PcAnywhere is Symantec’s answer to providing help desk support and mobile professionals with what it claims to be adaptable remote access and problem solving tools. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the software.
New with pcAnywhere 12.0, which will be available by the end of the month, is Access Server, which offers improved connectivity from anywhere to anywhere according to the company. Access Server will ship some time in the second quarter, Symantec said.
Other enhancements to pcAnywhere 12.0 include a new gateway feature that enables transparent connectivity between the help desk and remote users, expanded ease-of-use and additional cross-platform support – including support for Mac OS X.
Version 12.0 also features new gateway and host invitation features that the company said address common connectivity challenges encountered by organizations and small businesses supporting multiple, remote devices. By providing real-time discovery of and secure connection to multiple devices behind firewalls and Network Address Translation devices, the new gateway option allows help desk professionals to initiate sessions with end-users, minimizing exposure to common security risks such as port opening/forwarding to help maintain security policies.
The new host invitation feature offers host users an instantaneous means to initiate remote control sessions without requiring either party to know each other’s IP address, establishing a reverse connection from behind firewalls and NAT devices.
Meanwhile a pcAnywhere CrossPlatform component expands host and remote platform support across Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X environments. The pcAnywhere CrossPlatform remote offers a multi-pane view for simultaneous display of multiple concurrent remote control or file transfer sessions, and enables host-to-host file transfer.
Support for the pcAnywhere host in Windows XPe and WEPOS embedded environments enables remote access for business services environments requiring kiosks, point-of-sale or other specialized devices, Symantec said. There are also new remote management tools for pcAnywhere Mobile, providing access to Command Prompt, Task Manager and System State tools without initiating a remote control session.
This cuts time and bandwidth requirements, according to the company, for remote troubleshooting and issue resolution from Windows Mobile Pocket PC or Pocket PC Phone Edition devices.
PcAnywhere 12.0 also has a new basic view user interface option for simplified, task-based graphic options; a single session manager that gives users the option to combine all active sessions into a single window with tabs for each session; and administration capabilities within pcAnywhere Access Server allow logical arrangement of available hosts by customer, organization, or department. Included with Access Server is Web Remote, which allows for hosted web-based access from devices, without any requirement to have pcAnywhere pre-installed.
