Archive for the ‘IT Management’ Category

10 Reasons Why Geeks Make the Best Mates

February 15, 2012

Definition of a geek: (gēk) noun. slang. An expert or enthusiast in an analytical field such as technology. Once used as an insult, it is now considered a badge of honor among technical people.

Loving Geeks

Valentine’s Day has come and gone.

Hurray!

Perhaps no day tests relationships like Valentine’s Day. Society respectfully suggests that we better demonstrate our love or else risk dire consequences. And, it can be a struggle if you are a romantically challenged bloke like me.

Should you chose the wilted red roses or the petunias? Which box of candy does your mate really prefer? Yes, your marriage may hinge on your choice of white or dark chocolate.

Well, the hoopla has come and gone and luckily we survived.

Now it’s time to answer the real questions about love, the ones that dig deep down into the soul and reveal the truth of your relationship:

Q: Is your significant other a geek?
Q: Do you know a geek?
Q: Are you a geek?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, then we have the crucial scoop for you: Discover the top 10 Reasons Geeks Make the Best Mates

Is Your IT Department Ready? Supporting Employees and Their iPads in 2012

January 17, 2012

We’ve reached the tipping point. Your IT department is now more likely to buy an iPad than a standalone Mac.

According to a new post on ITManagerDaily.com, in 2012 IT  departments will spend $10 billion on iPads and $9 billion on Mac computers (Forrester, Jan2012 report). The big boom in IT spending on Apple devices is driven by more and more employees bringing their own devices to work, despite IT’s insistence otherwise.

Is your IT department prepared to handle and support these devices? Setting up such capabilities should be a top 2012 IT priority. Indeed, businesses of all sizes are increasingly seeking new ways to keep their workforce connected and productive without tethering them to their desks and laptops.

In this endeavor, the Citrix Online “GoTo” application suite offers crucial solutions to support employees on the go. Products like GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting and, of course, GoToAssist carefully balance personal freedom and connectivity with company security. Whether working from home or held up in the airport, employees can access everything they need. And by creating a more mobile and agile workforce, businesses realize the benefits of increased employee engagement and productivity.

Did you know GoToAssist lets you provide remote support to Mac computers?  In addition (and now more importantly), you can provide remote support from an iPad if you have the free GoToAssist Express/GoToManage iPad app. Give yourself (and your IT department) a break – go mobile.

Sent from my iPad

GoToAssist Express is now powered by GoToManage!

December 15, 2011

Have you noticed our exciting new changes? We are rolling out a new release ‒ GoToAssist Express users now have the ability to remotely turn on their unattended machines with the new Wake-on-LAN feature. In addition, GoToAssist Express is now powered by GoToManage®. You will notice updated GoToManage branding when launching a remote support session and at www.fastsupport.com. Your product experience remains exactly the same ‒ simply continue to log in with your current GoToAssist Express credentials. Your plan details and billing will stay the same too.

We have taken this step because the GoToManage platform gives us the ability to more rapidly roll out new features (e.g. Wake-on-LAN and support from your iPad®), which benefits both GoToAssist Express and GoToManage customers. You will continue to see us accelerate the rollout of new functionality over the next few months because of this.

BTW, have you checked out GoToManage? We’ve taken everything you love about GoToAssist Express and poured it into GoToManage Remote Support. All the features you’re used to and more:

  • Shared team-based access to unattended machines
  • Multi-site support to manage all of your sites or clients from one account
  • Administration center ‒ assign access rights to technicians and use permissions
  • Integrated monitoring module (optional)

And as a valued customer, you will soon have the opportunity to take advantage of all the added remote support functionality that GoToManage has to offer at no additional cost to what you are currently paying for GoToAssist Express.  Look for additional communications about this in the coming months. 

 

Our newest remote support product, GoToManage, lets you provide remote support from anywhere at any time.

