Bomgar 10.4, which is coming out in November 2009, will certify our remote support software on multiple Linux distributions. Support technicians will be able to run Bomgar on Ubuntu, RedHat and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop. This marks a significant expansion of Linux support on the technician side of the remote support session. We’re also expanding compatibility on the customer end, too.

Read more about our expanding remote desktop support for Linux.

Ubuntu 9.04 64-bit Support

Ubuntu Running the Bomgar Representative Console

RedHat 5 64-bit Support

RedHat Running the Bomgar Representative Console

Note that if you are currently running a previous major version of Bomgar, such as 10.1.x, please be sure to contact our Support team today to discuss any prerequisites that you may need to meet prior to upgrading.

New Features and Enhancements:

• Internationalization
  • Bomgar 10.3 translations are now available for the following languages: Chinese (simplified), Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazilian & European), Spanish (Latin American and European)
• Administrative Interface
  • Enhanced Clipboard Controls now allow synchronizing between the Rep’s and Customer’s clipboards. A new setting is located under the Management -> Security page labeled “Clipboard Synchronization Mode” with the following options:
    • Not Allowed – clipboard synchronization will not occur
    • Allowed to Manually Send Clipboard From Rep to Customer – a single button in rep console will appear giving the rep this permission
    • Allowed to Manually Send Clipboard in Either Direction – a button with a dropdown showing these two options will appear giving the rep this permission
    • Automatically Send Clipboard Changes in Both Directions – clipboard synchronization occurs automatically, and the support rep sees no difference from older versions (default)
  • Administrators can now configure how long logging information and session recordings are stored on the appliance; this new setting is located on the Management -> Security page
• Representative Console
  • The Rep Console now inherits high contrast themes from the operating system
  • New image overlays have been added for the BlackBerry Tour and BlackBerry Curve, giving a more accurate support view to the support representative
  • New default skins for unknown BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices have been added, emulating the basic hardware buttons
  • Several updates to the File Transfer interface have been added:
    • Added the ability to view the history of files transferred during a session via the File Transfer tool. Previously, only the source & destination locations were displayed.
    • The Start/Resume button has been renamed to Start
    • The Clear button was renamed to “Clear Completed”
    • The tool’s buttons now enable & disable depending on the current selection
    • The Cancel button now works with multiple selected items
  • When closing a session after transferring it to a team, reps are no longer prompted to disconnect the customer.
• Customer Client
  • Hardware Acceleration suppression is now enabled if the Customer Client detects that screen updates are taking longer than usual. Once screen sharing stops, Hardware Acceleration is re-enabled on the remote computer. Note that this only affects Windows XP and Server 2003 customers.
  • If a Bomgar Button has any problems connecting to the appliance, now the Support Portal is opened.
  • Elevation requests in Click to Chat sessions are now inline with the chat text rather than above the chat area
• API
  • The API version has been updated to 1.2.2
  • Added “rep_username:<username>” support to the queue_id parameter to Command API’s generate_session_key action. This allows a session key to be generated for a rep’s queue via the API by providing the rep’s username.

Issues Resolved:

• Administrative Interface
  • Resolved an issue with the Support Portal always defaulting to “Other Issue”. The default has now changed to “Please choose an issue”
  • Resolved an issue with some checkboxes not saving correctly on the Failover page
  • Resolved an issue with the default settings for public site sections; the defaults are now set to “Public Site and API” instead of “Disabled”
  • Resolved an issue with deleting all exit survey questions causing errors to be displayed on the Support Portal
  • Resolved an issue with some Support Portal customizations not saving correctly.
  • Resolved an issue where disabling session keys on the Support Portal also disabled Presentation links
• API
  • Resolved an issue with Chat Message events not having a <destination> element
  • Resolved an issue with generating a session key for a Rep, Team, or Embassy that does not exist; now an error message is displayed
• Representative Console
  • Resolved an issue with taking a session that you previously transferred to a team queue.
  • Resolved an issue where the System Information’s Network Description could display invalid characters
  • Resolved an issue with session keys being generated with incorrect expiration dates
  • Resolved an issue with Command Shells behaving abnormally when large buffers were used
  • Resolved an issue where saving a Command Shell history could truncate the history
  • Resolved an issue where the Rep Console could become unstable when saving a Command Shell’s history
  • Resolved an issue where the Mac’s menu bar and the Rep Console’s screen sharing controls would conflict when supporting a Mac in full screen mode
  • Resolved an issue where the Bomgar menu could be missing in Snow Leopard
  • Resolved an issue where the virtual pointer could cause a Linux customer’s screen to flicker
• Customer Client
  • Resolved an issue where Click to Chat was not always notifying customers when Flash needed to be upgraded
  • Resolved an issue where an earlier Push URL chat message could open another browser window after elevating Click to Chat to the full Customer Client
  • Resolved an issue with deploying a Bomgar Button immediately after logging into a machine
  • Resolved an issue where Jump Clients could take longer than expected to come back online after being disconnected for an extended period of time
  • Resolved an issue where Jump Clients could take longer than expected to uninstall or disable
  • Resolved an issue where Jump Clients were not listing publisher information in Add/Remove Programs correctly
  • Resolved an issue with deploying Jump Clients through RDP sessions on Windows XP; now the RDP session will close and allow the Jump Client to finish deployment
• Windows Mobile
  • Resolved an issue with starting new sessions on Windows Mobile if the previous session did not uninstall properly
  • Resolved an issue with deploying Bomgar Buttons on Windows Mobile devices
  • Resolved an issue with mobile Internet Explorer being detected as a desktop operating system
• Misc
  • Resolved an issue where the TTL values on the Jumpoint configuration tab were not being saved correctly
  • Resolved an issue with the Customer Client download not starting if Internet Explorer’s popup blocker settings were set to “high”
  • Resolved an issue where session recording URLs could stop working after a site upgrade
  • Resolved an issue with several Syslog messages not logging properly
  • Resolved an issue where Embassy users could show up in the sharing list for the General queue
  • Resolved an issue with long Customer Agreements causing the Customer Agreement window to become too wide
  • Resolved an issue with some clients not being able to detect the install path correctly after upgrading
  • Resolved an issue with enumerating the Control Panel which could cause the Customer Client to hang
  • Resolved an issue with the Mac presentation client where maximizing the screen and setting the display mode to “Actual Size” would show a grey screen
  • An error message is now displayed when attempting to run a Presentation on non-supported operating systems

