Remote control software may jeopardise network security
BY TITO PEREIRA, MD
BLUE LABEL TECHNOLOGY
Security is best in best of breed products, says NetSupport Manager distributor Blue Label Technology

[Johannesburg, 23 September 2003] - Remote control software is widely acknowledged within the IT industry as one of the most efficient solutions in improving the responsiveness of the helpdesk and support departments.

However, their very ability to provide access to enterprise networks, makes them open invitation to would-be hackers, if the security features aren't what they should be, says Tito Pereira, Managing Director of Blue Label Technology, distributor of the award-winning NetSupport Manager remote management solution.

Remote software tools completely remove the need for support staff to physically visit a user's PC to resolve technical issues. However, inadequate security measures built into remote management products can result in unnecessary security breaches, both from within the organisation or externally by an outsourced service provider responsible for support.

Traditionally, only network administrators used remote control products internally, in order to maintain critical servers and workstations, negating the need for security features, because he alone had the authority and exclusive access to the network. However, nowadays remote control software products also used by help desk personnel both internally and externally by outsourcing companies offering desktop support.

Because helpdesk personnel fielding support calls are not usually administrators, extensive security must be built into the remote control software itself, to protect the organisation and its network that is supported, says Pereira.

These enhanced security features serve to limit the functionality of the remote control software to a 'per user' and 'per workstation' level and restrict connections to specific workstations that may be of a critical or sensitive nature.

According to Pereira, some of the security features that should be included in remote control software are:

· User authentication (NT domain or internally);
· Connection control (via security keys and IP address filtering);
· Functionality disabling (for example, switching off the ability to reboot either at controller or client level); and
· High-level encryption up to 256-bit – the communication between controller (support engineer) and client (desktop).The ability to log a remote control session is also essential.

According to Pereira, NetSupport Manager's auditing facilities and session video recording address this need. The product's Profiles feature also allows individual control users and client workstations to operate at different security levels and capabilities, depending on the sensitivity of the data being accessed.

Purchasers of NetSupport Manager, the flagship product in the NetSupport range, have the comfort of knowing that the product's security features where developed in association with the US Navy and with leading international banks, he says.

HSBC, AM Ambro, Rabo Bank and the Pentagon are all major users of NetSupport Manager.

The benefits of remote management products are that users are presented with speedier response times, reducing the down-time of critical applications, and support staff are able to operate more efficiently as their resources are 'on hand' and not ‘on the road' visiting users.

As with other areas of IT, remote control has evolved, with users looking for multi-tasking solutions and the associated economies of scale, where they can rely on a single box product to perform a whole range of functions, which traditionally were handled by multiple software packages and vendors.

NetSupport Manager (NSM) is no exception this evolution, combining remote control with innovative desktop management functionality.
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