Most of my IT career has been spent running a help desk for a California-based IT consulting firm. However, I do not live in California. That's why I was an early mover to remote control software.
I always would say that any type of PC, server or Mac issue could be fixed remotely -- short of hardware failure or the lack of an Internet connection. But the rise of tablets, smartphones, Apple iOS, Google Android and other mobile systems complicated matters.
In response, remote control software companies have been trying to tackle this diverse world as it evolves beyond Windows-based systems.
Bomgar Remote Support for Any Operating System?
Bomgar is tackling operating system diversity head-on in their just released Remote Support update. The update allows support professionals to access Chrome OS devices, which have become increasingly popular, especially in the education field. The support is available through a Chrome Extension and is deployed using G Suite to the devices that are running Chome OS, leaving end users with nothing required to download. The new addition of Chrome OS support gives customer support centers the ability to access and fix nearly any remote device, running any platform, located anywhere in the world, the company claims.
Bomgar Remote Support 17.1 also offers new features for enterprise scalability, security and manageability, including enhancements to Bomgar’s Jump Technology. The Jump Clients allow for unattended remote access to systems and devices. The New Jump Groups will allow administrators to organize the items and assign Jump Roles to allow specific access to the clients.
Also featured in this update:
- Real-Time Chat Translation – GeoFluent integration works seamlessly with Bomgar Chat for real-time communication in 100+ languages.
- Native Two-Factor TOTP Authentication – Local and LDAP accounts can now utilize 2FA using a time-based one-time password (TOTP) authentication app such as Google Authenticator.
- Web Rep Console File Transfer – The web-based Rep Console, which requires no downloads, now allows file transfers between a support technician’s local system and a remote system.
- Representative Profile Photos – Personalize the support experience for both the rep and the user with profile photos that can be uploaded to a rep’s account, or existing photos from LDAP that can be synced for centralized management.
- Smart Card Enhancements – Smart card reader names can now be shown in the Rep Console dropdown list, with a visual indicator to show progress during smart card elevation processes.
These improvements, if they work as advertised, will certainly make it easier for service professionals to give assistance across the board, instead of having to dispatch someone for a system that can not be controlled remotely.
