The best remote desktop management solution.

Hello everybody I'm for the moment planning to change remote desktop management solution for a medium size network (+500 WinNT & 2k). I would like to hear what kind of experience and advice all at AO can give in choice of product, please don't consider money it's the best solution I would like to have the opinion on, not the cheapest :D .

Question:

What's the best remote desktop management solution available and is there any competitive products for remote desktop management compared with ZENworks for Desktops 3 and Microsoft SMS?

For smaller networks I'd suggest these...

For the Win2k machines try the Terminal Services Client, it's fast and very useable!, for NT you could use VNC (free) or NetMeeting (a bit crappy and slow) or something like PC Anywhere.


I'm not sure how much use these would be for 500+ machines.

You said you're planning to change the remote desktop solution? If so, what package do you have in place right now?

I totaly agree with jcdux

Terminal Server client for 2000 is excelent.... it gives you all the power and features of that computer through the simple IE client, even lets you full screan it so it looks like your really at that computer :)

I loved terminal servering from my IPaq when i had it, all the power o a large Desktop into my palm :)

SMS is scary.

Through the administration you cannot make it do anything, everything gives you a message like "SMS will get around to it, when SMS feels like it." Usually it does things within the hour, but occasionally it takes a couple days. Changing the settings that control it's timing and scheduling appear to do nothing.

Then it seems to have the ability to install the client to any windows machine plugged into the wire. My Laptop, which is not on the domain and has different administrator passwords, somehow had the client installed to it from the server. Uninstalling the client is a huge headache, it doesn't have an uninstaller for add/remove programs. You've got to find the registry keys and it's files and delete them.

Maybe the version I had from msdn is different from the retail, but I'll never install that software again.

If all you need is remote control I'd use something free like VNC or netmeeting. If you need more control ZENworks is great, and the only other widely used package I can think of is Intel LAN manager, which I've never used but I hear is terrible.

Today we use a "better" product but I would prefer to be silent and don't tell what product we use since I don't want this to be a discussion about our "product".

What I would like to be able to do with the management tool(s):

• Automating Backups from Workstation & Server.
• Hardware & software Inventory of Workstation & Server.
• Distributing Software over Slow Links to Workstation & Server.
• Upgrade, Install, Troubleshooting of Workstation & Server.
• Remote Control and Remote View of Workstation & Server.
• Smart hotfix & Sp distribution to Workstation & Server.

It must not be a "full" product solution it can also be several small tools as long as they are outstanding in what they do. :D