Internet-based remote support for help desks. Product white paper

Transcription

1 Product white paper

2 The challenge Providing timely, efficient, and cost-effective technical support for all users is one of the challenges that many organizations face today. Supporting thousands of users of every kind professionals and private pose a real challenge. It is not operationally feasible to install traditional remote control software clients on all its users computers. To provide the expert technical support that end users expect, help desk staff need to be able to quickly respond to a request for support. End-users need not have a formal relationship with the help desk, and often they will be behind an unmanaged firewall. In addition, the help desk has little or no influence over the hardware that is being used, which can result in big problems with the connectivity through the firewalls that shield most computers today. Advantages of Internet-based remote support Typically, a support incident involves a lengthy and complex diagnostic process during which an end-user has to gather settings and log files and send them to the help desk center, so that it in turn can replicate the end-user s environment. This can all take days of and phone sessions. With remote support via the Internet help desk centers can resolve end user s problems within a single, interactive session. We have identified three essential business advantages: Reduced support costs through increased productivity Remote support allows the help desk staff to see the customer s problem first hand and fix the problem immediately. The work is actually done on the machine with the problem. Reduced time to resolution A support issue can take time to be resolved because the customer is difficult to get hold of, or because the customer cannot understand the instructions he or she is given to fix a technical problem. Increased customer satisfaction and loyalty The help desk center employee can gather the relevant configuration information and the problem is more likely to be resolved in a single session. In addition, the customer can see exactly what the help desk center employee is doing, so the value of support is more tangible. How does it work? Netop OnDemand is a way of offering services to remote end-users via the Internet and other IP based networks. The system consists of the following components: An extended edition of the Netop Remote Control Guest, a downloadable Netop OnDemand Host, and Netop WebConnect service, which comprises one or more Connection Servers and a Connection Manager. The extended Guest is the visiting part, which can take control of the OnDemand Host. The Host is the visited part, which must manually allow the Guest to take control. The WebConnect connection service enables ad-hoc secure connection between Guest and Host. Copenhagen May 2009 Page 1

3 The following illustrates a complete help desk setup: The connection flow can be described as follows: 1. An end-user needs help, goes to a help desk web page and clicks a link to request support. 2. An OnDemand Host is downloaded to the end-user's computer. 3. In the WebConnect dialog box displayed on the OnDemand Host, the end-user requesting support enters a ticket and either enters the URL of a Connection Manager copied from the web page or accepts the URL already entered. Then he or she clicks OK. The OnDemand Host starts polling the Connection Manager and receives information about a Connection Server to connect to. 4. The extended Guest on the help desk side polls the same Connection Manager at regular intervals. The requests for support from the OnDemand Host will be displayed in the Help Request tab of the Guest. The supporter using the Guest decides to offer the end-user on the Host side support by clicking the request for support displayed in his or her Guest Help Request tab When the supporter clicks the request for support, the Connection Manager sends information to the Guest about which Connection Server to connect to. The connection between Guest and Host is now established at the Connection Server, and the supporter can help the end-user. Copenhagen May 2009 Page 2

4 Solution for the enterprise market Internet-based remote support for help desks When choosing a web-based remote support solution, it is essential that support organizations consider the security, flexibility, scalability, and speed of the product. Netop OnDemand is aimed at large organizations supplying software end-user support, such as Internet service providers, telecommunications companies, ERP vendors, CRM vendors, and banks. Netop OnDemand is a part of the Netop Remote Control product suite which enables your company to remote control servers, mobile phones, desktops fieldworkers, help desks etc. from a single interface. The Netop Remote Control Guest is at the center of the entire Netop Remote Control solution. By adding the Netop module that you need to remote control your critical clients and applications you can customize the centralized solution required by your company to maintain efficiency at low cost. Key Features The key features of Netop OnDemand include the following benefits: Help desk benefits: View the end user's desktop and use the end-user s keyboard and mouse plus secondary mouse pointer for annotation by help desk staff in Viewonly mode. Mask-off programs and files that you don t want end-users to see while demonstrating. Firewall friendly - communication through Netop WebConnect service. Extensive event logging providing a basis for call tracking and invoicing, and session recording enabling auditing and documentation. Supports Intel x86 and x64 processors and compatible running Windows 2003, XP, 2000, Vista, or Server Licensed per help-desk representative, not per end-user. User benefits: No administrative privileges required to run. No pre-installed software required - small downloadable file. Mask-off programs and files that you don t want help desk staff to see during remote support. No SW installation on client - no footprint remains on the end-user s computer after the session is complete. Operational in seconds and easy to use no training needed. Text-based chat for easy communication. User-confirmed access and authentication to prevent unauthorized access to the help desk center. Controllable access rights to end-user machine. High security via powerful encryption protecting the sessions against eavesdropping. Copenhagen May 2009 Page 3

5 Questions & Answers Q: How well is communication guarded? A: Netop OnDemand Remote Control is secure; it doesn t use third-party servers to route traffic, and offers 256-bit AES encryption, securing all help sessions against eavesdropping. Q: How many concurrent sessions can Netop OnDemand handle? A: The load-balanced Netop WebConnect service used for Netop OnDemand is scalable and is thus fully capable of fulfilling the demands of help desks and support centers. Q: Do you have to install the client software to get help? A: No! The Netop OnDemand only runs on the client computer. When the session is over, it is completely removed. Q: How will my organization benefit from Netop OnDemand? A: Increased customer satisfaction due to short response time, which greatly increases customer loyalty, increased help desk productivity, and the ease of implementation all result in a rapid return on investment. Conclusion Netop OnDemand provides the next best thing to being there in person, letting technical support staff and help desk employees virtually sit next to their customers, see what s on their screens, and take over their desktops. Netop OnDemand makes it easy to establish connection between the help desk center and end-user computers, no matter how end-users computers are connected to the Internet and regardless of the hardware they are using. Netop OnDemand makes it easy to diagnose and resolve issues, but most importantly, its design means that it does this in a way that is secure, under the end-user s control, fast, and scalable. Netop OnDemand doesn t require end users to install time-consuming or undesired software, and because it is part of the Netop Remote Control product range, it comes with a track record of secure remote control, completing all your remote control needs. Copenhagen May 2009 Page 4

6 Who is Netop? Netop develops and markets software solutions that enable swift, secure and seamless transfer of screens, sound and data between two or more computers. We have three business areas, Netop Administration, Netop Education and Netop Communication. Netop s headquarters are located in Birkerod, north of Copenhagen, Denmark, and we have subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Germany and Switzerland. Netop solutions are sold in more than 80 countries and we have 140 highly skilled and innovative employees worldwide dedicated to service, support and innovation. Netop Solutions A/S shares are listed on Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange and are part of the SmallCap+ index. For further information, please see Copenhagen May 2009 Page 5