Regarding remote support tools
Posted by chamllw@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 14 comments
I'm working for a medium sized company and we're looking for a new tool. We've been using Quick Assist but the new restriction for use with VPN is putting a stop to that.
I've looked into options like GoToAssist, BeyondTrust, Intune RemoteHelp. Main issue is I couldn't find much info from on how they'd work in the context of a thousand or so end users and about a hundred or so connections per week by 20 or so agents.
I've searched past post in the sub and got some helpful info but those cases seemed to be for a smaller number of users.
Can I ask for help from anyone who has experience with this many users?
Stonewalled9999@reddit
Action1
GeneMoody-Action1@reddit
This is the perfect entry level for Action1's patch management solution, while that is our core design, remote access, scripting & automation, etc all come with it, so you get it all, for 200 or less endpoints, you even get it free!
I appreciate the shoutout!
If I can assist with anything Action1 related or otherwise, just say something like "Hey, where's that Action1 guy?" and a data pigeon will be dispatched immediately!
LevelHQ@reddit
You might want to look at an RMM. Level.io
jimicus@reddit
I’ve used BeyondTrust back when it was Bomgar for many years.
It’s a Rolls Royce product. Out of the box it’s extremely capable, but it also has an extensive API if you want to get creative.
My support renewal was January; it invariably paid for itself before the middle of February.
It does, however, come with a Rolls Royce price tag.
Stonewalled9999@reddit
did you have the appliance or the VM?
jimicus@reddit
Appliance.
Stonewalled9999@reddit
that's the way. We used the appliance as well.
chamllw@reddit (OP)
Thanks! BeyondTrust/Bomgar was recommended by a colleague who'd used it. Like you mentioned the cost seem too high though. Only if it's ok to ask can I know how much it costs you for an year?
jimicus@reddit
Haven’t used it in a while, but they used to structure it based on number of simultaneous techs logged in.
So if you have 30 techs but they work 24x7 in three shifts, 10 per shift, you’d only need ten licenses.
chamllw@reddit (OP)
Oh ok. That makes sense. Thank you.
Status-Theory9829@reddit
100 connections/week across 20 agents is actually pretty manageable for most enterprise tools, but VPN restrictions kill a lot of solutions.
Here's a few thoughts:
beyondtrust scales well but it's expensive. Their pricing model gets brutal at 1k+ seats.
intune remotehelp should work fine at your scale but licensing sucks.
have you looked into more modern access management approaches? Instead of traditional screen sharing, a lot of teams are moving to session-based access where agents connect directly to systems through a gateway.
That's what we do... we are currently using hoop but teleport does this well too and it's been way cleaner. you get full audit trails, no VPN dependencies, works from anywhere. Agents get shell/database access without traditional RDP/VNC overhead.
Not exactly what you asked for, but worth considering if your support involves server/database troubleshooting vs just pure desktop support.
What type of systems are your agents primarily accessing? That might change the recommendation.
chamllw@reddit (OP)
Thanks you. Yes the plan is for an always-on VPN so that's the issue. We've been asked to balance security and cost and that seems rather hard to do.
Appreciate the mention of hoop and teleport. We'll have to look into that.
The main use will be providing troubleshooting support where admin access will be required. As we have many users working remotely. Use with servers and databases would be rare.
Chihuahua4905@reddit
Tactical RMM can be self hosted for free or Amidiware (the company that develops Tactical RMM) can do a hosted version for a cost per month.
There isnt much it cant do, and VPN restrictions shouldn't be a problem for it, specially if you host it when the VPN server is.
chamllw@reddit (OP)
Thanks. Will look into that.