The central concept behind GoToAssist Express is Clientless remote support. This means a support provider can easily connect First Anniversary Product Review - Citrix GoToAssist Express
(02/18/10)

It has been one year since the official rollout of GoToAssist Express, the little sister of the venerable GoToAssist Corporate departmental help desk management suite and first cousin to GoToMyPC as well as GoToMeeting.

Targeting small software support providers, GoToAssist Express is designed to fill a commercial and functional niche between current entry level remote access products (GoToMyPC, LogMein, VNC, etc) and full blown enterprise level help desk systems (GoToAssist Corporate, Web Ex).

The Citrix "GoTo" family of connectivity products each target a different connectivity market segment. For $60/mo, GoToAssist Express supports desktop access to anyone, anywhere, any time as long as they have an Internet connection, without having to preinstall any software on the remote computer. For the same functionality, GoToMyPC would require separate $15-$20/mo license to be installed on each remote computer being accessed. In other words, a fundamental difference between GTAEx and GTMPC is it's one to many (in fact, any) connectivity model as opposed to GTMPC's any to one connectivity model.

Common GoToAssist Express/GoToMyPC features

o Remote desktop access sharing
o Remote keyboard control
o Transfer files to/from client
o Expert/client chat
o Remote diagnostic reports
o Remote reboot and reconnect

GoToAssist Express advantages over GoToMyPC and GoToAssist Corporate functions

o True clientless remote support - Quick connect to any Customer's computer
o Flexible client support session invitation options - access links and codes can be Emailed, instant messaged or phoned to Customers; GTAEx Customers can click the Email or IM link, or visit http://www.fastsupport.com/ and enter a session ID to accept join your support session
o Unattended access capability. The ability to access and maintain unattended client systems during off hours is a must have for some support organizations. As I understand it, this feature is currently only available in GTAEx, not Corporate
o Virtual licenses work from any internet connected computer. Corporate must be installed and configured on specific workstations or flash drives. GTAEx is completely Web based
o Lower cost. Corporate cost per license approaches $200 per technician. GTMPC licenses cost up to $20 per month per remote. GoToAssist Express licensing runs $60 per month and is not tied to a single workstation or technician. Rather the license is controlled using a single concurrent usage limit.
o The combination of Web based architecture and single concurrent usage licensing makes GTAEx a great choice for mobile consultants and organizations with multiple technicians not all needing concurrent access to clients.
o Designed for small shops, simpler to install and use than Corporate
o A single license supports up to eight concurrent remote assistance sessions. switch sessions by simply clicking a session thumbnail on the GTAEx toolbar
o Optional technician screen sharing (Customer view of technician screen)
o Features basic session logging and reports
o Ramping up Mac expert and client platform support partially complete and in process for functionality with Windows platforms.

GoToMyPC advantages (features missing in GoToAssist Express)

Several significant features available in the in the GoToMyPC toolbar are missing or less capable in GoToAssist Express. Since Express is being positioned as a higher end professional product relative to GoToMyPC, I would expect it to deliver equivalent or better functionality than GoToMyPC. Missing parts:
o Remote print - Print customer reports on technician printer
o Performance graph
o Side by Side Folder compare/transfer Assist version is bare bones basic by comparison)
o GoToMyPC can disable sleep mode
o Performance tuning - adjust Color quality, view performance history, performance tuning slide,
o Sound settings - sound off/on, quality, auto disable sound option, mute local speakers while in session
o Security Options - blank out screen while connected, lock host keyboard and mouse

GoToAssist Corporate advantages

o Designed for larger support organizations with many support technicians
o Team collaboration functionality (multi technicians on same support call)
o Support request input que management
o Session sharing and transfer between technicians
o Customer surveys
o Branded web site
o Session recording
o Centralized administration, monitoring and control of support activity
o Online support queue
o Multilanguage support
o Hipaa compliant

