Review: Remote Desktop Support Out Of The Box

Originally called the NetworkStreaming SupportDesk, the company earlier this year rebranded its appliance as well as itself under the Bomgar name. Regardless of its moniker, the Bomgar Box is undoubtedly one of the best help-desk support solutions examined by the CRN Test Center.

As a dedicated appliance, the Bomgar Box takes advantage of network security already in place, connects to remote PCs without requiring a client-side plug-in and eliminates performance and connection problems that sometimes plague rival hosted services.

Test Center engineers looked at the Bomgar B300, which arrives with two NIC cards, one for an intranet and another to connect to a DMZ. The Bomgar Box does not use any special ports, so it does not require any firewall configuration. This appliance is accessible from Internet ports such as 80 and 443, and only supports outbound connections.

The appliance also accepts multiple IP addresses on each NIC, allowing administrators to separate support sites using multiple subdomains.

Out of the box, the Bomgar appliance needs to establish connections to two administrator-created Web sites. The first updates the Bomgar software, while the second site provides the appliance's main support portal. Users can initiate technical support requests through the portal, via e-mail or by phone, but the portal is the easiest method for requesting support, since tickets are automatically generated.

The appliance's installation and configuration Web site is strictly used as an administration site for fine-tuning support features and network access.

The Bomgar Box generates certificates for each of the IP addresses used by an administration Web site. The Box can either generate a self-signed certificate or submit a Certificate Authority through companies such as VeriSign. In addition, administration Web sites automatically log out administrators every few minutes, which engineers found cumbersome.

The appliance model is a key differentiator over competitive services such as Citrix Systems' GotoAssist and WebEx Communications' Support Center. The benefits of owning an appliance are plentiful.

For instance, solution providers can offer unparalleled security because customers do not have to go to any third-party provider site to receive support. In fact, solution providers can deploy an appliance at the customer site and provide support remotely.

By maintaining complete control, it becomes easier for customers to meet compliance regulations. The appliance produces a syslog that tracks every event. It also provides direct access to the syslog file, which then can be stored on a separate server.

Bomgar also offers a monthly subscription priced at $300 per month for each technician. However, the appliance model is a better deal for solution providers that want to get into the technical support business. According to Bomgar, the break-even point for the appliance, which carries a list price of $12,390, is anywhere from 10 months to 14 months.

To test Bomgar's client throughput, Test Center engineers installed the software on a wireless-enabled laptop and used it to connect to a PC on the same LAN and another PC on a separate network. The laptop was able to connect to both systems in seconds without any noticeable delays.

The Bomgar appliance includes support for file transfers between users and support representatives. A transfer manager helps transfer files between user systems. Here again, engineers passed large files between PCs without halting a session.

Next: The Bottom Line During installation, administrators can integrate the Bomgar Box with Active Directory and LDAP. By pulling accounts from AD, administrators can quickly build group policies and assign them to support representatives. Administrators can create multiple groups and divide support staff based on their expertise and troubleshooting experience.

The appliance's main support features are managed by policies. Administrators can deactivate file transferring and even block support representatives from directly interacting with PCs. A view-only policy can prevent new technical support hires from messing up users' computers.

By restricting the first-tier support staff members' access, they will still be able to provide frontline services but will be prohibited from overstepping their duties. Senior support staff can receive outstanding cases that could not be handled by junior technicians.

Blocking file transfers can serve multiple purposes. For instance, support representatives are not able to download files from users' PCs with this feature turned off. According to Bomgar, this feature is often used by companies to restrict access to executive PCs. In addition to protecting data, blocking file transfers is useful when accessing networks at remote offices where security might be a concern.

The Bomgar appliance also supports session recording and can produce reports detailing every activity performed by technicians. Solution providers offering technical support services with this appliance can use session recordings to generate security reports and keep an eye on employees. The appliance also supports reverse viewing, which allows end users to see what the technician is viewing.

The user interface on Bomgar's client software creates separate tabs for every opened connection, eliminating confusion when working on multiple tickets. Tracking the queue becomes easier as well because technicians are able to manage statutes by separating tickets.

The Bomgar Box generates executables for every session, and users only need to download the file and run it. At the end of the session the file is automatically deleted and completely removed from the drive.

Competing vendors such as Citrix can only access PCs on the same LAN. These vendors require client plug-ins and special firewall configurations because the services only work through unique port settings. Moreover, some of the SaaS plug-ins allow PCs to generate inbound traffic, which forces administrators to set up port forwarding through firewalls.

Bomgar also provides an API that allows solution providers to create custom applications that integrate with the appliance. In addition, solution providers can use the API to pull information on a regular basis to generate custom reports.

Its ease of setup, deployment and management makes the Bomgar Box a compelling product for VARs that want to tap the vast revenue opportunities afforded by the technical support services arena.