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IT performance management software specialist SolarWinds introduced integration between the company’s Web Help Desk and DameWare Remote Support in an effort to provide more direct IT incident support and reduce overall end-user performance disruption.
The integration allows IT professionals to remotely access and control end users’ Windows, Linux and Mac OS devices and address their IT problems, while recording ticket details, including chat transcripts, asset status and other data to reduce downtime and optimize long-term business performance.
DameWare Remote Support provides remote access to Windows, Linux and Mac OS X desktops, laptops and servers for remote troubleshooting and management of servers and workstations.
Administrators can reboot systems; start and stop services and processes; copy or delete files; view and clear event logs; manage multiple AD domains, users and groups; remotely reset passwords; and gain access to Windows computers from iOS and Android mobile devices. Pricing starts at $349.
“The rise in expectations for IT performance really has two key drivers. First, businesses rely on technology more than ever. Second, end-users are becoming more tech-savvy,” Glenn Gray, senior product marketing manager for SolarWinds, told eWEEK. “Trends like BYOD and the consumerization of IT underlie this fact. As this happens, they are growing less patient and less tolerant when it comes to downtime and other IT-related issues.”
With the integration between the two platforms, users are able to launch remote support sessions directly from tickets and asset reports, providing on-site support delivery for end users working from home or on the go. This functionality allows IT pros to connect with a remote end user’s computer or server directly from an automated support ticket or from an asset management record.
Another feature is the ability to store critical information from completed support sessions into the ticket log and asset data, including chat transcripts, screenshots and data such as remote access duration.
In addition, SolarWinds Web Help Desk features asset reporting for monitoring of business-critical metrics, including time-to-resolution and end-user satisfaction, helping IT departments maintain reports on assets, both hardware and software, for records, audit trails or to identify weak spots within an infrastructure.
Users can also generate reports about assets at the aggregate and single-system levels, filtered by OS or model, location, incidents, warranty expirations and more.
“While performance issues experienced by small businesses might not result in as great a loss in terms of actual dollar amount, that loss can be just as or more significant from a ratio perspective,” Grey explained. “Add to this the fact that small businesses likely have fewer safeguards and resources in place to deal with performance issues, and it’s clear that such problems can have as great if not greater impact on them than enterprises.”
Web Help Desk features automated help desk ticketing for streamlined IT service management from request to resolution with rule-based routing and escalation, real-time tracking and service-level agreement (SLA) alerts, simplified IT asset management, tracking and reporting. Pricing starts at $695.
“As market demand and customer requests for an integrated ITSM [IT service management] solution grew, it just made sense to integrate Web Help Desk and DameWare Remote Support,” Grey said. “The integration enables IT pros to remotely access and control end users’ devices and immediately address their IT problems, all while recording ticket details, including chat transcripts, asset status and other data, to reduce downtime and optimize long-term business performance.”