During a recent talk with LogMeIn CEO Michael Simon, I learned about the company's new LogMeIn Central dashboard for IT managers, designed to help them keep tabs on thousands of computers at a time.
I also heard about the new version of virtual network service Hamachi, which makes it a competitor to standard (and expensive) virtual private-networking products in the enterprise.
We chuckled a bit about the version of LogMeIn that's embedded in the dashboard of some Ford F150 pickup trucks, so their owners can remotely control their office PCs. And I heard about a LogMeIn technology, just now reaching the market, that enables not just remote diagnostics of computers but also access to data on the hard drives of PCs that are turned completely off. Gulp.
That last technology, part of Intel's VPro system architecture, has just started to ship in a few new PCs. It's designed for corporate networks so that support personnel can get into a machine--to run a backup, for example--regardless of whether it's running Windows, has crashed into a blue screen, or has been shut down. As long as the PC is plugged into the wall and to an Ethernet connection, the computer, even though in an off state, will continue to draw a small amount of power (about 4 watts) while it monitors the network for control packets.
The technology is getting built into motherboards using the Q45 support chipset. Only a few corporate desktops use this technology, in particular HP's DC 7900 and Lenovo's ThinkCentre M58 lines.
Simon told me that the technology does not provide a wide-open backdoor. There are security protocols. The user has to agree to use the technology, and like all LogMeIn remote-control products, remote access isn't possible unless the computer's owner agrees to it. And in many ways, it is similar to current remote-access products that rely on "Wake-on-LAN" packets to power up a PC so it can then be controlled remotely. The difference here is of degree.
And I don't worry about this in the enterprise. If you're using a computer provided to you by your company, it is owned by your company, not you. If your employer want to get your data or mess with your work, it does not need a tool like this to do so. This technology just gives IT pros more capabilities, and it sounds like a very useful tool.
Even for home users, in most cases, this won't be a problem, mostly because VPro PCs aren't marketed to home users. But assuming that they were, the VPro protocols still specify that the user must consent to remote access each time someone wants to use it.
So let's say Dell sells me a computer, and it crashes. I am happy to have Dell customer support see what's going on during a phone call. It might save everyone the annoyance and expense of a repair visit or the need to ship the computer back to Dell for examination.
Michael Simon, LogMeIn's CEO
(Credit: Rafe Needleman/CNET)What I am concerned about are VPro home computers for which remote control is preconfigured by a seller. A machine sold by an unscrupulous builder. A used computer sold via eBay or Craigslist by someone bent on identity theft. The opportunities for crime here are just too great to ignore.
And it's LogMeIn's exceptionally robust connection technology that makes it all the more so. Unlike Wake-on-LAN technologies and other remote-control products, LogMeIn is very good at connecting to a computer, no matter how far away it is on the Internet or how deep behind firewalls it is. It's robust--and secure in the hands of its users--but it's a scary tool, if the wrong people get into it.
Simon did say that perhaps this technology needs a protocol that specifies that whenever it's used, whether it's been configured for unattended access or not, it "drops a receipt on the desktop" so the computer's owner can see it when he or she turns the machine on.
That's a start. I'd recommend disabling this feature entirely. And to be fair, computers with this capability come with remote access turned off in the BIOS by default. But chances are that crimes over VPro, if any are committed, will be against people who simply don't know that this kind of access is possible.
Other LogMeIn representatives also took pains to remind me that this capability can be used to fight crime as well: a computer that had been stolen could be remotely wiped of data, for example, even if it's powered down. Also, there are no consumer desktops yet with this BIOS-level support for remote access.
I have been a big fan of LogMeIn's free remote-control product for years, and I have never heard of any security breaches due to a technical issue with the company's products. Furthermore, I congratulate Simon for landing this deal with Intel. Nice move. But I think that my relationship with this capable maker of remote-access and network utility services just got more complicated. I am going to try very hard to avoid VPro products, if they start to proliferate in the consumer market.
Alternatives include switching to AMD-powered computers or unplugging a VPro PC when not using it, which would be a ridiculous hassle. I know it seems crazy and paranoid, but if "off" doesn't really mean "off" anymore, we do have to be more careful.
LogMeIn, the company behind a recent Webware 100-selected remote-desktop application that lets users access files and data on different computers, plans to go public.
According to documents LogMeIn filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, the company plans to offer 6.6 million shares. It hopes to price those shares between $14 and $16.
Assuming that LogMeIn completes its filings and is eventually listed on the Nasdaq stock market, it will be faced with enhanced scrutiny. Not only will it be confronted with more, costly regulations at the hands of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, it will also have a slew of new stakeholders that will require the company to operate at a high level. It's a tall order.
Regardless, LogMeIn ostensibly believes that it's up to the challenge. So now the question is whether its finances can match its desire. Is LogMeIn financially sound, now performing better than it has in the past? Let's take a look.
... Read more
(Credit:
LogMeIn)
LogMeIn has had its hands in many cookie jars, from the desktop to the iPhone--a good thing, if you've ever needed to view your computer files remotely by way of your mobile phone.
At the WES 2009 conference for BlackBerry on Tuesday, May 5, 2009, LogMeIn announced that a version of LogMeIn is being developed for the touch-screen BlackBerry Storm.
While still in its alpha stage, LogMeIn Ignition for Storm will turn on remote access for computer files and programs. Storm owners will be able to peer into Windows computers that also run LogMeIn Pro, LogMeIn Free, or LogMeIn IT Reach.
