management. Using various tools, a computer consultant can monitor a client’s network for abnormalities or outages and have alerts sent by pager, email, text messaging, and so on.
This proactive approach can often warn the consultant that something is going wrong on the network and allow him or her to correct it quickly. More importantly though is the advanced warning of impending disaster that can help resolve an expensive and sometimes business destroying problem before it ever happens.
To learn more about Remote Assistance, Terminal Services, and network monitoring, please visit http://www.bowesit.com.
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