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PC-Duo Enterprise

This product has four major components that provide remote control, helpdesk, inventory control and software distribution facilities. The system's key facility is its systems management capability that can provide accurate and up-to-date information about the hardware and software installed on the networks under its control.

Using either Windows Access or SQL Server databases, the system generates comprehensive reports. The Enterprise console plug-in for the Microsoft Management Console controls and monitors every system under its supervision.

The inventory system maintains a database of hardware and software information for each PC, and can be updated on demand or at specified intervals as needed. An additional feature is the system's ability to analyze installed software and report on the compliance status of each system.

Apart from its obvious use in monitoring licensing issues, it has another security benefit, since it will also detect and report software it does not recognize. A useful adjunct to this system is its ability to monitor and report software usage throughout the network.

PC-Duo can package and distribute software to clients across the network. This is a comprehensive system that caters for most eventualities, though it does rely on each target system checking to see if there are any packages for it to install. This will occur at scheduled times or when the target reboots, which could produce some interesting spikes in network usage.

A key area of the system is a shared directory, referred to as the Offline Area. Client PCs use this directory to store inventory data that is later retrieved by the central system. The package distribution process also stores packages here for later collection by client PCs.A web-based helpdesk system is provided which requires Microsoft IIS server-side. With a web-based architecture, helpdesk facilities can be accessed from any connected machine with a suitable browser.The remote control software has three operational modes, and also offers a file transfer capability, but it is not fast.
Product title
PC-Duo Enterprise
Product info
Name: PC-Duo Enterprise (Remote administration tools) Description: Price: from $300 for ten nodes
Strength
Detailed hardware and software inventory facilities.
Weakness
The file transfer facility is quite slow.
Verdict
A good management-oriented system for Windows networks.

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