Top Beta Group product enhancement requests

o Small team support features - concurrent multi technician licensing, customer identity (for both attended and unattended computers), concurrent team access to a consolidated customer/computer lists,
o More robust file transfer functionality, equivalent or better than GoToMyPC
o Remote printing capability a la GoToMyPC
o Enhanced session logging reports
o Expanded Mac and Linux support

Bottom line

Its Clientless remote support model, streamlined interface, unattended login support, ability to run from any internet connected computer and mid pack pricing will make GoToAssist Express a viable alternative to competing products for many small support providers. While COL has been steadily refining and enhancing GoToAssist Express during its first year in commercial operation, there is plenty of room for improvement, primarily in the areas of small team capabilities and improving a number of features to operate on a par with GoToMyPC.

Availability

Thirty day evaluations are available //express.gotoassist.com.

Highly recommended.

Product Review - Citrix GoToAssist Express

(revised 04/03/08)

Citrix Online is approaching rollout of a downmarket alternative to their GoToAssist help desk software, dubbed GoToAssist Express. Targeting small software support providers, GoToAssist Express is designed to fill a price and performance gap between currently available remote access products (GoToMyPC, LogMein, VNC, etc) and full blown enterprise level help desk systems (GoToAssist Corporate, Web Ex)

GoToAssist and GoToAssist Express are two similarly named but completely separate products. I'll refer to GoToAssist Express as GTAEx, GoToMyPC as GTMPC, and GoToAssist as Corporate. While reflecting fairly extensive hands on experience with GTAEx and GTMPC, this comparison may reflect my limited familiarity with Corporate. It may also include some GTAEx features which are in the development queue but not currently implemented.

The central concept behind GoToAssist Express is Clientless remote support. This means a support provider can easily connect to anyone, anywhere, any time as long as they have an Internet connection, without having to preinstall any software on the remote computer. GTMPC requires separate license to be installed on each remote computer being accessed, while GTAEx requires only a single license to remotely access any remote computer. In other words, a fundamental difference between GTAEx and GTMPC is it's one to any connectivity model as opposed to GTMPC's any to one connectivity model.

Common GoToAssist Express/GoToMyPC features

• Remote screen sharing
• Remote keyboard control
• Transfer files to/from client
• Expert/client chat
• Remote diagnostic reports
• Remote reboot and reconnect

GoToAssist Express advantages

• Clientless remote support - Quick connect to any Customer's computer
• Client support invitations - Support session invitations with connection links can be Emailed, instant messaged or invitations can be phoned to Customers; GTAEx Customers can click the Email or IM link, or visit http://www.fastsupport.com/ and enter a session ID to accept your support session invitation
• Unattended login capability. The ability to access and maintain unattended client systems during off hours is a must have for some support organizations. As I understand it, this feature is currently only available in GTAEx, not Corporate
• Works from any internet connected computer. Corporate must be installed and configured on licensed workstations or flash drives. GTAEx is completely Web based
• Lower cost. Corporate licenses cost approach $200 per technician. GTMPC licenses cost up to $20 per month per remote. While not published to date, GTAEx pricing will be somewhere in the middle.
• A GTAEx license is not tied to a "seat" (a technician or specific computer) like Corporate, and not limited to a single remote, like GTMPC. It can be launched (non concurrently) from any workstation by any technician, especially useful in a small shop
• The combination of Web based architecture and per concurrent session licensing makes GTAEx a great choice for mobile consultants and organizations with multiple technicians not all needing concurrent access to clients.
• Designed for small support organizations - much simpler to install and use than Corporate
• Supports up to eight concurrent remote assistance sessions. Switch sessions by simple clicking that sessions thumbnail on the GTAEx toolbar
• Will feature technician screen sharing (Customer view of technician screen)
• Features basic single session logging and reports
• The GTAEx beta forums are a great collaboration venue. Hope they remain available after beta period
• Supports Mac Customer PC's but currently not Macs running GTAEx host

GoToMyPC advantages (features missing in GoToAssist Express)

Several key features available in the in the GoToMyPC toolbar are missing or less capable in GoToAssist Express. Since Express is being positioned as a higher end professional product relative to GoToMyPC, I would expect it to deliver equivalent or better functionality than GoToMyPC.

