Business Productivity

Web conferencing refers to a setup that enables live meetings or presentations over the internet. A web conference differs from a normal conference in that every person sits at his/her own PC (at home or office) and connects to the ‘conference room’ via the internet. Connecting to the ‘room’ is possible via either a software client that is downloaded on each person’s PC or via a web based application, which can simply be accessed by typing in a specific URL.

Web conference is also referred to a webinar. While the eventual meaning and purpose of the two is almost identical, there’s a slight difference. Web conference is a broad term, while a webinar is a term used to describe a specific type of web conference. Most webinars are usually one way, i.e. from the speaker to the audience. There is usually no interaction involved between the speaker and the audience. However, a webniar can also be collaborative where extensive feedback and interaction is not only possible but also highly encouraged. This sort of webinar is rising in popularity due to the efficiency it results in. Earlier, the presenter would speak over a telephone pointing out the information being presented on the screen, and audiences could reply via their own telephones. However, modern technologies allow for a much more sophisticated setup which utilizes the VoIP technology to imitate a normal meeting over the web.

Earlier, web conferencing was typically used to describe a group based discussion on online boards. This did not involve the ‘live participation’ feature that is now an absolute requirement for a web conference. If a meeting between a group of people is not live or synchronous, it cannot be called a web conference.

Web conferencing is usually sold as a standalone service. Organizations that use this service often pay standard charges that are either defined on a usage basis or a fixed charge each month. However, for larger organizations and businesses that use web conferencing daily, it can turn out to be expensive in the long run. To solve this problem, vendors often sell licenses to the web conferencing software that the business can install on its own server and run the service from within itself, without the need to rely on a third party source.

There are many free distributions of web conferencing software, however, they often lack in features and do have the high level of support to back them up, which paid software does.

Most asset management softwares are classified into two broad types. One can be a simple software that discovers assets in your network and then goes on to creating an inventory list out of these. The other is often a suite that typically includes complete IT lifecycle management, including clients, server needs, etc.

Basically, asset management is involved with complete management of the asset. Right from the purchase up until the lease expires or the asset retires. During this phase, asset management software can give you a clear picture of where you’re saving on costs. Companies that use asset management software often reiterate the word ‘return on investment’ (ROI). These asset management softwares can often help you by reducing the overall cost associated with owning different assets and identifying different situations.

With the basics over, here’s a quick review of two popular asset management softwares.

Altiris Asset Management Suite:
The Altiris Asset Management Suite is a complete IT lifecycle management solution. It offers client, mobile, server, and asset management. However, instead of going for the complete suite, you also have the option to go with just one component. We’ll be reviewing the asset management component of Altiris Asset Management.

Installing the asset management suite is a time consuming and complicated task. Usually, a vendor installs the product due to the complex nature of the suite. Moreover, the suite has a few prerequisites such as an SQL Server, IIS, etc.
The Notification Server comes next, which is the basic infrastructure of the entire suite and provides a common range of features, such as a Helpdesk, Web Console, etc.

Altiris Asset Management Suite provides real time deployment via the LAN interface. Not just that, but it also offers other deployment possibilities such as Logon Scripts, Web Pages, etc.
Overall, at a price of $22 per node for 100 nodes, this management suite is good. However, any extra modules can account for a more expensive overhead. Priority and standby support is offered, along with comprehensive hardware and software support.

You can find more on http://www.altiris.com

AuditWizard:
The installation process of AuditWizard is as simple as it can get. With an installation time of little over a minute, it is a breeze to install. No complications, and nothing complex to understand.

Discovery of all the network assets is not a problem. However, if you want to audit your PCs you will have to build a network scanner using the ScannerWizard.
Before you can audit the PCs you have to create a shared folder on the server (in this case, where AuditWizard is installed) and make sure that every PC you would like to audit can see the folder on the network. You might also need to create a script that can invoke the scanner from the client PC.

There’s also the ReportWizard which allows you to create custom reports based on variables you define. Very handy, since you can also export this data to edit it with other applications.

The price rounds off to about $8 per node, which is great. However, there are not many options for expansion since it does not have any plugins or extra modules. Hardware and software support is good, including phone, fax, onsite, and forum support.

Their website is http://www.laytontechnology.com.au

Remote access software, also know as the term remote desktop allows you to remotely run applications on a server while displaying them locally. The applications are run on a server that is not physically present near you, thus the term ‘remote access’.

Remote desktop is usually a feature built into some Operating Systems; there are also standalone applications available for the purpose of remote desktop that usually offer more features and enhanced control and management.

The basic feature of remote desktop is to be able to view the desktop of a remote server, however it is now common for remote access softwares to include the ability to manage and control the remote machine. An internet connection is usually required, however if the remote server is located within the same network, then a basic local connection will suffice.

Remote access softwares are commonly used by many computer manufacturers, such as HP, Dell, etc. They mostly use it to troubleshoot customer problems. This, in most cases, eliminates the need to physically go to the customer’s house and is a lot more efficient than traditional troubleshooting.

There are many different types of Remote Access Softwares available these days. Here’s a quick review of the most popular one.

1. GoToMyPC (http://www.gotomypc.com/)
The basic service goes at $19.95 a month. There are higher level subscriptions with more features though. GoToMyPC is the most popular and effective remote access software to date. Not just that, but it is also one of the easiest to use. All you need is a browser with support for Java and you’re ready to roll. The GUI and display is real time, thus emulating the actual PC being controlled exactly as if it were in front of you. GoToMyPC also has a file transfer utility which can help you access important data or transfer essential files to the remote PC.
If you’re providing support to a friend remotely, you can chat and draw over their screen with a virtual marker to make things clearer. Not just that, but you can also reboot the remote controlled PC.

Perhaps, the best part of the software is the ease of setup. All it requires is downloading a client on the PC you wish to control and access remotely. Then, you just need to set a password on the system. After that, whenever you need to access the remote PC, all you have to do is log into your account and enter the password you defined earlier.

While GoToMyPC is the best remote access software out there, it does cost a bit more than most others. Also, on a side note, GoToMyPC may not work very well on dial-up connections because of the limited bandwidth available.

Project management software typically relates to software that includes cost control, resource management, communication, etc. In short, anything that can be used to effectively deal with complex and large projects can be classified as project management software.

One of the most common task of project management softwares is scheduling. Depending on how these softwares are used, the complexity of the task can vary. Critical path calculation is another important task of project management software. A critical path is a series of events that are directly or indirectly related to each other and the time spent on each event determines the overall time used by the project. Project management softwares often highlight these events and help to optimize them to work out the most efficient timeframe.

Project management softwares have different approaches, with each one being more convienient than the other in different situations. The most common implementation of project management software is either via a desktop application or a web interface.

Desktop Applications provide a rich user interface and graphical reports. They typically run on each individual’s computer and store data locally. However, some have the ability to collaborate data and store it in one central location that can be accessed by all users.

Web Based project management software is usually programmed as web application that can be accessed using a web browser on a network. It does not need any specific application to be installed on the end user’s PC. A great advantage of web based project management software is the fact that only one copy needs to be installed and maintained in order for all the users to use it. However, since it is stored in one central location, if the server or the host of the software goes offline due to unforseen circumstances, no one is able to access it thus hindering productivity.

Another approach that is gaining popularity fast is the collaborative approach. In this case, the system is designed such that a team or a group of people modify different parts of the plan at once, instead of individually working on their own. They are often responsible for one specific area and the combined output is collaborated into the overall project. While a web based interface is used widely, a client-server type interface is more convinient. The client side of the software runs on the user’s PC and any data changes are synchronized once the client connects to the server.