“Support departments are entering a new phase marked by the introduction of Windows 7,” said Nathan McNeill, Bomgar’s vice president of product strategy.  “And with PC demand expected to reset in 2010, IT organizations are challenged to handle this inevitable hardware refresh as recent cutbacks have strained staff resources.  Bomgar provides an optimal solution for IT support to work virtually and overcome the obstacles of geography, diverse technology systems and access barriers.”

In addition to supporting Windows 7, Bomgar 10.4 helps IT manage the anticipated onslaught of tech support requests resulting from the technology and end user change associated with a large-scale IT infrastructure overhaul. The following features are a few core capabilities added to the platform based on customer feedback:

• Expanded OS Support: IT organizations need secure remote control technology that can reach across multiple operating systems (e.g., Windows, Mac, Linux, Windows Mobile and Blackberry).  Bomgar 10.4 features full support for Windows 7 systems, expands Linux support for reps to include Ubuntu and Red Hat, deepens Mac support to bring capability into parity with a Windows system running Bomgar.
• Equilibrium and Rep Invite: Bomgar 10.4 provides tools to improve the overall agility of IT support teams. Equilibrium enables support organizations to automatically adjust to spikes in demand, filtering requests across the team based on availability.  Reps can also seamlessly add external technicians into a remote session for advanced troubleshooting.
• Shell Jump and Jump Zone Proxy: Eliminating access barriers and the need to have a direct Internet connection, Bomgar 10.4 features new secure remote access tools to reach systems.  Shell Jump provides direct, command line access to a variety of network devices, including servers and routers without initiating screen sharing, and Jump Zone Proxy allows IT to access systems with no direct Internet connection (i.e. kiosks).

Bomgar delivers cross-platform, appliance-based remote support software that allows IT to centralize help desk assets and securely remote control attended and unattended desktops to resolve computer issues via the Internet. It includes out-of-the-box integration with BMC and HP service desk products and reporting features that help businesses comply with regulations such as PCI, SOX, HIPAA and FDCC.  Centralized in a secure software appliance, Bomgar’s remote support technology provides organizations of all sizes with the resources required to identify and resolve costly technology and business issues that cycle through the help desk.

Specifications and Availability

Bomgar 10.4 is software designed to run on the Bomgar Box and will be available on November 16, 2009. Technical specifications can be found on the website at www.bomgar.com/10.

About Bomgar

Bomgar Corporation specializes in appliance-based remote support software. Bomgar allows companies to connect to remote clients and co-workers via the Internet anywhere in the world in seconds. The product allows organizations to optimize support by virtually accessing end-user systems for real-time incident resolution, eliminating the frustration of phone-only tech support. Bomgar provides enterprises with an unparalleled level of security and scalability, while enhancing IT resource management with the benefits of a virtualized help desk. Backed by venture capital, Bomgar has grown steadily since its inception in 2003 and has thousands of customers and strategic partners worldwide. Based in Ridgeland, Miss., the company is also one of the fastest-growing software companies in America ranked by the 2009 Inc. 500.

Contacts:

Nathan McNeill, Vice President of Product Strategy

Bomgar Corporation

nmcneill@bomgar.com

601-607-8273

Lauren Whittenberg

Lois Paul & Partners

lauren_whittenberg@lpp.com

512-638-5322

If you are currently running a previous major version of Bomgar, such as 10.1.x, please be sure to contact our Support team today to discuss any prerequisites that you may need to meet prior to upgrading.

Issues Resolved:

• Resolved an issue where teams would sometimes not show up in reporting.

Note – this release has been certified against appliance base versions 3.1.x and 3.0.x for the B100, B200 and B300 physical appliances.  It has not been certified for the B300v.

Resolved an issue where Jump Clients could get stuck in a “Session Starting” state if an RDP session had previously grabbed the console.

Note that this release has been certified for physical appliances (B100, B200 and B300).

Technology Services World

Bomgar will be at Technology Services World in Las Vegas at booth #29.
Technology Services World
Las Vegas, October 19-21, 2009
Driving Customer Adoption: The Next Generation of Services

Today we’re pleased to announce and provide latest maintenance release of Bomgar, version 10.3.3.  This release includes the same enhancements & issue resolutions that were recently added in 10.2.9.  We are also introducing several additional new features & enhancements as well as resolutions to a good list of issues.

As we mentioned with 10.2.9, if you are currently running a previous major version of Bomgar, such as 10.1.x, please be sure to contact our Support team today to discuss any prerequisites that you may need to meet prior to upgrading.

New Features and Enhancements:

• *A new filter to list all embassy users has been added to the embassy page.
• *You can now search embassy users based on the “Last Authenticated As” and “Display Name” columns.
• Multiple files can now be uploaded to the file store (up to 10) at once.
• The  help icons on the Support Portal can now be customized.
• The Customer Client Customer Agreement timeout is now configurable via the new Public Portal(s) -> Customer Client -> Display Options -> Acceptance Timeout setting.
• Each of the four components of the Public Site can now be enabled/disabled separately for the Public Site and for the API.
• New “Download Report” buttons have been added to the Reports and Session Details pages.
• Added a new “Prompt for Elevation Credentials” option on the Jump Client mass deployment page, which improves the Jump Client mass deployment installation on Vista and greater.
  
