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.
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Facebook's built-in chat service is convenient, but where it lacks when compared to software-based chat tools is in letting users log past conversations. Facebook intentionally does not save full conversations, however it does keep a few lines from the last time you chatted with someone so you can pick up where you left off.
If you're looking for more though, there's a new Firefox add-on called Facebook Chat History Manager that saves all of your conversations locally. As long as you're using the browser with it installed, it saves everything and puts it into a log that can be filtered by friend or date. There is, however, no search function, so if you're looking for a specific word or phrase from a past chat, you'll have to view all your chats on one page, then use Firefox's built-in search tool. Hopefully a later version will add a way to search from the local index.
Since the extension saves all of your chats locally, you're totally hosed if your computer gets lost, stolen, or suffers failed hard drive. On the flip side of that, the chat log viewer is password protected, so there are no worries of someone else gaining access to your entire chat history.
If you're a heavy Facebook chat user who does not access the service through a software chat client, this extension is one of the easiest ways to log your chats, and definitely worth the download.
FB Chat History saves all your Facebook conversations as long as you're using the machine with the extension installed.
(Credit: CNET)
After 10 months of promising that it was on the way, Digg is finally implementing Facebook Connect. In the next few hours Facebook users will be able to log into Digg with their Facebook credentials and use the site as if they had spent the time registering. It will also push their activity back to Facebook so their friends can see what they've been digging, and let them find other Facebook users who are using Digg too.
Digg is one of largest sites to implement Facebook Connect thus far. Second after that is likely CNN and CitySearch, both of which implemented Connect late last year.
This move is definitely a win-win for both parties. Users of both sites have long been able to post stories they've dugg to their Facebook profiles through various third party Facebook apps. The real magic here is that Digg will have an alternate way for newcomers to use the site in a way where long-term usage can be tracked and promoted back over to Facebook users who have not yet registered with Digg (and no longer need to).
Still missing from Digg's log-in options, and what was originally unveiled when Facebook Connect was announced, is support for OpenID. Like with Facebook Connect, this would let OpenID users log in with their OpenID credentials. However, it's likely taken the backseat to the implementation of Facebook Connect since there are fewer ways to resyndicate that segment of user activity.
Digg: Facebook Connect Demo from Digg Meetups on Vimeo.
Update: I just tried this out on my account, and what's nice is that if you're already a registered Digg user it simply links up your two accounts and finds your Facebook friends who are also Digg users. You can also choose which actions on Digg you want syndicated over to your news feed back on Facebook. You might want to double check these settings if you're the kind of person who leaves, creepy or otherwise not-safe-for-Facebook comments on Digg. Screenshot after the break.
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(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.
On Wednesday Google formally announced its support as a provider for the OpenID 2.0 protocol, offering some site owners a way to let users log-in and register for new accounts using existing Google account information. More importantly, Google will be letting these same users manage all their linked account information in one central location.
This new log-in offering is not available to all site owners just yet. Google has set up a sign-up form where developers can apply with their URL and OpenID identification to get access. Plaxo and Zoho are two of the first sites to already have the new system in place, with Zoho having offered a similar option since mid-April.
As many have already noted this isn't OpenID proper. Microsoft's usage of OpenID, announced on Tuesday at PDC, will let users simply drop in their special OpenID URL as their identifier, forsaking the need for a Google account. Google's foray into this is strictly as a provider, adding extra value for those who register for a Google account, while keeping users with OpenIDs from other providers out.
Google's OpenID implementation doesn't just give sites your OpenID identifier, instead it acts as a bit of a middleman, authorizing you through it before it hands it over.
(Credit: Google Inc.)OpenID enthusiasts shouldn't fret though. Just because Google isn't opening up its own sites to OpenID log-ins from others doesn't mean it's not around the corner. Google's Eric Sachs notes that the company is working to try and combine OpenID and identity management service OAuth, which means there's still work to be done on the personal information front. Google is unlikely to jump into being a service provider for OpenID until this is squared away.
Desktop password manager LogOnce has released a new way for users of the iPhone and iPod Touch to skip having to enter usernames and passwords on sites that require them. You can log in to any site for which you've saved a password just by opening up a special bookmark that plugs in your log-in credentials for you.
There's no software to install and nothing to remember. You can also wipe out any access, just in case you manage to lose your phone, or it gets stolen.
It's devilishly simple, and it works, though the setup is a bit tedious. You must first register with the site, then plug in all your usernames and passwords from various sites, then make sure you're logged into the LogOnce site via your device. After that, it's simply a matter of summoning up the bookmarklet shortcut when you're on the log-in screen at any given site where your registered.
To help make things a bit simpler, you can do all the password management on your PC, if you're willing to download the software version. It syncs up all the log-ins you've provisioned to the your account, so you can access them on the device. In case it's stolen, you simply change out your master password, which will keep any would-be identity thief from being able to access your information.
A far simpler solution, if you're willing to install something on your iPhone or iPod Touch, is 1Password. It's one of my favorites because it gives you far greater control over the fields you can enter, and it blends the management with browsing in the same space, which can be helpful, if you want to make changes on the fly.
1Password lets you add and manage all sorts of Web log-ins in one place.
(Credit: CNET Networks)iPhone and iPod Touch users have a fantastic new solution for keeping track of log-in credentials from site to site. It's called 1Password, and like the name suggests, you only need to remember one password to access and use your log-ins across hundreds and thousands of sites.
Like RoboForm (download) and other desktop password solutions, 1Password lets you save these log-ins under the protection of a single master password. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of Apple's SDK, you can't run 1Password while you're randomly browsing in Safari, meaning you won't be able to enjoy the ease of autofill. 1Password's workaround is to have you plug in your log-in information and the URL of where that log-in screen is located. From the application, you can simply click on the site you want to go to and it will plug all of that information into the correct fields when it opens in an in-app browser.
The application is already off to a great start, but there are some quirks that need fixing (and will be getting soon). The most glaring omission is the lack of an on-screen keyboard, meaning if there's something like a captcha or another form to fill in later on, you're out of luck. You're also unable to delete saved log-ins, so any log-in you no longer need must be repurposed instead.
Otherwise, there's a lot of power for advanced users. Once you're browsing any site, if you have to log in again for something, you can simply hit the "lock" key, which will plug in your username and password yet again. The same can be done for forms if you're willing to make a preset for that--something just fantastic when you need to enter billing information without killing your thumbs.
Mac users who want to carry over passwords from their browser can also take advantage of cross-platform sync, which will port over log-ins from their desktop to their phone and vice versa with the $35 desktop version.
[via Macrumors]
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.
