Your Key Requirements Desktop Sharing SecureLink VSN Security    0%      100% Easy to setup & maintain    100%    100% Audit ability / Compliance    0%      100%

Analysis of key customer requirements:
Security-  When supporting an attended end-user application, desktop sharing solutions are very secure, as the end-user can clearly watch as the technician controls her keyboard and mouse.  While these services offer superior security in terms of encryption and authentication, these benefits completely miss the point when a user either enables desktop access to an unattended server running the vendor’s application, or when they surrender control of their own machine & let the vendor control that PC as a proxy to gain access to the server.  In these “phantom user” modes, the support technician effectively acquires the rights and privileges of the user, without any reasonable access controls or audit.

Easy to setup & maintain- Desktop sharing is as easy as clicking on a link for the customer, desktop sharing scores well here.  One limiting factor is the productivity lost when an end user is forced to surrender control of their workstation so the remote technician can use it to gain access to other network resources.  SecureLink also scores well for ease of use, since desktop sharing is one of the utilities includes with the application.

Audit ability / Compliance- If supporting an end user desktop, the customer can simply watch the session which minimizes the need for audit and compliance.  While technically a violation of stringent security policies, the realistic requirement is met.  However, in “phantom user” mode, where the remote user takes control of an unattended machine, audit ranges from poor to non-existent.  While some desktop sharing services offer video capture capabilities, these files are typically stored in a hosted, shared environment, which may be a violation of certain policies and regulations.  SecureLink features a detailed, locally stored audit trail that captures all remote activity at the individual technician level.  These reports can be stored locally, or exported to syslog or other local repository.