• Help text was added to the Localization->Search page.
• A Click-to-Chat session can now be initiated via the API.
• Bomgar Buttons can now be deployed with a “Session Key Only” option which allows them to be deployed without being tied to a team or representative.
• The Screen Sharing and Show My Screen buttons now remain enabled regardless of which mode is active.  If the either button is clicked while the other mode is active, a window appears explaining that only one may be active at a time.
  
• The Customer Client window can now be resized when in chat mode.
• A new option in the Representative Console will ask a rep if they wish to elevate before accessing a secure desktop on Windows Vista or greater.
  
• Jump Clients have improved proxy re-detect functionality to help with low stability network environments.

Issues Resolved:

• Administrative Interface
  • *All instances of “Team” have been replaced with “Team/Embassy” on the Support Summary Report
  • Resolved several issues with the “Back to Results” button incorrectly reverting to default settings after viewing the details of a session
  • Resolved an issue where the admin email address would not accept a blank value; the daily notification notice is now turned off if this field is left blank
  • Resolved an issue where some check boxes would not update until after clicking somewhere else in IE6 and IE7

• Rep Console
  • *Resolved an issue with the Rep Console not acknowledging the permission to share sessions with embassy teams
  • *Resolved an issue where Team Managers’ and Team Leads’ Rep Consoles would sometimes close in specific scenarios
  • *Resolved an issue where company code was not being displayed in the Rep Console when using Public Portals
  • Resolved an issue where, under certain conditions, Screen Sharing would enter full screen mode after clicking the Enable/Disable mouse and keyboard control button
  • Resolved an issue with ampersands (&) not working properly in canned scripts
  • Resolved an issue with certain Special Actions launching Windows Explorer instead of performing the intended Special Action.  Note that some of these Special Actions can take up to thirty seconds to open.
  • Resolved an issue with the Jump Client search in the Rep Console would display an entire group instead of an individual Jump Client
  • Removed the language drop down menu on the Rep Console Login window when only one language is installed
  • Resolved an issue with Canned Scripts not being able to read the resource file after elevation
  • The sidebar is now hidden in the Rep Console if the Rep only has access to his personal queue
  • Resolved an issue where certain Control Panel apps were not being displayed in the Special Actions menu
  • The Rep Console uninstall now respects the silent flag and will not display any confirmation dialogs
  • Resolved an issue where the Rep Console’s upgrade progress bar was hard to read when using the Brushed Steel theme
  • Resolved an issue where, under certain conditions, the Rep Console displayed a Jump Client’s status as “Session Started” when the session was actually closed
  • Resolved an issue where the chat window and side controls were not preserving their state when leaving full screen mode
  • Resolved an issue with the link to download the native Customer Client not working properly if the Click-to-Chat client lost its connection to the appliance

• Bomgar Button
  • Resolved an issue with not being able to elevate Customer Clients launched from a Bomgar Button if a non administrator user was logged in
  • Resolved an issue where, under certain conditions, a Bomgar Button would not upgrade properly

• Jump Client
  • Resolved an issue with Jump Clients reporting the wrong file size in Add/Remove programs
  • Resolved an issue where Add/Remove Programs would only show one Jump Client even though multiple Jump Clients might be installed
  • Resolved an issue where Jump Clients removed via “Add/Remove Programs” would update the Rep Console with “Unavailable” instead of “Uninstalled”
  • Resolved an issue with Jump Clients getting starved for resources; a Jump Client will now automatically restart itself
  • Resolved an issue with Jump Clients not coming back online after hard shutdowns (e.g. power failures)
  • Resolved an issue with Jump Clients not coming back online if the Jump Client was disconnected for extended periods of time
  • Resolved an issue where Mass Deployed Jump Clients were instructed to install as a user but still attempted to elevate

• Mac
  • Resolved an issue where lengthy Customer Agreements could appear multiple times

• Linux
  • Resolved an issue with the File Transfer window displaying large files as 0 bytes
  • Resolved an issue with installers not executing correctly on Ubuntu 9.0.4
  • Resolved an issue with the install instructions not being displayed when downloading the Rep Console
  • Resolved an issue where Jump Clients would hang after an auto-upgrade

• Mobile Devices
  • Resolved an issue where, in some scenarios, the full Windows client was being downloaded instead of the mobile client

• Miscellaneous
  • *Resolved an issue with the Customer Client only showing the default site name in the title bar; the Public Portal name is now shown in the Customer Client title bar
  • *Resolved an issue with mass deploying Jump Clients or Bomgar Buttons to an embassy team
  • Resolved an issue where multiple Settings and Logout windows could be generated from the systray icon menu
  • Resolved an issue with the Customer Client not following prompting rules when elevating; reps now see when an elevate prompt is satisfied (allow, deny, or time out)
  • Resolved an issue where the Customer Client may not remove all files after a session has ended.  Now if the operating system will not allow the files to be deleted, they are marked for deletion upon the next reboot
  • Resolved an issue where, under certain conditions, services were being stopped but not uninstalled on Windows

Note – the API version has been incremented to 1.2.1 with this release.  A new version of the API programmer’s guide is now available.

* These features and issue resolutions apply to Enterprise licenses only

Click here to view the embedded video.

As a solution for enterprise remote support, Bomgar’s most compelling capabilities involve group/team functionality. The 7-day free trial gives a preview for an individual support rep; unfortunately, it does not allow testers to see team or administrative functionality.

That’s why Bomgar has created a Team Trial. The Team Trial is a free way for your organization to evaluate Bomgar. We’ll provide you with a subdomain which we host, and give you access to the administrative interface and team functionality.

This video demonstrates how to use the Bomgar Team Trial once a sales engineer has created one for you.

Contact sales@bomgar.com to learn more or request a Team Trial.

This maintenance release introduces a few new enhancements and resolves several issues reported by you.  As always, we greatly appreciate your feedback.

As we mentioned with 10.2.8, if you are currently running a previous major version of Bomgar, such as 10.1.x, please be sure to contact our Support team today to discuss any prerequisites that you may need to meet prior to upgrading.

