Remote assistance

Microsoft unveiled System Center Online Desktop Manager, the first online service built around its management tools. It will provide desktop management capabilities that are focused on software updates, protection from spyware and malware, monitoring, group policy and configuration management, asset management, update management and remote assistance. The Online Desktop Manager console is based on Microsoft's Silverlight. The service will likely find favor among small and medium sized businesses or those without major investments in System Center tools they run inside their firewall. Microsoft plans to launch a private beta of Online Desktop Manager in the next 60 days and will put out a public beta before the end of 2009. The online management suite is another milestone in Microsoft's strategy to push its infrastructure software into the online services market.

Bomgar caught my eye with their tagline: “Virtualize Your People.” That certainly sounds web worker-friendly, and it turns out their products might be useful for some web workers as well. They make a series of network appliances designed to simplify remote access: with one of their appliances plugged in, you can connect from your Windows, Mac, or Linux box to another computer running those operating systems, as well as others like DOS or Windows Mobile. The connection can be attended or unattended, and happens regardless of firewalls at either end.

IBM has released a patch for highly critical security flaws in its Lotus Notes, following the discovery of vulnerabilities in a third-party software component used in Lotus 1-2-3. Users who open a malicious file attachment can trigger a buffer overflow, as Lotus 1-2-3 tries to process the Lotus Worksheet file format. The vulnerabilities could allow a malicious attacker to take control of a user's system remotely and execute arbitrary code, according to Core Security Technologies, which issued a security advisory on Tuesday. ***

IBM has released a patch for highly critical security flaws in its Lotus Notes, following the discovery of vulnerabilities in a third-party software component used in Lotus 1-2-3. Users who open a malicious file attachment can trigger a buffer overflow, as Lotus 1-2-3 tries to process the Lotus Worksheet file format. The vulnerabilities could allow a malicious attacker to take control of a user"s system remotely and execute arbitrary code, according to Core Security Technologies, which issued a security advisory on Tuesday. ***

(continued from previous page) Hewlett-Packard, the leading PC maker, began offering remote technical help in September. The application HP now uses to diagnose consumer PC problems was developed and used internally within the company for several years before it was tweaked to help customers, according to Mark Notarainni, HP's director of contract vendor operations for consumer business. For remote diagnosis, a broadband connection is necessary. HP says 55 percent of its customers have broadband, meaning just more than half of its customers are eligible for remote services. But there are still some who will be left out in the cold. To ameliorate that situation, Dell plans to offer remote help for dial-up customers next month, said the company's Deering. ***