It’s been roughly six months since Citrix Online acquired Paglo — the SaaS-based remote monitoring platform. Now, Citrix Online is taking new steps to recruit MSPs, IT consultants and IT administrators onto the former Paglo platform, now called GoToManage. The effort includes free SaaS trials for channel partners and IT managers. Here’s the update.

First, a tip of my hat to multiple MSPmentor readers, each of whom told me to check in with Citrix Online because of very recent GoToManage moves. In July 2010, Citrix Online released a new, integrated service spanning GoToManage (remote monitoring, based on the former Paglo platform) and GoToAssist Pro (remote support). Now, anyone can sign up for an unlimited, 14-day trial with no credit card required, according to Brian de Haaff, senior product director for IT services at Citrix Online.

Quick Updates

So, how do GoToManage and GoToAssist Pro work? As you know, I don’t actually use remote management tools but de Haaff gave me a quick demo today then sent along these two screen shots…

citrix_online_remote_support

On the remote support front (above), GoToManage is now tightly integrated with GoToAssist Pro, which provides both live screen sharing support for end users and access to unattended remote computers and servers, de Haaff says.

And on the alerting front (below), GoToManage users benefit from an upgraded alerting engine; it allows them to build as many customized alerts as needed and define multiple escalation paths, de Haaff asserts.

citrix_online_alerting_engine

Reality Check

So, how has the GoToManage platform performed since Citrix Online acquired Paglo in February 2010? In recent months, Citrix hasn’t said much about the acquisition. But de Haaff says GoToManage has a broad user base. Roughly half of GoToManage users are IT managers; the other half are IT consultants (VARs, MSPs, etc.), de Haaff estimates — though he declines to disclose GoToManage’s installed base.

We’ll be watching to see where Citrix Online goes next with GoToManage and GoToAssist Pro. It sounds like more Citrix Online moves could surface around September or October 2010.

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