New Features and Enhancements:

• The Customer Client window can now be resized when in “normal” mode
• The Comments field has been added to the Jump Client search in the Rep Console
• Added the ability to configure the Customer Client’s Customer Agreement timeout under Public Portals -> Customer Client -> Display Options -> Acceptance Timeout
• Added a new “Prompt for Elevation Credentials” option on the Jump Client mass deployment page, which improves the Jump Client mass deployment installation on Vista

Issues Resolved:

• Administrative Interface
  • Changed “residentialPerson” to “inetOrgPerson” to be more in line with default eDirectory installs
  • Resolved an issue where some check boxes would not update until after clicking somewhere else when using IE6 or IE7
• Representative Console
  • Resolved an issue where multiple Settings and Logout windows could be generated from the systray icon menu
  • Resolved an issue where certain Control Panel apps were not being displayed in the Special Actions menu
  • Resolved an issue where the Rep Console’s chat window and side controls were not preserving their state when leaving full screen mode
  • Resolved an issue with the Jump Client search in the Rep Console would display an entire group instead of an individual Jump Client
  • *Resolved an issue where Team Managers’ and Team Leads’ Rep Consoles would sometimes close in specific scenarios
  • *Resolved an issue where company code was not being displayed in the Rep Console when using Public Portals
• Customer Clients
  • Jump Client install and uninstall messages now support all available languages
  • Resolved an issue with installers not executing correctly on Ubuntu 9.0.4
  • Resolved an issue with mobile devices downloading the wrong customer client
• Miscellaneous
  • Resolved an issue where modifier keys could get stuck, mainly the ctrl, shift, and alt keys
  • Resolved an issue where the Customer Client may not remove all files after a session has ended.  Now if the operating system will not allow the files to be deleted, they are marked for deletion upon the next reboot

* These issues only apply to Enterprise licenses

Hypothetical question – up for discussion. Let’s say you’re supporting a broad swath of customers:

• Windows desktops at a remote office, [Employees may or may not be there]
• A traveling executive who bought a Macbook Air against IT’s wishes,
• A high octane sales person on his BlackBerry,
• Linux servers hosted at a colo somewhere in Texas,
• A dozen employees who are tele-working from home,
• An unspecified number of customers calling into the helpdesk. They’re running Windows and Mac. [If they can run Fedora they can support themselves, right?]
• And 5 vendors who need access to your network to support their applications

What’s it take to offer support or enable access in these scenarios? What remote control technology do you need in place? Do you have to have a VPN? Do some people [the executive on a Mac or the sales rep on a BlackBerry, for instance] just have to suck it up till they’re back in the office?

I’m curious how you’re responding to these types of demands.

SHAW: All right, so you brought up some security issues earlier where you were talking about compliance. Are there some other security issues involved with some of these new methods of help desk support?

And, I guess I’m wondering about how much of remote support will be in the cloud and how much of it is security related?

BOMGAR: One of the big prohibiting factors with companies adopting this new breed of remote support technology is that historically some of the vendors, not us, but many of the vendors have been software as a service.

There are huge hurdles with passing sensitive data through a third party. So companies are saying, “Well, look, I need to support this executive at home using his Mac, but corporate policy says I can’t route that sensitive data, potentially very sensitive data, through a third party.”

So, when we entered the market, we chose the appliance-based, on-premise model essentially to alleviate that problem that enterprises were having where they say, “I need to support this, but corporate policy stipulates that this data either be on my premise or I must control it. It cannot be in the hands of or passed through a third party.”

The approach we’ve taken to the market is to provide the technology the way they want to buy it.

Otherwise, you end up solving some of the security and compliance problems around logging and auditing, but causing other security and compliance problems because all that logged and audited data is in the cloud, which doesn’t make anyone feel any better about it.

So, I think one area that is catching on increasingly is the concept of private clouds. We’ve seen a lot of that with the deployment of virtual appliances in a VM where infrastructure is within the network.

You get the benefit of the cloud approach to doing things, but you get it in an on-premise, controlled-by-the-company manner. We’ve seen certainly a lot of attraction around that.

SHAW: A lot of these issues…can they be solved in three to five years? I want to get a sense of five years down the road.

What is the average enterprise help desk going to look like, not only in terms of what tools they’re using but then in terms of the processes? Is the process going to change for end users and the help desk?

BOMGAR: I think the IT help desk, rather than kind of being siloed into, “We support this, and we support that,” you’re going to be much more in a situation where their expectation is “We’re going to solve a problem no matter what it is.”

An interesting comment we’ve gotten from a [let’s say a large law firm or large consulting firm] customer is they have partners.

A partner says: “Look, when I’m at home, if I want to use my Mac to get access to company resources, basically, you can’t tell me ‘no.’ You need to help me do it. And, oh by the way, if my wife wants to use the Mac and it has a problem, you need to help her, too.”

Our customer said, “We’ve had partners of the firm tell us ‘that if my wife is happy, I’m happy, and that makes two of us. If my wife is unhappy, I’m unhappy, and that makes two of us. Don’t make my wife unhappy. So, basically fix her problems in addition to my problems even if they’re not company-related.”

SHAW: That’s a great point, and that’s an interesting thing to delve into…how much responsibility an IT helps desk have in supporting stuff that isn’t bought by the company. How many end users are expecting technical support for their personal items?

BOMGAR: You know, honestly, a lot of them are. I think the firewall is, “Are you doing something work-related?”

If you are doing something work-related, then honestly it shouldn’t matter whether it’s on a computer you bought at Best Buy or a MacBook Air at home or a handheld device you picked up at AT&T.

The point is you’re trying to do your job; you’re trying to be productive.

The IT department’s job isn’t to support the equipment they gave you, it’s to make you effective using information technology because they can’t control where you got it anymore.

SHAW: It seems like we’ve got an attitude change here that’s going to have to take place.

For years, we’ve heard IT help desk people say, “You will use what we give you, and we won’t fix anything…and then when we fix it…or we’re only going to fix certain things.”

