Make Life Easier - Let End Users Connect to Computers from Anywhere with My Desktop

What is My Desktop?
It happens all the time: an end user needs to access to his oce computer, but he's on the go, and you have to nd a way to help him out. Well, those stressful days are over because SysAids My Desktop module allows end users to remotely connect to their work computers from wherever they are. At home, on vacation, or simply visiting a dierent company oce, My Desktop ensures that end users can always connect to gain access to the les and programs that they need exactly as if they were sitting in front of their oce PCs.

Advantages of My Desktop
So, why is My Desktop better than other remote access solutions youve seen on the market? Here are just a few reasons:

Always Secure
My Desktop is a fully secured solution that is integrated into your existing SysAid server and provides fully encrypted remote access for your end users to their oce computers. Alternatives to My Desktop t ypically rely on either a VPN or a 3rd party provider, each of which provides security challenges. While a VPN is great for ensuring that data transferred to and from end users is secure, a problem may arise when end users connect from home, choosing to use their home computers which can have viruses, worms, or Trojans installed. Even if the end user is using a work supplied laptop, the users home network lacks all the advanced security measures of the workplacean advanced rewall, content ltering systems, IPS/IDS, and more. Once the VPN connection is established, any malware or hackers that compromise the end users computer at home have direct access to your entire network--putting everyone at risk. This security risk cannot happen with My Desktop: When you use My Desktop, end users remotely control their work computers without connecting to the corporate network. All communication is by secure SSL HTML 5, so both the users data and the corporate network are protected.

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As an alternative to VPN, there are companies that oer hosted products that are similar in concept to My Desktop. However, these products route all remote access sessions through a shared server that sits on their network. With My Desktop, all connections are routed through your network, using your SysAid server, so your corporate data is never exposed to any 3rd party.

Accessible Every Time

Because My Desktop relies upon HTML 5 for communications between the end user and the SysAid Server, the only thing an end user needs to begin the session is a compatible web browser. This means that end users can use virtually any computer or smartphone to connect. Is one of your end users away for the weekend and needs to make an emergency change to a PowerPoint presentation for Monday? No problemhe can use any computer to connect to his data. End users access My Desktop from the End User Portal using their normal SysAid credentials, so they already know everything they need in order to get started.

Business Oriented
My Desktop was designed from the ground up with your business and IT needs in mind. First of all, My Desktop is integrated directly with your help desk and asset management, giving you one tool that can meet all of your IT needs. This is a huge advantage over having to manage an additional 3rd party remote access tool. Second, My Desktop gives you complete, granular control over which users can connect to which computers. End users will only see computers that youve specically authorized them to access. To help you assign users to the appropriate computers, My Desktop includes an Auto-Match feature that identies the most common user for each computer and suggests that they be given access. Finally, My Desktop includes a detailed audit log that shows you all activities in My Desktop: assignments of computers to end users, all initialized My Desktop sessions, and any sessions terminated by IT administrators. With My Desktop, your business needs come rst.

Cost Eective
Unlike other secure remote access tools such as Citrix based solutions, My Desktop is only a small additional cost over your current SysAid license. With concurrent user licensing, its also very easy to plan how many licenses you need. Furthermore, because its part of SysAid, there is no need to add a budget for additional software products--making My Desktop a very simple acquisition.

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How My Desktop Works

My Desktop has three components that enable connections between end users and their computers: The web browser that the end user uses to initiate My Desktop The SysAid RCG (Remote Control Gateway) Server The end users desktop computer

Web Browser
An end user initiates Remote Desktop from any HTML 5 compatible web browser. This can include the web browser on a smartphone. The end user controls My Desktop completely from within the web browser.

SysAid RCG Server

The SysAid RCG Server acts as a gateway between end users and their workstations. It converts between the HTML 5 used by the end users web browser and the RFB used to communicate with the end users workstation. This allows you to manage all My Desktop sessions centrally from within SysAid, and also greatly simplies the network congurations required to allow end users to connect from outside the company network. Your SysAid Server hosts the RCG Server, and you can optionally install an additional RCG server onto another computer that is more easily accessible or that oers better performance.

End Users Desktop

When an end user initiates a My Desktop session, the SysAid RCG Server sends a UDP message to the SysAid Agent installed on the end users workstation, beginning the session. If UDP is blocked, then the My Desktop session is initiated the next time the end users computer contacts the SysAid Server (typically 30 seconds or less). A computer being controlled by My Desktop shows the lock screen on the local console.

Data Transfer
During a My Desktop session, the web browser sends and receives data from the RCG Server using SSL HTML5. The end users workstation sends and receives data from the RCG Server using SSL RFB. The RCG Server translates between the HTML 5 and RFB protocols. By default, all data is transferred over port 443. If port 443 is in use, the RCG Server will use 8443. If neither 443 nor 8443 are available, a random port will be used. You can also manually congure the desired port.

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My Desktop Connection Scenarios

There are three My Desktop connection scenarios:

Scenario 1
SysAid My Desktop (Cloud topology)
The SysAid RCG Server, the end user's workstation, and the end user are all located on dierent networks.
SysAid Data Center

ssl HT ML 5

B RF ssl

INTERNET

Oce PC

Scenario 2
SysAid My Desktop (In-House external topology)
The SysAid RCG Server and the end user's workstation are on the same network, but the end user is located outside the network.
5 TML ssl H

INTERNET

R CG
SysAid Server

ssl RFB

Oce PC

Scenario 3
SysAid My Desktop (In-House internal topology)
The SysAid RCG Server, the end user's workstation, and the end user are all located on the same network.
R CG
SysAid Server

ssl HT ML 5

ssl RF B

Desktop computer

http://www.SysAid.com

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Questions About My Desktop

What ports do I have to open in order to use My Desktop? By default, My Desktop connections use SSL over port 443. Port 443 is open in most organizations, so if you are using this port, there is no need to open additional ports to use My Desktop. If you are using a port other than 443 (such as 8443, or any other port youve chosen), then you need to ensure that the chosen port is open. What software do I need to install in order to use My Desktop? The end users workstation must have the SysAid Agent installed and the end user must have an HTML 5 compatible web browser. You should have already installed the SysAid Agent throughout your network for asset management, and all computers and smartphones come with a web browser. Therefore, unless your end users are using very old browsers, there is no additional software to install. How do I enable My Desktop? My Desktop is automatically included in your SysAid installation. All you need to do to enable it is to add the appropriate license le. Please contact your account manager for further information.

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