subject: AUTOMATED REMOTE SUPPORT – THE SMART CHOICE [print this page] AUTOMATED REMOTE SUPPORT THE SMART CHOICE
Any corporation doing business today is dependent on IT hardware and software for much of its regular business transactions with external suppliers, clients or customers, and also for internal records, MIS and processes. And since any mid or large sized company usually has offices or factories or outlets in more than one location, hence their IT resources are usually not bundled at one place. Earlier a company would be able to deploy a trained administrator for managing the problems at every location where its servers, desktops, laptops or routers were placed. But as the geographies increased, both cost and manpower became debilitating constraints. These obvious limitations apart, there are some technical reasons why the conventional approaches to managing networks at far flung locations are often found wanting. First, the local area network (LAN) which was more popular earlier has now been widely replaced by the wide area network (WAN) to connect systems. So going across physically to fix a problem is not an easy option anymore. Also, these use a network protocol to collect and report system data, which cease to function if there is a network breakdown. Second, Remote access automation technologies like console servers or KVM (Keyboard, video, mouse) can be used only to access remote devices, but can not be depended upon to identify and fix problems, for which the administrator sitting at a remote location still needs to use his skill manually, instead of relying to these remote access technologies to provide automated support without human intervention. Finally, companies often resort to outsourcing this complex work of remote management but soon realise that it is just a temporary reprieve from the cost and logistics nightmare of managing their networks. The headache might be handled by an agency but they too remove each bug manually but are not able to address the inherent weakness in the system. That is where an efficient Automated Remote Support system comes in handy for a company which is looking to manage remote IT locations with minimal cost and risk. But a company opting for automated remote support needs to also run a check for itself so that the choice of system it makes can actually solve its maintenance headaches instead of compounding them. The system should be able to run independent of the network being up and running and provide alternate access to the systems even if there is a network outage. Since the control is automated and often not done in the physical presence of the administrator, hence the system should be totally secure and compliant. The system chosen should be able to provide real time maintenance instead of just monitoring for glitches. Since it is mandatory for institutions to provide complete user data regarding network failures to the appropriate regulatory authorities, the system chosen should be able to retrieve this data accurately and completely. So make the smart choice and invest in a good automated remote support system to enforce, manage and continuously improve your company's IT environment.