Now, it seems like what you’re trying to say is that the new IT help desk is going to be, “Give us any problem. We’ll fix it. We’ll make you happy as quickly as possible.”

BOMGAR: Absolutely! It’s out of necessity.

It’s because that’s what employees expect, and with the new technologies that are available to help desks, like with our product, you can reach out and touch any computer or any handheld device anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds.

As long as you have that access, there’s no reason to tell them “no.”

You know, because you can see the MacBook Air at someone’s house, and you can troubleshoot it and find out why it won’t connect to webmail because it has an old Java version on it. As long as you can do that, there’s no reason you should have to say “no.”

SHAW: Right, right.

BOMGAR: If you can’t see the screen, there is zero chance you’re going to get a Java update installed.

So, you’ve got to have the tools to see the screen because you’re going to be dealing with a lot of devices and handhelds or PCs or Macs that you’ve never seen before. You’re going to be troubleshooting problems you’ve never run into before.

SHAW: Do you think it’s still viable for companies to have an enterprise help desk? It sounds like you’re almost advocating for help desk services that are done across the cloud by an outsourced service. Are you seeing any traction in that area?

BOMGAR: I think you’re going to see a lot of blending. People are going to have to make a judgment call of “If my computer won’t connect to my office email, do I call my corporate help desk or do I call somebody like PlumChoice who offers support to basically anyone for anything?”

There’s going to be a lot of gray area where it’s up in the air as to what causes the problem of why you can’t get to your office email.

But, I don’t think the enterprise help desk is ever going to go away because technology is more complex than it’s ever been, and the needs to use it and the productivity gains that can be gotten by using that technology are higher than they’ve ever been.

So, the enterprise help desk will always be there, but I think the scope of what they’re going to have to support is going to be much broader.

If they try to use the old school technologies to do that, there’s no way they can keep up with the way the world is changing.

If they use the new school technologies available, they certainly can keep up, but there’s still going to be gray areas as to who should support what. We’ll probably always have that.

SHAW: Well, that’s all the time we’ve got on the podcast, today. Joel thanks again for joining us. Where can people go for more information on Bomgar Corporation? And tell us a little bit about some of the products that you make.

BOMGAR: Sure. Everything is on our website www.bomgar.com.

Our technology is appliance-based and company-deployed in their data center.

It enables help desk or IT department representatives to log in via a web interface from anywhere in the world and to provide technical support to any computer or handheld device anywhere in the world merely by directing the end user to a website and having them click a link and enter a session key.

So, really it extends the capability of seeing the screen of a handheld device or computer or whatever it may be anywhere in the world from anywhere in the world.

It bridges all the barriers of firewalls. No pre-installed software is required and it works on any operating system anywhere in the world.

SHAW: All right, cool. Thanks, again.

BOMGAR: Thanks, Keith.

On June 10, Keith Shaw, Programming Director for NetworkWorld, interviewed Joel Bomgar on the Future of the Enterprise Helpdesk. This is a transcript of Part 3 of the interview.

Joel Bomgar

SHAW: Let’s talk about one trend we’re seeing – the consumerization of IT. I would assume that this means end users are bringing consumer devices into the enterprise and then expecting IT to them. Is that the case, and is this going to get better or worse in the future?

BOMGAR: Absolutely, that’s happening. If you rewind five or 10 years, information technology was something that, one, the IT department gave you and, two, they told you exactly how to use it. You really didn’t see a whole lot of information technology that didn’t meet those two criteria.

Now, it is a completely new world out there. The extension of the network – again, mobility and connectivity – means people are saying, “I bought this BlackBerry Pearl or I bought this iPhone. I need to check my webmail on it. I need it to synchronize with Exchange.”

You have executives that go out and buy a MacBook Air. They walk in and say, “I bought this MacBook Air. I want to use it instead of my company sanctioned IBM ThinkPad.”

The IT department is like, “Oh no! How are we going to make all of these enterprise applications work on a Mac or on a MacBook Air with a cellular connection to the Internet? Or, how is this going to work with our network access control?”

So, suddenly you can go out and pick up some Star Trek, new device at Best Buy and it requires space-age support and people expect it work like a VCR. It doesn’t!

It’s requiring a whole new breed of remote support technologies that say, “Look, so what, you bought a MacBook Air. We’re going to try to make it work. We’re going to connect to your computer over the Internet. We’re going to try to get it working with our systems even though we didn’t give it to you, and we’ve never gotten a MacBook Air working with our enterprise applications.”

SHAW: So, is it your opinion that IT is losing this battle against end users that are bringing this stuff in, or are you just trying to say that we’ve got to acknowledge that this exists and we’re going to help you solve that problem instead of just putting up a brick wall?

BOMGAR: If they believe that the consumerization of IT can be contained, they will lose the battle. There’s no way around that.

You’re seeing this with iPhones and MacBook Airs and just Macs in general. You’ve got executives going out and buying them and saying, “This is what I want to use, and you can’t tell me otherwise, so make it work.”

I think the enterprise IT help desks that will thrive are the ones that understand it’s a zoo out there and rather than try to keep it from being a zoo, we have to adapt. We don’t have a choice.

We have to assume that the battlefield looks like this, and we have to adjust our weaponry and tactics to deal with that battlefield.

Those companies who say, “Hey, I just need a corporate policy that says you can’t use iPhones and Macs,” – there’s no way you can win that battle.

I think the companies that can adapt and understand the world has changed, and it’s going to require new tools and technologies to deal with it, they will thrive. The companies that believe it can be contained – it flat-out can’t. There’s just no way that that’s going to happen.

SHAW: So, we can’t just blame Apple for all this?

BOMGAR: (Laughs.)

You know Apple’s been responsible for an incredible amount of innovation. And, there’s no reason to exclude the benefit of that innovation from the enterprise. I mean, why not, if there’s a benefit to carrying around an iPhone and a Macbook Air, why not?!