Mac OS X owners will need LogMeIn Free to get LogMeIn Ignition thrumming on the Storm. The application will also save passwords and will include LogMeIn's customary 256-bit SSL encryption.
While LogMeIn hasn't shared any beta release dates with us, you can sign up in advance here. LogMeIn Ignition typically costs about $40 for a yearlong subscription or $8 per month for remote access to your computers from the mobile phone.
The remote PC access product LogMeIn is getting into trucks. A branded version of the software, "LogMeIn for Ford Work Solutions" will be included in the new F-150 trucks (and a few other models) equipped with the optional Ford Works Solutions suite, a collection of options that includes Internet access, a dashboard monitor, and a wireless keyboard and pointing device.
Remote desktop.
(Credit: Ford)LogMeIn spokespeople, in a CES announcement, said they envision construction contractors and other mobile workers using the remote access product to work on billing and other office documents without requiring them to carry a laptop in their vehicle.
I'm a LogMeIn user and can vouch for the product. For remote networking software, it is extremely simple to set up and use, and its performance is fast enough over a wireless connection. It works on both Windows machines and Macs, and cross-platform as well (you can control a Mac from a Windows desktop, and vice versa).
No news as to whether the feature will be disabled for the driver while the vehicle is in motion, or if LogMeIn running on a desktop PC or Mac will be able to tap into the truck's on-board Windows-based computer.
Ford CEO Alan Mulally will be giving an afternoon keynote at CES today. CNET News and Car Tech will have a full report.
Paying users of WebEx's remote desktop service now have the added bonus of Mac support. The service has been upgraded to be cross-platform in time for next week's Macworld Expo and throws in a couple other goodies like a remote Webcam viewer (so you can spy on your home computer from the office and visa versa), and a guest pass system that lets you send someone a one-time coupon to use your computer from wherever they are.
It's kind of surprising it's taken WebEx this long to get a Mac version of its remote client service together, but with Mac's marketshare climbing past 7 percent last month (according to Net Applications), it's clear bigger companies are starting to pay attention to the pleas of Mac users. As a start, WebEx released an iPhone-compatible version of the PCNow service in late August of last year that included mobile file access, and integration with Skype and Outlook. Similar services like LogMeIn and the Java-based RealVNC have been offering cross-platform services for quite some time now, although competitor Citrix seems content to rest on its laurels with a still PC-only version of its GoToMyPC service.
WebEx's PCNow retains its starting rate at about $13 a month for one computer, which goes all the way to $60 for 10 machines. There's also a 30-day free trial if you want to give it a spin. Personally I think casual users who only need a remote desktop service to grab the occasional file, or get a lengthly download started are probably better off with LogMeIn Free, which Rafe and I both use on our home machines with great success.
Featured on this week's Real Deal podcast: Synchronizing two computers. If you want to know how to keep yourself sane if you regularly use more than one PC, tune into this show for a rundown of my tips on how to keep files, bookmarks, and e-mail synchronized over the Web.
How to make sure your work on one PC shows up on another.
Products mentioned:
- FolderShare
- LogMeIn
- SimplifyMedia
- Orb
- FoxMarks
- Del.icio.us
- Google Docs and Spreadsheets .
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It's time for a confession: Although I write about Web 2.0 applications all the time, I use very few of these apps for more than a day or two. In most cases, once I've poked around in a product and written up my thoughts, I don't come back to it.
There are, however, wonderful exceptions, and I want to make it a practice to give a second look at the services that are more than interesting, they're so useful that you can rely on them day-to-day.
Wufoo: Just plain great
(Credit: CNET Networks)First up in this category: WuFoo, the online forms service (previous coverage). I cannot tell you how much trouble this little service has saved me. We use it on Webware for our contact page. Not only has feedback to our editors increased (compared to our previous contact method, a mailto link), but building the form took me all of 10 minutes. I started with the free version of the product but am now paying for it and putting it on my expense report. At $10 a month, several years of Wufoo service will cost CNET a lot less than it would have if we built the form and the data collection system ourselves.
My relationship with Google Spreadsheet: It's complicated
(Credit: CNET Networks)Second: Google's spreadsheet (review; kvetch). I rely on this product even though I loathe its Visicalc-era feature set and occasional "Connectivity lost... reloading" bug. Even so, it does the job. Google Spreadsheet is Webware's air traffic control system: several people here use it simultaneously, to track the services we're covering.
I'm putting Google on notice, though. I am considering changing over to EditGrid (review), which has features Google lacks. I'm also planning on checking out Xcellery, which claims to enable real-time sharing of Excel spreadsheets. Neat trick, that. (I have flirted with SmartSheet [review], but found that it lacks both flexibility and real-time collaboration.)
Since no good deed goes unpunished, I have asked WuFoo CEO Kevin Hale and Google product manager Rajen Sheth to join me on a panel on small business Web services at the upcoming Web 2.0 Expo.
Bonus tool that works: It's not strictly Webware, but I rely on LogMeIn for remote access to my own PCs and to my family's computers when they want me to do tech support for them. Latest update: On March 12, LogMeIn will release a client application that lets you connect to a remote PC without going through a browser. Robert Vamosi reviewed the product. I just got it and have already used it for real--not just to evaluate it--several times. It'll run directly off a USB stick, too, which is very handy.
Feel free to share your own Tools That Work in TalkBack...
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