* Tools that let you work up a sweat on the beach
It’s vacation season again in the Northern Hemisphere. During the years that I’ve been writing this newsletter I’ve often stated that my goal is to find a way for you to administer your network from a lounger at a sunny beach resort. Now I’ve found my hero, the guy who actually administers his whole company while on vacation.
A recent story in the “Wall Street Journal” (see story link below) talks about electronic tools (like the Blackberry), gimmicks (such as timing e-mail to be delivered after you’ve left the office) and services (such as GoToMyPC.com) that can be used to give the impression that you are in the office when you aren’t. The article gives an account of a vacation taken by trucking company president Skip Coghill – my new hero:
“Skip Coghill, who runs a trucking company, does a lot more than send e-mails in the middle of the night. When he recently took a cruise off the coast of Acapulco, many of his clients never knew he had left the office. Between casino visits and midnight-buffet runs, Mr. Coghill used the GoToMyPC.com software to operate his office computer by remote control. He could even spy on his employees from the deck of the ship: He brought up Global Positioning System maps that showed him the precise location of each of his trucks, down to the intersection. If an employee was off-track, he could fire off a text message to the truck. ‘I was drinking a pina colada, sitting in my swimsuit, having a total ball,’ says Mr. Coghill.”
That could be you.
In previous newsletters we’ve mentioned other tools that can let you run your network from remote (and sunny) locations. Here are some reminders:
* Microsoft Pocket PC Phone Edition
Way back in March 2001, we pondered on whether Microsoft would release a Windows CE (now Pocket PC) version of its NetMeeting remote control software. Well, Microsoft never released such a version but it did release Windows Pocket PC Phone Edition. According the software giant, the product lets you, “keep current with your e-mail, appointments and contacts while on the go,” or maybe while not on the go at the beach. There’s also a call-barring feature …
See the newsletter “NetMeeting for CE?” at https://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/nt/2001/00519051.html
See Microsoft Pocket PC Phone Edition info at https://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/products/pocketpcphone/default.mspx
* Let the BladeForce be with you
Since we first mentioned Jareva Technologies’ BladeForce Blade Management Suite and OpForce in July 2002, the company has been acquired by Veritas. Last month Veritas released Version 3.0 of the OpForce automated server-provisioning tool, but what has happened to its alternative for blade server?
See the newsletter “Let the BladeForce be with you” at https://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/nt/2002/01486008.html
See Veritas’ announcement of OpForce 3.0 https://www.veritas.com/news/press/PressReleaseDetail.jhtml?NewsId=60086
* CrossTec’s NetOP remote-connect tools
NetOp comes in two flavors, Remote Control and School. Remote Control provides the same sort of machine-to-machine connectivity we’ve come to expect from remote control software, while School allows one machine to monitor and/or control a group of other machines simultaneously (as in a classroom situation).https://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/nt/2002/01556528.html
See the newsletter “CrossTec’s approach to remote control” at
* SonicMobility’s SonicAdmin
This product allows you to remotely and securely control your network from a Pocket PC (e.g., iPaq), RIM Blackberry or – if you must – a laptop or desktop PC. You can even cycle power to network connected devices through the use of the PowerRover add-on.
See the newsletter “Sun, sea and network management” at https://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/nt/2002/01659185.html
* NetSupport’s NetSupport Manager
This product does something that none of the other remote control products that I’ve used has been able to do – it can be used to control Macintosh and Linux desktops. Brilliant for when you want to head off to the beach while still being able to support your users.
See the newsletter “Virtually there” at https://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/nt/2003/0224nt2.html
* Windows Small Business Server 2000
Last February, we talked about a Forbes white paper that discusses the business value of Windows Small Business Server 2000. Improved Quality of Life is just one of the benefits of Microsoft’s operating system for small to midsized enterprises, according to the publication – we can’t argue with anything that lets us improve our lives by getting out of the office.
See the newsletter “Microsoft ‘improves quality of life?” https://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/nt/2003/0210nt2.html
Next issue, I’ll tell you about a new version of an old tool that just keeps getting better as well as a brand new tool launched into the suddenly crowded remote management marketplace.