The IT department is there to facilitate productivity, not to be the office department of “NO.”

On June 10, Keith Shaw, Programming Director for NetworkWorld, interviewed Joel Bomgar on the Future of the Enterprise Helpdesk. This is a transcript of Part 2 of the interview.

Joel Bomgar

Increased end user mobility, consumerization of electronic devices such as netbooks and smart phones alongside stricter security and compliance regulations are causing new challenges for the IT department in the enterprise environment.

Joel Bomgar, founder and CEO of Bomgar, Corp., discusses new tools and solutions for supporting increasingly mobile and demanding end users and the changing face of the corporate help desk with Keith Shaw, programming director for Network World’s Panorama – a podcast program that features interviews with industry experts on the networking landscape.

Keith Shaw: Let’s talk about what we are going to see in the future of the enterprise help desk. What are some of the trends that are driving this new form of the enterprise help desk? Are the old methods not working that we need this new help desk?

Joel Bomgar: The two things that we’re seeing probably the most in the enterprise are two juxtaposed trends. One is a drive toward mobility and connectivity. The other is a drive toward security and compliance. The problem is those two are coming from opposite angles. Mobility and connectivity is all about people connecting from any technology, anywhere in the world doing their job no matter what. Security and compliance says they have to be supported in a very secure, managed, audited and logged environment. That’s really driving a lot of the need toward new tools and technologies where as the old stuff just does not work in this new environment.

SHAW: What are some of these new tools that people are going to have to start using?

BOMGAR: If you take a step back, support can only be done one of three ways:

• You can either fix the problem on the phone with an end user where you tell them what to do,
• You can go onsite and sit in front of the computer yourself, or
• You can connect to it through some type of remote control or remote support technology.

The problem is, obviously, phone and onsite support are incredibly expensive. In today’s economy, and in any economy, these are just not viable ways of doing support.

The third option of connecting to the system and seeing the screen – the problem is what most companies have deployed is a whole smattering of essentially unsecured, remote-controlled technologies that have been adopted ad hoc throughout the years.

So, you’ll walk in and ask, “If you need to connect to a computer, how do you do that?” The typical answer is maybe VNC or Timbuktu or Netop or Radmin or Carbon Copy or Remote Desktop or pcAnywhere. They can list a dozen or more traditional remote control technologies.

SHAW: Right.

BOMGAR: Our response is, “how do you manage that?” The answer is typically, “We don’t! It’s a nightmare! It’s a zoo! We have no idea who’s connecting to who! Most of those technologies don’t work outside the firewall. There’s no security, logging, auditing, compliance around any of them. Basically, we’re in panic mode and the auditors are telling us to fix this problem.”

So that’s, especially in our market, pushing a shift toward single unified technologies that are audited and logged – where the IT help desk can get the job done because they can connect to anything inside or outside the firewall in a very secure and compliant manner.

SHAW: It seems like a lot of these tools that connect remotely are done just through a PC or a notebook. How does this work with some of the new mobile devices? Are there tools that can troubleshoot an iPhone, for example?

BOMGAR: Good question. For the mobile devices, one of the big problems you’re seeing is a much more fractured support environment. Rather than a bunch of Windows 2000 or Windows XP PCs, you have a bunch of Windows PCs with different versions and a bunch of Macs.

Macs are increasingly seen in the enterprise. You’ve got Linux PCs and now a bunch of mobile handheld devices. Most of the old school technologies do not connect to any smart phones or mobile devices at all. In addition to having about a dozen technologies, companies are saying that none of these dozen work in a handheld device scenario.

Certainly, the new class of remote support technologies – some of them do support smart phone operating systems. Ours certainly does.

On June 10, Keith Shaw, Programming Director for NetworkWorld, interviewed Joel Bomgar on the Future of the Enterprise Helpdesk. Below is a transcript of Part 1 of the interview.

Joel Bomgar

Keith Shaw, Programming Director for NetworkWorld, recorded his phone interview with Joel Bomgar on the Future of the Enterprise Helpdesk. Have a listen.

The rise of user mobility, consumerization of IT and security/compliance regulations are causing mayhem for the standard enterprise help desk. Is a new attitude required? Are new tools needed that can help users any time, any place? Joel Bomgar, CEO and founder of Bomgar Corp., discusses the future of the help desk with Keith Shaw. (16:19)

Issues Resolved:

• Click-to-Chat
  • Resolved several issues with the Click-to-Chat client not properly handling specific SSL configurations.
  • Resolved an issue with the Click-to-Chat client not always reconnecting after a network service interruption.
  • An error message is now displayed if a Click-to-Chat client cannot connect to the Bomgar Box.  This message includes an option to download the full Customer Client.
• Representative Console
  • Resolved an issue where Jump client searches would display an entire group instead of a specific Jump client.
  • Resolved an issue where Jump client searches were not searching the Comments field.
• Miscellaneous
  • Resolved an issue with Jump clients not starting if they had been pinned from a session initiated by a Bomgar Button.

Note – this release has only been certified against appliance base version 3.1.0 for the B100, B200 and B300.  It has been certified against version 3.1.1 on the B300v.

Event Summary
Is it possible to do more with the resources you have?
In the real world, how can you make 750 support reps look & work like 3,000?

As employees become more distributed & mobile, the need for support increases. But the reality is that budget & headcount for support doesn’t increase with demand.

Join us for this webcast as IDC & Plumchoice (trusted remote technical services provider by more Fortune 500 companies than any other provider) discuss the challenges facing both internal & external IT help desks. Learn how a new breed of tools addresses these issues while:

• Decreasing costs
• Reducing security threats
• Offering greater flexibility
• Improving retention – of employees & clients.

Presented by:
Rich Surace, Plumchoice
Nathan McNeill, Bomgar
Matt Healey, IDC

Recorded on April 23, 2009

Click here to view the embedded video.

Help Desk Institute: Morgan Jones from Interior Health in Canada explains how Bomgar lets his helpdesk support remote computers and devices outside the network.

