CrossLoop for PC Remote Control
If you're like me and considered the PC guru in the family and everyone calls and tries to give you a verbal description of what is on their screen and asks you to "fix" it, then you've been through the struggles of hoping for some type of PC remote control. I can remember installing PCAnywhere on computers just so I could get on, correct the problem and get off, a daunting task on the old 33k direct-dial land lines.
If you've used GoToMyPC in the past, now there's an alternative called CrossLoop. But, CrossLoop has an awesome twist that will allow you to demote yourself from family PC guru to referral source. The twist of CrossLoop is the expert advice aspect. People with specific skillsets (XP, Office 2003, Photoshop, etc.) can go to the site and register as having expertise in a particular area, along with an hourly or per minute rate that they charge for their services. Users with a need for help can then register on CrossLoop and search for a helping hand who they can then pay via PayPal. Both users download the CrossLoop client (a tweaked version of TightVNC) and thus another way to get Uncle John the help he needs for his old Win98 PC.
Although I haven't had a chance to dive into the Marketplace aspect of CrossLoop, I have tested the remote control piece and it works like a champ. You can use CrossLoop for free to remote control someone's PC and either view their desktop or take control of the desktop. I do hope that they will have a Review the Helper section much like oDesk or Amazon's product reviews so you have some assurance that the help you're paying for is highly rated.
As always, check it out and let me know your thoughts.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Go "Big Brother" with SpectorSoft
Spector Pro 2008 ultimate spy
Ok, so you're an avid reader of the National Inquisitor (you know what I mean), regularly think your lawn guy is making crop circles in your backyard and spent over $1000 on tin foil last year to create your "safe room", now here's another place to spend your next $100. Spector Pro 2008 is the ultimate, geeked out, paranoid tracking tool for your PC. Install this software and you can record every keystroke, every IM message, every email, every file copied to a USB key, every document printed and the list goes on. Not only that, but you can set it up so that all of this information is sent to you in near real time so you know almost instantly what's happening on your PC at all times.
Now, besides keeping a close eye on your teenager who dresses like a vampire and has more metal in her than Evel Knievel, there are some really useful applications for this type of software. First, if you suspect any potential after-hours non-authenticated use of your office PC, here's a way to find out. Or, if you suspect an employee is stealing sensitive company secrets, also good.
Nothing says you have to implement all of the features of Spector Pro, so if you simply want to use Document Tracking, User Activity, File Transfer tracking, keyword detection and Program Activity in high profile areas or on PCs with access to restricted data, this may be a good option. It would also be helpful in healthcare environments to ensure HIPAA compliance.
Anyway, whether you're a paranoid delusional and control freak who wants to track everything ever done on your PC, or an administrator with a need for secure data tracking, here's a good way to spend $100 bucks.
Ok, so you're an avid reader of the National Inquisitor (you know what I mean), regularly think your lawn guy is making crop circles in your backyard and spent over $1000 on tin foil last year to create your "safe room", now here's another place to spend your next $100. Spector Pro 2008 is the ultimate, geeked out, paranoid tracking tool for your PC. Install this software and you can record every keystroke, every IM message, every email, every file copied to a USB key, every document printed and the list goes on. Not only that, but you can set it up so that all of this information is sent to you in near real time so you know almost instantly what's happening on your PC at all times.
Now, besides keeping a close eye on your teenager who dresses like a vampire and has more metal in her than Evel Knievel, there are some really useful applications for this type of software. First, if you suspect any potential after-hours non-authenticated use of your office PC, here's a way to find out. Or, if you suspect an employee is stealing sensitive company secrets, also good.
Nothing says you have to implement all of the features of Spector Pro, so if you simply want to use Document Tracking, User Activity, File Transfer tracking, keyword detection and Program Activity in high profile areas or on PCs with access to restricted data, this may be a good option. It would also be helpful in healthcare environments to ensure HIPAA compliance.
