Life’s a Beach

More and more, despite attempts to leave it all behind, IT personnel are taking their work with them on vacations and even on family day trips and outings. While eWEEK does not condone this, we say that if you’re going to do it, you may as well do it right.

A platform and IT management system-agnostic offering that allows remote IT infrastructure management from a smartphone or tablet, this SolarWinds technology enables IT admins to respond to alerts and take corrective action while away from the office.

SecureCRT from VanDyke Software is a commercial Secure Shell (SSH) and Telnet client and terminal emulator available on Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X and Linux. SecureCRT provides secure remote access to Unix and Linux servers as well as routers, file transfer and data-tunneling capabilities.

This network protocol analyzer lets IT administrators capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network. This is a key piece of technology for administrators on the go, as it allows them to troubleshoot either client-side virtual private network issues or network issues after connecting through a VPN to their own network.

PuTTY is a free and open-source terminal emulator application, which can act as a client for the SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and raw TCP computing protocol, as well as a serial console client. PuTTY allows admins to connect to their organizations’ routers and Unix and Linux servers once they VPN in.

FileZilla is an easy-to-use FTP client that allows IT admins to transfer files and logs to or from their network after they connect through the VPN.

LastPass is an online password manager and form-filler that makes Web browsing easier and more secure, meaning you’ll never have to be reliant on your stored passwords for access to your favorite sites and accounts. Â

XCom Global is an international data rental service for globe-trotting adventures that allows administrators to stay connected across countries and time zones.

LiberKey is free, open-source software that lets you take your freeware and open-source applications on the road with you on a USB stick, Secure Digital (SD) card, or a laptop running Microsoft Windows XP or later versions of Windows. LiberKey lets admins take a portable version of their favorite application with them when they travel.

PortableApps provides packaged software suitable for use on portable media, without leaving settings files on the host computer. In addition to containing many free GNU tools and being able to run without installation, PortableApps lets admins carry their favorite apps on a USB stick; that way, they have them even if they’re using somebody else’s laptop.

iPass provides a suite of Internet services to business users working remotely, enabling them to stay up-to-date on email and internal communications while away from the office.