Interior Health at Help Desk Institute

Join Bomgar for this timely and informativ case study from Mitch Bryant, an HDI Member and Support Manager of Norton Healthcare Service Center. Mitch will discuss what he is doing to continue his support services while reducing costs. His presentation will cover how he is maintaining high-quality customer experiences by utilizing remote support technologies and processes.

In today’s difficult economic environment you can’t cut support. You must adapt and provide service by utilizing all the tools available to your organization. Join this SPIN and learn from fellow HDI members methods to:

• Reduce support costs
• Enhance service quality
• Provide excellent customer service

Hosted By:
Rich Hand, Executive Director of Membership, HDI

Presented on March 24, 2009, By:
Mitch Bryant is the Support Manager, Norton Healthcare Service Center

Providing Excellent Support in Difficult Economic Times

So, how does a support provider manage a shrinking budget without sacrificing quality?

The University of Missouri has taken a green approach to supporting its customers, one that lowers the cost of overall support through reducing call escalation and improving first call resolution. Learn how Missou utilizes Bomgar and RightAnswers to:

• Reduce the number of first calls and call escalations
• Reuse data for training and knowledge base
• Recycle support session data

Support Desk Economics 101: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Presented on February 19, 2009, By
John Ragsdale, VP of Services Technology Research, SSPA & AFSMI
Nathan Eatherton, IT Service Desk Manager, University of Missouri
Brad Prizer, EVP of Marketing, Bomgar
Simon Yelsky, VP of Product Management & Client Success, RightAnswers

The spreadsheet is in an RFP/RFI format, and the information provided about Bomgar is accurate as of 5/2009. Should you require a more customized RFP, please email sales@bomgar.com..

Image: Evaluate Remote Support Solutions

What’s covered in the Remote Support Competitive Checklist?

This sample RFP/RFI walks you through most of the things you need to look into for any remote support solution. We ask the questions for you and supply the answers as they apply to Bomgar. There’s also room to fill out answers from other vendors.

The spreadsheet helps you walk through questions like these:

• Security – Does the solution satisfy your security/compliance requirements?
  • Architecture [Where data is stored/transferred, on-site vs. cloud/saas]
  • 3rd party assessments
  • Access privileges [Password management, Security providers, Vendor access management, etc.]
  • Audit trail [Visibility into support activity, Videos of sessions, etc.]
• Integrations – Where does the solution fit in with the infrastructure you’ve already invested in?
  • API/SDK [Can you get into the remote support solution and connect it your other systems?]
  • Identity Management [LDAP, AD, Multi-factor authentication, Single Sign-On, etc.]
  • Customizations [Can you customize customer facing design and content?]
  • Integration Partners [What related technology does the remote support solution integrate with?]
• Manageability – What does the solution offer the service desk administrator?
  • Support Teams [Creating teams, Queues, Session management, etc.]
  • Reports [How do you monitor and report on remote support activity?]
  • Dashboard elements [Can you oversee remote support in real time?]
  • Integrated Surveys [Can you monitor customer satisfaction, etc.?]
  • Portals [Can you customize support for each of the products/customers/branches you support?]
• Platform support – What remote systems and devices does the solution support?
  • Cross-platform remote control – No one runs just Windows anymore. Can you remote control Mac and Linux computers and servers? What about mobile devices [BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, etc.]?
  • Network configurations – Can you support customers/employees outside the perimeter without changing firewalls?
  • Remote access – Is remote access to unattended systems included? What are the specifications?
  • Command shell – Can you do remote support in low-bandwidth environments or troubleshoot as deeply as you need to?
  • Language support – Does the solution support international deployments?
• Lowering Cost – How does the solution enhance productivity and lower costs?
  • Licensing – Does the licensing fit your deployment needs? Is it based on concurrency or named seats? Can support reps share licenses?
  • Remote View / Remote Control – Does the remote support solution give reps tiered access to systems? How is screen sharing handled?
  • Chat – Can technical support reps chat securely with customers prior to and during sessions?
  • File Transfer – Can you transfer files? What permissions are around file transfer?
  • System information – Does the solution pull system info from the remote computer?
  • Team functionality – Can support reps transfer, share or escalate support sessions?
  • Reboot – Can the solution reboot the remote computer? Does a customer need to be present to log back on?
  • Demonstration/Presentation – Can support reps present their screen for training meetings or demonstrations?

. . . and more.

Download the Remote Support Competitive Checklist and get a deeper look at all the remote support solutions you’re evaluating.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bomgar Customers in the Video

Memorial Hermann Healthcare Systems²

Norton Healthcare³

Watson Pharmaceuticals⁴

Interior Health⁵

1. This customer case study and conference video montage was created by Bomgar’s internal creative team.
2. David Youngflesh from Memorial Hermann Healthcare Systems
3. Mitch Bryant from Norton Healthcare
4. Dennis Smith from Watson Pharmaceuticals
5. Morgan Jones from Interior Health

According to a recent survey conducted by the Enterprise Desktop Alliance, 74 percent of organizations intend to keep their Macs and buy additional devices in the future. It is unclear how IT help desks will handle the increased number of Mac support issues with traditional remote control desktop tools as the majority are applicable only for PCs.  To ensure consistent, and quality, end-user tech support across all computing devices, organizations need a universal remote support platform that can scale to address a variety of issues.

“We have a large group of students, faculty and staff at MIT, approximately 23,000, that use a diverse range of computer systems,” said Chuck King, Desktop Deployment and Maintenance Team Lead within the central Information Services & Technology (IS&T) department at MIT. “With the growing number of overall Mac users on campus, we were delighted that Bomgar had multiple operating system support, as well as an easy-to-use interface for both the end users and consultants who provide the assistance.  Also, Bomgar’s appliance-based solution and fast ROI was essential in justifying the cost of enhancing our IT support operations.”