Anyway, whether you're a paranoid delusional and control freak who wants to track everything ever done on your PC, or an administrator with a need for secure data tracking, here's a good way to spend $100 bucks.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
ISP multi homing
AstroCom Powerlink ISP failover appliance
Ok, so I was visiting a customer the other day and he tells me about a new box he just got in to solve his multi-homing problems for having redundant ISP connections. He has struggled with setup of an ARIN number, wrestled with BGP on a Cisco router and tackled hookup of satellite internet as a path of last resort in a disaster. In the course of switching providers for his satellite internet (he went with Skycasters because they support VPN over satellite) he somehow came across AstroCom and their PowerLink appliance.
Astrocom's PowerLink Pro™ is a family of multi-homing WAN link failover and Internet load-balancing appliances that provide Internet high availability. Astrocom claims that they do this at about one-third the total cost of ownership of other products.
The AstroCom PowerLink appliance sits between your LAN and WAN. It allows you to use multiple Internet connections for true network redundancy and ISP failover. Depending on the model, PowerLink™ products provide:
* WAN link redundancy for ISP failover and Internet high availability among as many as 15 links for important internal and customer applications.
* Traffic load balancing (both inbound and outbound) from your network for bandwidth aggregation of up to 500 Mbps.
* Point-to-point channel bonding among as many as 40 locations, providing uninterrupted Internet access for reliable performance of applications like VPN and VoIP.
* Redundant hardware failover and monitoring capabilities for mission-critical applications that eliminate all potential single points of WAN link failure.
* QoS capabilities for bandwidth management that guarantee your most critical applications get the bandwidth aggregation required for smooth and consistent performance.
* The best service and support in the industry, with 90 days of free service and support from U.S.-based factory technicians, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and a three-year depot warranty.
Pricing for this device starts at $1,295 for the Pro50 and goes to $8,195 for the Pro250.
One comment that bears repeating is that AstroCom support has been "awesome", with late night and weekend calls being answered by knowledgeable support staff and easy access to engineers to help with configuration and troubleshooting. Not something I hear everyday from a customer so kudos to AstroCom.
If you're looking to bond a T1, cable, DSL and/or satellite internet connection into a single, redundant failover pipe, take a look at the AstroCom Powerlink Pro.
Ok, so I was visiting a customer the other day and he tells me about a new box he just got in to solve his multi-homing problems for having redundant ISP connections. He has struggled with setup of an ARIN number, wrestled with BGP on a Cisco router and tackled hookup of satellite internet as a path of last resort in a disaster. In the course of switching providers for his satellite internet (he went with Skycasters because they support VPN over satellite) he somehow came across AstroCom and their PowerLink appliance.
Astrocom's PowerLink Pro™ is a family of multi-homing WAN link failover and Internet load-balancing appliances that provide Internet high availability. Astrocom claims that they do this at about one-third the total cost of ownership of other products.
The AstroCom PowerLink appliance sits between your LAN and WAN. It allows you to use multiple Internet connections for true network redundancy and ISP failover. Depending on the model, PowerLink™ products provide:
* WAN link redundancy for ISP failover and Internet high availability among as many as 15 links for important internal and customer applications.
* Traffic load balancing (both inbound and outbound) from your network for bandwidth aggregation of up to 500 Mbps.
* Point-to-point channel bonding among as many as 40 locations, providing uninterrupted Internet access for reliable performance of applications like VPN and VoIP.
* Redundant hardware failover and monitoring capabilities for mission-critical applications that eliminate all potential single points of WAN link failure.
* QoS capabilities for bandwidth management that guarantee your most critical applications get the bandwidth aggregation required for smooth and consistent performance.
* The best service and support in the industry, with 90 days of free service and support from U.S.-based factory technicians, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and a three-year depot warranty.
Pricing for this device starts at $1,295 for the Pro50 and goes to $8,195 for the Pro250.
One comment that bears repeating is that AstroCom support has been "awesome", with late night and weekend calls being answered by knowledgeable support staff and easy access to engineers to help with configuration and troubleshooting. Not something I hear everyday from a customer so kudos to AstroCom.
If you're looking to bond a T1, cable, DSL and/or satellite internet connection into a single, redundant failover pipe, take a look at the AstroCom Powerlink Pro.
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