Recently, I was afforded the opportunity to pilot a new piece of software called NetSupport.  NetSupport is a remote management and monitoring software that can be installed transparently on any number of PC’s.  It offers up a number of different features from firewalling to remote monitoring (also known as “shadowing”) as well as the opportunity to broadcast messages, lessons, or videos to multiple PC’s from a single station.

The software was very easy to install, and network deployment was seamless.  I had the software installed and configured on both the host and remote pc’s within an hour.  It is a small program, approximately ten megabytes.  Once installed, I explored the program and read through the documentation.  The documentation available is excellent.  Weighing in a 280+ pages, it is easy to follow and thorough.  There are multiple screen shots throughout the manual.

The software also gathers real time hardware and system data.  We can pull the information out into a table as necessary, which is great for inventory purposes.  The training module is something that I still have to explore in depth, despite it not having any applicable value from an Information Technology perspective.  From a teaching standpoint it is the crown jewel of this program.  Not only can you lock the client computers down so that they can only browse the websites that you want them to see (or alternatively, you can block any website), but it does full screen capturing and monitoring.  You can see what every PC is doing at any given time.  You can also lock the computer, shut it down, or reboot it as you see fit.  For paranoid micro-managers who feel the constant need to monitor their staff, they will love this software because it can be easily configured in such a fashion that the end user will never know that it is running on their PC.

The training module also allows the person in charge to develop and remotely deploy lesson plans on the client PC’s.  The end users can follow along as the instructor uses NetSupport to enhance his (or her) lessons.  This is the one piece of the software that I need to work with more to get a better grasp on how to use it.  Some of the features include streaming out audio and video to the PC’s, documents or photos.  Additionally you can instruct on one PC if someone needs assistance, or engage in two way chat (or more, depending).

The remote administration module is where I spent the majority of my time.  Once installed and configured, the I.T. manager can view or assume control of any PC on the LAN or WAN.  We can acquire system and software specs remotely, take full control of the client PC, deploy software, and of course monitor everything going on.

The company is based in England, and their website is http://www.netsupportmanager.com/.  As for cost, I could not tell you but I am sure it ranges depending on the number of PC’s that would have the client installed.  I have been working with a volume license for the entire company, as we have 81 separate locations to manage.