By Eric Townsend 2

scotty_trek4

Scotty was shocked when the computer didn’t respond. (I was shocked that they didn’t use a PC with an Intel processor, but that’s another story.) I relate to this because I think MSPs wish there was a way to see into the computer and accurately diagnose what was going on with it. And you’d probably like to do this without a truck roll. It’s not that MSPs are indifferent to their customers – it’s that truck rolls cost money and many problems could be easily diagnosed and remediated remotely.

Breakthrough Capabilities

KVM tools can help this, with the ability to “see” and “control” a users’ computer. But software-based KVM capabilities don’t really give you a true GUI view of the PC you are working on and they don’t maintain the connection through reboot cycles (which we all know can occur several times when diagnosing and repairing a PC). And if the OS crashes? Well, as they say in New Jersey, “fuggedaboutit.” 

That’s one of the reasons that Intel introduced KVM Remote Control which is available exclusively in PCs built with Intel vPro technology. This unique hardware-based solution allows technicians to remotely control the keyboard, video and mouse on a customer’s PC. But unlike software-based KVM tools, KVM Remote Control connects easily, maintains the connection through reboot cycles, and gives the technician a “full GUI” view of the PC – with great resolution (1920 x 1200) and through all states, even beyond the firewall.

“We can troubleshoot without relying on the customer on the other end of the phone to tell us what’s on the screen, so we’re presenting a better level of capability to our customers,” says Dan Tomaszewski, President, Green Light Business Technology.

With KVM Remote Control, available only on PCs with Intel vPro technology, Green Light and other MSPs can fix more issues remotely by seeing what their users see with greater resolution than ever before,  while also speeding repairs and improving quality of service by removing the PC user from the process.

Tomaszewski adds, “With vPro’s hardware-based KVM, we’re able to watch the machine reboot and see the entire process. Instead of waiting for the machine to come back up, we can just move the machine to another screen and multitask while it boots.”

Shea Kelly, Director of Operations for Circle Computer Resources agrees. “[With KVM Remote Control] we can fix more problems on our schedule, particularly during evening hours. This means we don’t have to work around the client’s schedule. Also, because we don’t have to leave our desks to, for example, reload an OS, we can multitask during the 45 minutes that the reload takes.”

In addition, KVM Remote Control on PCs with Intel vPro technology also reduces the time required to repair an OS problem by up to 75 percent. Now that’s improving productivity – even if you can’t yet actually talk to the computer!

eric townsend