November 10, 2011

GoToManage is designed for IT managers, IT consultants and Managed Service Providers (MSPs). The easy-to-use GoToManage platform combines our #1 remote-support functionality with monitoring and alerting capabilities, giving you total control of your IT world. 

You can choose GoToManage’s Remote Support module, its Monitoring module or both – Customize GoToManage to fit your business!

Did you know GoToManage uses the same underlying technology of GoToAssist Express?   In fact, we’ve taken everything you love about GoToAssist Express and poured it into GoToManage Remote Support.  All the features you’re used to and more:

    • Shared team-based access to unattended machines.
    • Administration center ‒ assign access rights to technicians and organize client accounts.
    • Integrated monitoring module (optional)
GoToManage

GoToManage cloud-based user interface

GoToManage Remote Support Lets You:

  • Provide unlimited live support to PC and Mac users
  • Connect to unattended computers and servers
  • Utilize teams of technicians
  • Includes an iPad App, so you can provide support on-the-go

GoToManage Monitoring Lets You:

  • Visualize the health and performance of servers
  • Inventory all hardware and software (PCs and Macs)
  • Track network usage patterns
  • Be proactively alerted before something breaks
  • Manage multiple sites or clients from one account

More Info for GoToAssist Express Customers

GoToAssist Express customers will soon see a fresh new look of our GoToAssist.com and GoToManage.com websites.  In addition, look for a change to the GoToAssist endpoint and FastSupport.com connect for support page.  Both will soon display the GoToManage logo and be  powered by GoToManage! 

More information and a special promotion coming soon for GoToAssist Express customers who are interested in testing out the easy, robust power of GoToManage!

Free Remote Support App – GoToManage for iPad

August 15, 2011

GoToManage for iPad is Now Available!

Citrix Online announced today the availability of their GoToManage® Remote Support app for iPad®.  It’s now ready for download on the App Store and iTunes – and it’s FREE.  The free app works with the award winning GoToManage Remote Support and GoToAssist Express services.  Read Press Release

For the first time IT professionals have the freedom to securely troubleshoot and provide on-demand technical support to a computer user from anywhere. The availability of the number one remote support solution on the iPad means that IT professionals can finally workshift and be free to work from anywhere. 

Using the GoToManage app, you can:

  • Provide unlimited live remote support sessions from anywhere.  
  • View and control your customers’ Macs or PCs from your iPad.  
  • Enjoy intuitive touch and gesture controls and 300% zoom. 
  • Use the full keyboard, including Alt, Ctrl and Tab keys.

How to Get Started

Existing GoToManage Remote Support or GoToAssist Express customers: Simply download the app and enter your current username and password to begin providing remote support from your iPad.

New Customers: Create a Free Mobile Account account first, download the GoToManage app and enter your new GoToManage username and password to begin providing remote support from your iPad.

Download the free app today and “Go Mobile” with GoToManage for iPad! 

 

IT staff would rather work from home – Is your company prepared?

April 29, 2011

35% of IT employees said they’d give up 10% of their salary for the chance to work from home full-time, reports IT Manager Daily, drawing on a recent survey by IT job board Dice.com.  Some companies are looking for ways to satisfy IT employees without impacting their budgets.  Working from home, says IT Manager Daily, is a no-cost benefit to the company and a perk to many employees.  It’s a win-win for both.  View entire article here. 

www.ITManagerDaily.com

Is your company prepared for telecommuting?  It’s a great time to learn what business tools are available.  GoToAssist Express is a great solution for IT employees who want to work from home; it allows them to provide their valued service to customers using the market-leading remote support tool. 

In fact, many of our Citrix Online products are designed specifically to allow users to work with anyone from anywhere.  Check out our full suite of products.  And speaking from experience, telecommuting is a good thing.  I work from home about fifty percent of the time since I live in West Los Angeles and our Citrix Online office is in the Santa Barbara area which is a 2 hour drive.  I am definitely more productive and I’m happy I don’t have to fight the terrible I-405 & I-101 traffic everyday to get to work.   

