pcAnywhere 11.5 Host and Remote

pcAnywhere *could* have been a useful tool for sys admins if it didn't have so many flaws.

First and foremost, it is a massive pain to install and setup. For a home consumer this may not seem problematic as time is not as critical, but for anyone who has to do IT administration it is a major pain in the butt. If I am working, and feel the need to use remote administration, that means I don't have the time to go there in person. One could draw from this that I would need something that deploys quickly to the end user, and is bullet proof. pcAnywhere is anything but this.

pcAnywhere also has problems traversing firewalls. This essentially means that once a computer is removed from a LAN, the administrator or user can no longer connect to it.

Finally, pcAnywhere does not have the tools I need to quickly fix a computer. I could go ahead and spend something like five dollars a call with LogMeIn.com's Rescue, and fix the computer before pcAnywhere could even connect to the machine. In short: pcAnywhere does not meet the needs of a busy sysAdmin. LogMeIn.com's Rescue is a product that is easy to setup, deploys much more rapidly, and has the tool to quickly fix a problem.

I have been using PC anywhere for years and am familiar with the program. Once up and running it is a useful tool. However getting it up and running can be a time consuming and frustrating experience. You have to be well versed in disabling specific firewalls and setting up port forwarding and remote access. Every time I purchase a new PC I go through the same ordeal. Symantec charges $$$$ for this product. Adding insult to injury they charge you for support setting up their expensive product. They used to provide accessible online support.
I would not recommend purchasing this product until Symantec either makes their products more user friendly or provides free support (at least for the initial setup).

As a small business owner needing to access/administer computers remotely this software can't be beat for the money. Once you get this puppy up and running it works flawlessly and does not have the cost or subscription fees of competitors.

Having used version 11.0 of the software for a couple years I was eager to try some of the new features of 11.5, such as PcAnywhere Mobile and Webremote. Being on the go most of the time both of these new features were of great interest to me. I was ecstatic when I had my destop popping up on my pda within 5 minutes of installing the software on my ipaq. Experimented with running some applications and they worked no problem. Some little issues with mouse clicks and lots of scrolling but no biggie. We have some critical systems that need to be reset from time to time at my office and the ability to do this from my pda is amazing. Many abilities of the full blown remote are missing, like ability to lock computer(fixed this with shortcut on desktop), but gosh.

I also checked out the Webremote version of the software. It is like a browser plugin remote version of PcAnywhere. I've got the folder saved in my online e-mail already. Now, wherever I may be, all I need is a pc, net access and to download a folder from my e-mail and I've got access to my host computers.

PcAnywhere in the right hands is a powerful addition to any small business. Decent knowledge of routers, fixed ips, port forwarding and tzo like services will get you easily over those bumps in the road.