Review: Latest pcAnywhere Version Brings New Features To Remote-Support Market

Symantec recognized that pcAnywhere's market share could be eroded by free remote-control packages such as Windows XP's bundled remote desktop or VNC, an open-source remote control platform.

The latest pcAnywhere, which shipped June 9, brings a host of new features that help extend the product beyond basic remote control. Symantec started with redesigning the interface into a more cohesive remote-support solution with remote management as a major feature. Administrators can now access basic support features without initiating a full remote-control session. Among the tasks supported are launching a command prompt, accessing task manager, viewing services, editing system files and remote system shutdown.

Security is a major concern when remotely accessing systems. To keep things secure, pcAnywhere now offers 13 different authentication methods, ranging from Microsoft Active Directory to Novell LDAP support. That helps administrators leverage existing security databases. Further protection is provided in the form of serialization. Installers can define which pcAnywhere serial numbers are valid for connections, preventing unknown users from using an off-the-shelf copy of pcAnywhere to access secured systems.

Test Center engineers installed pcAnywhere version 11 on several systems configured with either Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional. Both dial-up and TCP/IP-based connections were tested, as was compatibility with pcAnywhere 10.5.

The good news is that the new interface is straightforward and able to be quickly learned by those new to the product, but the bad news is that longtime pcAnywhere users will need to familiarize themselves with the product, as very little is the same.

Administrators can speed up remote support tasks with the new Deploy and Connect feature, which allows the installation of a thin host application to a remote system, making it instantly available for remote control. Other enhancements include the ability to schedule and queue commands using the pcAnywhere command queue feature, an ideal method for remotely running batch files or file transfers.

All things considered, pcAnywhere version 11--with its new features and ease of use--raises the bar high enough to make the product a must-have for remote management and control.

The application is priced starting at $149 for the upgrade and $199 for full version.