By now, most organizations have come to the realization that relying solely on the telephone for IT support for employees or customers just doesn't cut it. If a problem goes a step beyond the most mundane of questions with the most obvious of answers - 'Are you sure it's plugged in?' - sessions can rapidly deteriorate into maddening exercises in futility. With phone support alone, what we usually end up with is a failure to communicate that produces nothing much more than frustration for both the supporter and the supportee.

To get around the obvious inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of telephone support, it's no surprise that helpdesks jumped on the use of remote control capabilities available through legacy tools like RDP and VNC. No longer was the support technician relying on the often technically challenged and impatient end-user to report what they're seeing and to (more or less) follow the technician's instructions.

But remote control, while necessary, is certainly not sufficient to provide first-rate support. Those who equate remote control with remote support, and try to scrimp by with legacy tools (often free and bundled with application suites), or even with more sophisticated conferencing tools, can end up even more frustrated and thwarted that those going the antiquated phone support route. And all the while, they're missing out on the productivity boost that comes with the adoption of a true remote support solution.

The truth is, legacy tools that enable remote control just aren't up to the remote support task because they weren't designed to meet the demands for security, compliance, and mobility that today's organizations face.

If legacy tools aren't true remote support tools, what does define the real deal?

The following list should help you get a better understanding of what a true remote support tool should be able to do for you.

Work on demand, on and off the corporate network: The workforce is increasingly mobile and 24/7.If they're not on their smartphones, they're connecting to internal applications from laptops, from desktops, from the communal PC in their in-laws' den. A remote support tool needs to be able to access that computer whether there's pre-installed software on it or not. And it needs to be able to access it wherever it is, on or off the corporate network.

Multiplatform, including smartphone, support: While many organizations standardize on one desktop/laptop platform (generally the PC), some allow freedom of choice with some end-users opting for Macs. And the need to support both PCs and Macs becomes even more important when support is extended to customers, partners, vendors, and others on the outside.

Smartphones are also growing in popularity and corporate acceptance, with more and more employees using BlackBerrys and other mobile devices to tap not just their e-mail, but applications such as CRM as well. Without the ability to troubleshoot a mobile device, the only support option may be a time-consuming and non-productive send-in.

Having a remote support solution that can handle PCs and Macs and smartphones from one point is essential in today's world.

Provide fast and reliable connections: If I didn't talk with so many tech support folks using remote support solutions that aren't fast and reliable, I'd say that this requirements is so "duh" obvious that it didn't need to be stated. But it does. In fact, connections that are difficult to make, and easily dropped, can end up frustrating technicians and end-users even more than playing telephone support does.

Work securely: For the most part, legacy tools don't secure Internet communications. This means any data transmitted during the connection could be intercepted. While a VPN could be used, it may not be possible based on the location of the user. Better to look for a remote support tool that offers encrypted connections, and steps up the security level through permission-based access that lets the user decide whether to let a remote support technician gain control of their device. Compliance is also important. With an increasing number of government and industry regulations in place, remote support tool needs to provide audit trails that contain chat logs and recorded sessions.

There is, of course, a larger laundry list of features that you should look for in a remote support tool - scalability, integration, file transfer. Capabilities aimed at technician productivity, such as multi-user sessions, unattended access, quick access to system information, reboot and reconnect, and script deployment, are also key.

But, at the highest level, the ones described above are the rock-bottom essentials - and the ones that can't be easily taken care of it you're trying to pass off a legacy remote control tool as a remote support solution.

Accept no substitutes. Only a true remote support solution will help you provide the level of support your end-users require.


Lee Weiner, a high-tech veteran, serves as Director of Product Marketing for LogMeIn's Support and Collaboration products. Prior to LogMeIn, he held senior product management and technical management positions at Tizor Systems, Symantec Corporation, IMlogic and Netegrity. Lee holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts. To find out more about LogMeIn remote support solutions, visit the LogMeIn Rescue website.