{"id":47965,"date":"2018-03-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/top-3-reasons-to-use-remote-management-software\/"},"modified":"2018-04-23T17:18:36","modified_gmt":"2018-04-23T17:18:36","slug":"top-3-reasons-to-use-remote-management-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/2\/28195\/it-business\/it-management\/top-3-reasons-to-use-remote-management-software","title":{"rendered":"Top 3 Reasons to Use Remote Management Software"},"content":{"rendered":"
With companies always looking for ways to save money, many are turning to managed service providers<\/a> (MSPs) to outsource their IT needs. For companies that are considering this move, it can greatly increase both productivity and profit. Read on to find out how.<\/p>\n Remote monitoring and management<\/a> (RMM) software, as the name implies, is a software package put together for the purpose of remotely monitoring and managing servers<\/a>, workstations and other network devices. Most RMM software uses a device called a "dashboard,"<\/a> which provides an instant overview of the systems being monitored. Some remote systems require a specialized software package for their dashboard, while other systems are built to be used in a web browser<\/a>.<\/p>\n The two main types of RMM platforms use either active monitoring, passive monitoring or a combination of both. In a passive environment, the dashboard monitors the external traffic from a workstation or server to get a picture of its overall health. Using this measurement, RMM software takes into account such tests as ping<\/a>, HTTP<\/a> and network SNMP<\/a> traffic. Active monitoring also requires the installation of a small software package called an "agent"<\/a> onto the host machine. (For more on SNMP, check out SNMP: The Little Protocol That Could<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Although this installation process is slightly more involved than passive monitoring, active monitoring gives the monitor access to a whole new set of health checks for the target computer, including CPU<\/a> use, memory<\/a> overages, disk space and a host of other features.<\/p>\n If you’ve ever tried to talk a user through a computer configuration or event log<\/a> over the phone, the advantages of remote management software will be immediately obvious. This software provides firsthand insight into a computer's health and any problems that might crop up. One of the biggest advantages of remote management software is the ability to see potential problems and take care of them before they can do any damage. An example of this would be a hard drive<\/a> that continuously underperforms or seems sluggish. This could be an indication of a drive that is about to fail, and for which corrective measures could be taken before data is lost.<\/p>\n Another key advantage of many remote management software packages is the ability to schedule automated tasks and maintenance. You could, for example, schedule a cleanup of temporary files from users' directories in the middle of the night. Many remote management packages are also frequently being bundled with anti-virus<\/a> and anti-malware<\/a> packages. These packages can be updated automatically and scans can be set to run at prescribed intervals to keep the entire network safe.<\/p>\n The main disadvantage to this type of software is that, in order to get a thorough knowledge of the computers being monitored, IT support staff have to install an active agent. This requires access to the computers in question. Another major disadvantage to this type of software is network access. Because most remote management programs require internet access to monitor the target computers, when a connection or any other network link between the dashboard and the target computer goes down, IT will be looking at a blank dashboard. Most remote management programs operate within a policy-type permission model, similar to the Microsoft Windows Active Directory<\/a> environment. If the operator is unfamiliar with this type of setup, deploying a remote management solution might prove difficult. (To learn more about Active Directory, see 5 Things You Didn't Know about Group Policy and Active Directory<\/a>.)<\/p>\n What can be seen as an advantage of remote management can also be one of its weaknesses. Because customers' computers are being managed remotely and proactively, customers might begin to wonder exactly what they’re paying for.<\/p>\nWhat Is Remote Management Software?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Remote Software: Why It Works<\/span><\/h2>\n
… And When It Doesn't<\/span><\/h2>\n
Remote Management Software Strategies<\/span><\/h2>\n