According to the International Telework Association and Council, on average, workshifting yields:

  • 22% increase in employee productivity
  • 20% decrease in employee turnover
  • 60% decrease in employee absenteeism

And to learn more about the many advantages and best practices of telecommuting or remote work, visit this informative site: www.workshifting.com.

A big “Thank You” to our customers!

March 17, 2011

Frost & Sullivan honors Citrix Online with the 2010 Best Practices Award as Market Leader in Remote Support.

Frost & Sullivan 2010 Best Practices Award
What does that mean?  GoToAssist Remote Support is #1. Well, we say it’s our customers who are number one for utilizing our market-leading remote support tools each and every day, so Thank You! We know you have other options but you choose us.

 Frost & Sullivan presents this Award to companies who demonstrate excellence in capturing the highest market share within their industry while maintaining four key performance factors:

  • Factor 1 – Success of the remote support solution
  • Factor 2 – Global acceptance
  • Factor 3 – Resilience in a competitive environment
  • Factor 4- Innovation for the future

Frost & Sullivan believes that Citrix Online has achieved the market leadership position through sound strategy and excellent implementation and delivery of their solutions. Here’s a quote from the Frost & Sullivan report: “Citrix Online’s GoToAssist solution has found favor with users, for both internal and external support. The company’s offerings are designed to be simple to use, secure, cost-effective and reliable.”

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Keep on providing excellent support to your customers and using GoToAssist!

“How to Build a MSP Marketing Machine”

February 22, 2011

Kutenda -- Marketing for MSPs

Hey, here’s a handy-dandy guide to marketing for managed service providers. It’s probably useful for anyone providing IT services. The guide focuses on online and website marketing, and it comes from Kutenda, who make their living out of helping MSPs market their services and grab solid sales leads.

Kutenda says the guide provides the essentials for “creating an automated marketing machine using online marketing.” We think it’s clear and useful.

Among the guide’s useful tips is how to optimize your site for search engines (SEO) and best ways to write your website’s key messages.

Enjoy!

Good Reads — Swanberg on How to Use the Cloud

February 10, 2011

SMB Cloud Priorities

Have you seen the latest blog articles by one of our favorite authors — Scott Swanburg? Swanburg works at Citrix Systems, the parent company of GoToAssist and Citrix Online, and he concisely lays out why SMBs are turning to the cloud.

It’s not just applications like GoToAssist remote support software, medium-size businesses are also migrating their IT infrastructure to the cloud. Swanburg says the top reasons include:

• Reduce Cap-ex on hardware and other systems
• Cut costs in general
• Add new capabilities not available with alternative methods
• Simplify and speed up implementation of business processes

Indeed, he says that the very title for CIOs is changing to reflect this idea of needed agility and innovation. CIOs are being renamed “Chief Innovator” or “Business Innovation Officer.”

Read his perspective on:
How do I use the Cloud? (Part 1),”
How do I use the Cloud? (Part 2)” and
Top Business Reasons to Move to the Cloud.”

Demystifying SaaS and Cloud Computing — Special HDI Webinar Series

January 25, 2011

Malcolm Fry

HDI, the IT service and support membership association, is hosting a free, 3-part webinar series on the implications of SaaS anad Cloud computing for technical service organizations. The webinars will be offer an incisive look at emerging infrastructure options and the impact of cloud solutions on technical support.

The first one-hour web event will occur Feb. 15 and features Malcolm Fry. GoToAssist has in the past sponsored webinars by this notable IT expert, including his presentation “Keep Your Workforce Working: Access and Solve Issues Anywhere in the World.”

In the first HDI webinar, Fry will consider how cloud applications affect technical service organizations. He will also answer the question “Can ITIL disciplines help guide you as you manage the infrastructure challenges, gain efficiencies, and achieve ROI?”

Read more here.


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