While working the help desk at an MSP, the easiest and fastest way for me to fix an issue was to remote control the system. This was typically made possible by remote control software like Bomgar Remote Support. The software enables IT service desks and support centers to access and fix nearly any remote device, running any platform, located anywhere in the world. It's the next best thing to sitting at the user's desk to fix the problem.
Bomgar has been around almost since the beginning and was one of the first platforms available for remote support solutions. The company does not seem to be resting on their laurels (or is it yannys?) and continues to release new features for their service. Indeed, Bomgar recently announced version 18.2 of the Remote Support software that introduces the new Bomgar Vault for Remote Support.
According to the company, Bomgar Vault was developed for IT help desk technicians who need to access privileged credentials to complete their job tasks. Administrators can now eliminate the need for technicians to memorize or manually track passwords. Additionally, Bomgar Vault improves productivity as users can inject privileged credentials directly into an endpoint with just one click – without ever knowing or seeing the credentials. The new Bomgar Vault also includes a discovery feature to automatically find and protect AD and local administrator credentials.
I can attest to the fact that it is a huge pain to look up credentials when you are working a service desk for several different clients during the course of a day. Even though looking these credentials up in our internal systems is usually fairly quick, eliminating this step can seriously reduce time to resolution for tickets. Not only this, but it can also reduce the number of people who have access to the administrative passwords. When fewer people are able to know the admin password to critical systems, security increases.
Donald Hasson, director of ITSM product management at Bomgar, said in a prepared statement, “Privileged accounts and passwords are prime targets in cyberattacks because they allow hackers to utilize legitimate credentials with elevated permissions to access other areas of the network. If credentials are stolen or compromised, cybercriminals can move laterally across your network, expanding the damage beyond the initial breach. Bomgar’s solutions are designed with security in mind, to help organizations safeguard their most critical systems, accounts and credentials to protect their IT networks from today’s threats.”
Additionally, version 18.2 includes:
- Public Portal Scheduling Options – Configure the times that your Bomgar public support portal is open for users to request support sessions.
- Customizable Issue Submission Fields – Define which fields are shown when using issue submission to start a support session, and only capture the necessary information relevant for your organization.
- Direct Web Console Login – Access the Bomgar Web Rep Console directly from a dedicated URL, allowing technicians to start a Bomgar support session more quickly.
- Expanded Web Console Permissions - Administrators can apply network restrictions more granularly to Bomgar Web Rep Console users.
MSPs, Secure Access and Password Management
No doubt, password management and security are converging with MSP-oriented management systems. Companies like Kaseya (AuthAnvil), IT Glue (documentation, password and process management vault), and Passportal (password management and documentation) each haver been integrating their wares with RMM (remote monitoring and management) and PSA (professional services automation) systems.
Additional insights from Joe Panettieri.