• Print customer reports on technician printer
• Performance graph
• Dedicated launch task manager function
• Side by Side Folder Comparison Window
• Disable sleep mode
• Copy/paste between computers
• Pass Windows keys to host
• Performance tuning
• Adjust Color quality
• View Performance history
• Performance tuning slide
• Adjust Sound settings
• Sound off/On, quality
• Auto disable sound option
• Mute local speakers while in session
• Security Options
• Lock host (customer) upon disconnection
• Blank out screen while connected
• Lock host keyboard and mouse
• Viewer Security Time-Out After value

GoToAssist Corporate advantages

• Designed for larger support organizations with many support technicians
• Team collaboration (multi technicians on same support call)
• Incident queuing and technician assignment
• Session transfer (one technician to another)
• Customer surveys
• Branded web site
• Session recording
• Centralized administration, monitoring and control of support activity
• Online support queue
• Multilanguage support
• Hipaa compliant

Top Beta Group product enhancement requests

• More robust file transfer functionality a la GoToMyPC
• Remote printing capability a la GoToMyPC
• Allow multiple Expert simultaneous connection to the same Customer
• Enhanced session logging reports
• Clipboard copy/paste between Expert and Customer desktops
• Expanded Mac and Linux support
• For an extended list of GoToAssist Express Beta Group product enhancement requests click: Recapping requested features (Rev 01/30/08)

Bottom line

Its Clientless remote support model, streamlined interface, unattended login support, ability to run from any internet connected computer and (anticipated) aggressive pricing will make GoToAssist Express a great solution versus GoToAssist Corporate as well as other competitor's products for many small support providers. Incorporating the GoToMyPC file transfer interface would raise the grade on GTAEx from A- to A+. I Expect GTAEx will take the lower tier help desk market by a storm.

Availability

The beta is open for sign up at http://express.gotoassist.com/ Use is free of charge until Express goes commercial, probably Q2 2008. Highly recommended.

References

Document G2A_xc_product_comp_final.pdf, available from Citrix sales as of 01/10/07.

Oakcreek

This week I'm on site at Oakcreek Golf & Turf in Calgary, AB. Oakcreek is an equipment distributor with six branches in Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan. Like many of our multilocation sites, they are running ABS on a Unix server. The remote branches are connected to the home office "online real time" using a VPN (vitual private network).

Oakcreek's product lines include commertional irrigation systems, commercial turf maintenance equipment, golf carts and snow conditioning equipment. They sell and lease new and used vehicles as well as parts, repair service and turnkey irrigation projects.

The company has been running Wholesale Distribtion, Counter Sales, Purchase Order, AP, AR and GL since around 1990. Last year we installed our Buyer Workbench purchasing decision support and automation system. This year we are installling the ABS RF/Bar Code sytem, which allows ABS warehouse functions to be performed on wireless hand held devices.

We are installing RF using Dolphin 9550 56 key scanners from Hand Held Products (the best product I have seen) and Zebra bar code printers. To be continued...

Welcome!

Welcome members of the ABS software community. This site is offered as a resource for users, resellers and potential adopters of ABS software (American Business Systems of Chelmsford MA).My name is Felton Frantz.

My company, Frantz Information Systems of Arlington TX, is a long time ABS VAR (value added reseller). We have been installing and supporting the ABS system for over 20 years. Our clients include a variety of industries throughout the US and Canada.

I will be posting ABS related news, articles, technical tips and experiences. I hope you will enjoy visiting from time to time.

If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to contact us.

Felton Frantz
Frantz Information Systems
Toll free 866/347-2001
Email fdf@frantzsystems.com
Web http://www.frantzsystems/ .com