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| Citrix Online launches GoToAssist Express beta |
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January 08, 2008
By Patricia Pickett
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| Citrix Online is targeting smaller software consultants and value-added resellers (VARs) with its new GoToAssist Express remote support solution. |
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The software, currently still in beta, is the small-business flavour of the corporate version of parent company Citrix Systems Inc.’s GoToAssist offering, which has been on the market for a while. According to Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Citrix Online spokesperson Tina Long, the Express version does not include some of the more robust features of the original version, such as the ability for multiple support representatives to collaborate on an issue at the same time without having to hand off the customer from one person to another; or certain reporting and other features that larger teams require and managers like to use. |
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Citrix is promoting the new software as easy-to-use with a "very consumerish looking interface," Long said, adding that the product supports XP, Vista and Macintosh environments. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering will be available for purchase on Citrix Online’s Web site. Target markets include IT consultants or value-added resellers that provide overall IT services for individuals and small businesses that don’t have internal IT support, as well as software consultants that develop and support their own niche software. Other potential markets include certified public accountants that implement and support accounting services and software for their clients, as well as IT managers that manage internal tech support for their companies, she added. |
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The free beta version currently features one-way screen sharing, multiple sessions, file transfer, chat, remote diagnostics and reboot/reconnect. GoToAssist Express product manager Nat Kunes said that when a support person wants to add a new session, there are three ways of getting the end user to connect. There’s the option to e-mail the support information to the customer; copy the URL so it can be pasted into an instant message (IM); or direct the user to Fastsupport.com, a Citrix-owned domain where the support key can be entered in case a customer’s e-mail or IM isn’t working. |
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The remote diagnostics feature is an important one for IT consultants or departments, in that it can be used to "gather all kinds of system information that’s important," such as how much memory is available and what kinds of viruses or spyware might be on the system, Kunes said. Consultants can save the information into a report, "and if they save often, they can calculate differences from day to day of what has changed," he said. With reboot/reconnect, if the customer’s computer needs to be restarted, it is reconnected to the session as soon as the restart is complete. "You don’t have to go back to the Web site and enter the key in again," Kunes said. |
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Another big feature is the integrated unattended support function, where a support person can request and set up a remote assistance connection without someone having to be on the other end, said Kunes. This capability is useful in situations where, for example, a customer is too busy to take an hour off for remote support during business hours and would rather have the consultant do the work after hours instead. Or a consultant that supports 20 different computers at five different companies may want to do install or upgrade something on all the computers at once, rather than one at a time. The session must be arranged ahead of time with explicit permission granted by the customer, he noted. |
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Once VARs sign up online for a GoToAssist Express beta account, they have access to an FAQ section, a blog that contains information on new features that have been added that month, and forums with information on bugs, feature requests, Q&As and surveys. |
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The beta is open to IT, software and accounting consultants, internal help desks, and others interested in helping develop the product. Kunes said Citrix Online is hoping to get as many beta users on board as possible so it can get feedback that can be incorporated into the product. The final version would be released during the first half of this year.
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