Executive Summary: Practically unlimited remote desktop support / remote access for a one time cost of $125! Just install the remote agent and you can access devices at the remote agent’s site. It just works!
Really? Sounds like a scam? No, we’ve had this underappreciated feature for years. Time to get the word out on how to take advantage of it!
With our PA Server Monitor product, you can have what we call Satellite-monitoring engines (monitoring agents, if you will) at remote sites. Typically one Satellite would be used to monitor all the devices at a remote location and report back to your central server, all on hardware you control (not cloud-based). You can see how it works here. These connections are HTTPS-encrypted with no incoming ports to the remote site firewalls.
One feature of these Satellites is what we call a SNAP Tunnel, which is just a secure networking tunnel to/from your central server and your remote Satellites.
Once you have the Satellite-monitoring service installed at your remote sites, and they are connecting back to your central server, you can right-click on the Satellite in the Console application and choose the menu option to connect with Remote Desktop. This will automatically create a new SNAP Tunnel to the appropriate destination port and launch Remote Desktop pointed at that Satellite server automatically. Secure, inside the firewall access to Remote Desktop, across an HTTPS-secure tunnel, for almost free.
It Gets Better
SNAP Tunnels can be created from the Satellite out to other computers/devices on that same network. So you can add a bunch of servers (that are not being monitored so not using licenses), and right-click on them and request Remote Desktop. The Console application will automatically create the tunnel targeting the specified computer via the appropriate Satellite-monitoring service and launch Remote Desktop for you. Simple.
This link shows another picture of how it works.
So what’s the catch? You need at least 1 PA Server Monitor Ultra license, which costs $125. That’s it. Our pricing model is based on the number of monitored devices, but you can have Satellites installed that don’t monitor anything. They won’t cost anything. If you add other servers/devices to the system and they don’t have any monitor attached, they don’t count against the license either.
That $125 is a one-time cost for a perpetual license. Yearly Support & Maintenance (first year included free) is available but not required.
Caveat: There is one thing that must be mentioned. Since the listening side of the SNAP Tunnel is at your central server, you need to be on the same network as your central server to access that side of the tunnel. If your central server is at work (typical scenario), then you’d need to be at work to have remote access or at least be able to VPN into the work network.
Naturally, we hope you’ll try the rest of the product, find out how awesome it is, and want more licenses. But whether you do or not, you’ll have secure remote access to your devices through hardware you control.