Delivered in a secure appliance, the Bomgar Box™ allows IT reps to securely access attended and unattended computing devices, regardless of firewalls, for efficient troubleshooting.  It is the industry’s only enterprise remote support platform that can address IT issues on a Windows, Vista, WindowsMobile, Mac, Linux or Blackberry operating system. Audited by Symantec, Bomgar also includes critical features, such as user authentication and session logging/ reporting, that support an organization’s overall security and compliance policies.

“Gartner has seen the appliance model gain traction, especially among large organizations and clients in regulated industries,” said Terrence Cosgrove, a Gartner senior analyst. “More than 70 percent of large enterprises will use Internet-enabled remote-control tools by 2012 and we anticipate the overall market to experience a 20 to 25 percent year-on-year growth.”

Bomgar helps enterprises of all sizes better manage and resolve costly technology issues that cycle through the help desk.  With the new features of Bomgar 10.3, the company continues to lead innovation in the enterprise remote support market. The following features are a few core capabilities added to the platform based on customer feedback:

• Mac System Information: Bomgar 10.3 includes new front-end Mac systems information that allows support reps to quickly scan the dashboard to dig deep into hardware or network configuration details. With one click, support reps engaged in a Mac support session can easily access the granular systems information to solve common technical issues on a Mac that would otherwise take a significant amount of time to troubleshoot with traditional PC-based tools.
• Click-to-Chat: The new click-to-chat feature enables an end-user to initiate a conversation with a support rep instantly from the Web, without any download. The flash-based customer chat client runs in a browser, enabling the rep to give the user directions or transfer the user to the appropriate queue before any software is installed.
• Canned Scripts: Canned scripts help demanding IT call centers better respond to common support issues. Bomgar reps can upload scripts for use within a remote support session. The rep simply selects the appropriate script from a list and runs it through Bomgar’s command line interface. Scripts can save the support center thousands of hours that would have been spent doing manual diagnosis and repair.

Specifications and Availability

Bomgar 10.3 is software designed to run on the Bomgar Box and is currently available today.  Technical specifications can be found on the website at www.bomgar.com/10.

About Bomgar Corporation

Bomgar Corporation specializes in appliance-based software for enterprise remote support. Bomgar allows companies to connect to remote clients and co-workers via the Internet anywhere in the world in seconds. The product allows organizations to optimize support by virtually accessing end-user systems for real-time incident resolution, eliminating the frustration of phone-only tech support. Bomgar provides enterprises with an unparalleled level of security and scalability, while enhancing IT resource management with the benefits of a virtualized help desk. Backed by venture capital, Bomgar has grown steadily since its inception in 2003 and has over 4,500 customers worldwide. Based in Ridgeland, Miss., the company is also one of the 10 fastest-growing software companies in America ranked by the 2008 Inc. 500.

BOMGAR Contacts:

Melissa Dent
Vice President of Marketing, Bomgar Corporation
mdent@bomgar.com
601.519.0139

Lauren Whittenberg
Lois Paul & Partners
lauren_whittenberg@lpp.com
512.638.5322

The highlights of this release are listed below.  To learn more and to request your upgrade, visit the Bomgar Support portal.

Requirements for 10.3:

• This version of Bomgar requires appliance base software version 3.1.0
• The customer’s Click-to-Chat interface requires Adobe Flash Player 9 or later

New Features and Enhancements:

• Management Enhancements
  • Automatic Failover* – automate the failover procedure between your Bomgar boxes to provide seamless support and business continuity
  • Embassy* – now you receive external support by giving vendors remote access to your network without compromising your security
  • Access Sponsor* – this new feature allows less-privileged representatives to request help from their senior counterparts, and it gives higher-level representatives the ability to grant (or deny) access to their junior counterparts
  • Integration Client Alerts* - if a scheduled task within the Integration Client ever fails, an alert can now be sent to the specified administrator for quick recourse
• Support Enhancements
  • Fast User Switching Support – Bomgar now allows you to support Windows machines that make use of Fast User Switching
  • Improved Windows Vista Support – support representatives are now able to send a remote Ctrl+Alt+Delete key sequence to remote Windows Vista machines
  • Command Shell History – this enhancement gives support reps a configurable amount of command shell history when supporting remote Windows machines
  • Canned Scripts – now you can create custom scripts that can be used within the Command Shell interface
  • Improved Mac System Information – support representative have a much more comprehensive view of remote Mac systems in Bomgar 10.3
• Customer Client Enhancements
  • Bomgar Button Enhancements – the Bomgar Button just got better by no longer requiring you to download the customer client once it’s deployed
  • Click-to-Chat - this new feature gives your customers the ability to chat immediately (via a Flash-based chat interface) with your support reps (via the Bomgar Representative Console)
  • Logged Customer Agreement Acceptance – this enhancement allows you to log any customer agreements acceptances that you have configured for your customers
• Jump Technology Enhancements
  • Proxy Jump – Jumpoint administrators may now configure their Jumpoints so that target machines requiring proxy credentials can be Jumped to
  • Concurrent Representative Access to Jump Clients – multiple reps can now access a single Jump client simultaneously
  • Restricted Jump Client Uninstalls – this enhancement keeps users from accidentally uninstalling Jump clients from their machine

Notes:

• Features with an asterisk (*) require an Enterprise license.
• Non-English translations for Bomgar 10.3 will be available in an upcoming maintenance release.  If you need to provide remote support in a language other than English, ask our support team about Bomgar 10.2.8, our latest translated release.

To learn more about they’re doing remote support for Linux, Windows, Mac and mobile, read the Zappos.com Case Study.

Zappos.com

Incidentally, we often learn a lot from our customers. In fact, most of the features we’ve developed in Bomgar have been from customer suggestions or challenges.

Sometimes, in addition to learning from our customers, we also have the pleasure of being entertained by them. This has been the case with Zappos.com’s dispatch and helpdesk teams. In the process of preparing the latest case study for publication, we’ve come across some interesting and unusual videos.