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Today's challenge
Most MSPs today have a reactive approach to service: when
the PC has a problem, they fix it. Typically, unresponsive PCs
require that a technician be dispatched to the site to troubleshoot,
diagnose, and repair the machine. For customers, this can result
in significant user downtime. And, in the SMB market, the fix-
and-repair approach is a costly service model. There is a critical
need for tools that support improved services from the remote
service center for PCs that are powered off or unresponsive.
The solution: SyAM Software Desktop Monitor*
and Intel® vPro™ technology
SyAM Software is taking advantage of new remote manageability
capabilities that are built into PCs with Intel vPro technology.
These hardware-based capabilities allow SyAM Software Desktop
Monitor an even greater level of visibility and improved management
control from the service center. In addition, because the new
capabilities are designed into the hardware, they are OS-agnostic,
and available for both Windows*and Linux*environments. With
SyAM software and Intel vPro technology, service technicians can
now remotely power up these PCs, resolve more software prob-
lems, and improve the accuracy of hardware problem diagnostics
— without leaving the service center.
MSPs can now reduce on-site visits traditionally required to
troubleshoot and diagnose problems, perform repairs or new
software installations, and power up PCs on-site to ready them
for maintenance and other services. In turn, customers should
see improved service, minimized interruptions to business, and
increased user productivity.
Remote capabilities — always available
One of the key benefits of Desktop Monitor and Intel vPro
technology is that communication with — and remote manage-
ment of — PCs is now possible anytime. The communication
channel in PCs with Intel vPro technology is hardware-based
and runs outside the OS. Because the channel uses the TCP/IP
firmware stack instead of the software stack in the OS, com-
munication with the PC is independent of the PC’s power state
or the state of the OS. As long as the PC is connected to a
power source and plugged into the network, the channel is
available for authorized Desktop Monitor communications.
Improved problem resolution — even if the OS
is unresponsive
One of the biggest challenges to MSPs — and one of the most costly
services to provide — is remote software problem resolution. Service
technicians often can’t remotely diagnose or repair PCs that won’t
boot to a functional state. Instead, the MSP must dispatch a tech-
nician to the customer site to troubleshoot and fix the problem.
Desktop Monitor used on PCs with Intel vPro technology now
gives service technicians new capabilities to bring inoperative
systems back online. For example, some of the reasons a PC
might not boot include corrupted registry, missing .DLL files, a
USB device accidentally left in a drive (preventing the system
from booting properly), and so on. When such a system becomes
inoperative, Desktop Monitor can notify a technician of the
“missing” PC — the system is not responding to the constant
polling and monitoring process.
When managing PCs with Intel vPro technology, the technician
can now send a remote-boot command to the system to see if
the boot problem can be quickly fixed by booting the OS to a
clean state. Remote boot is performed through integrated device
electronics redirection (IDE-R), which is more secure than tradi-
tional preexecution environment (PXE).
If a reboot doesn’t resolve the problem, the technician can redirect
the boot device for the PC to a clean image at the service center.
This could be an image on a CD, a remediation server, or another
device. Once the PC has been booted remotely, the technician can
use console redirection through serial-over-LAN (SOL), to watch as
the BIOS, drivers, and OS attempt to load. The technician can then
guide the PC through a diagnostics session, using diagnostic tools
from the technician’s own CD/ROM or floppy drive. If the problem
is a software or OS issue, the technician can push replacements
for missing files, repair corrupted registries, and perform other
repair tasks without leaving the service center. This can signifi-
cantly reduce on-site visits, improve response times for SMB
customers, and help minimize MSP service costs.