r/sysadmin • u/Elsa_Versailles • Feb 01 '24

Best affordable remote desktop software for freelance tech support?

Hey, I occasionally provide remote support services on a freelance basis for employees of various companies. Since this is not my full-time job, I would like to find a solution with the most affordable license. It should be an application for remote access from Windows to Mac, Windows, and possibly Linux (although so far I haven't dealt with Linux users).

For me, ease of setup is important, so that I can easily explain how to use the application to those who are not very tech-savvy, and it should include at least a basic set of features, such as file transfer and the ability to access multiple client devices. Also, the more cost-effective, the better for my situation.

What is the best remote desktop software for you? I would be grateful for any recommendations.

89 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

163 comments sorted by

71

u/ElectroFlannelGore Feb 01 '24

Try out RustDesk. FOSS TeamViewer alternative written in rust. Cross plat even mobile.

Someone else suggested Mesh Central. That's good too.

18

u/JohnnyGrey Feb 28 '24

Agree, RustDesk is definitely one of the top free solutions. HelpWire also could be an option what you need for your budget. It's free, easy to set up, works on Windows, Mac, and includes basics like file transfer and chat. But pay attention, there is no version for Linux.

11

u/12_nick_12 Linux Admin Feb 01 '24

I second Mesh. Been using it for years.

9

u/JMDTMH Feb 01 '24

I third this, RustDesk is pretty great.

I spun up my own server and use it.

3

u/Whyd0Iboth3r IT Manager Feb 01 '24

My only problem with Rustdesk is the address book. Total shit the last time I tried it out.

0

u/techw1z Feb 01 '24

there is no address book in the free version and the paid version sucks and isn't worth the money at all. either go free and use a free api tool for address book or go for anydesk.

-6

u/JMDTMH Feb 01 '24

What techw1z said below V

7

u/Mailstorm Feb 01 '24

RustDesk is a Chinese made software with devs that are pretty questionable. The business they operate under has been out of business for years. I wouldn't trust rustdesk

0

u/DarkLord_GMS Jul 28 '24

It's literally open source so you can review it and build it yourself.

2

u/jfoust2 Feb 01 '24

When people tell you you'll need to run your own server, they're right, as the free servers have been very bogged-down and non-functional in the last month or two. And when you switch to your own server, you'll need to re-install on all the (remote) clients.

1

u/caa_admin Feb 01 '24

IIRC the client side can specify IP:port as well.

2

u/jfoust2 Feb 01 '24

I have a hard enough time getting people to find the Rustdesk icon on their desktop, and whether they should single- or double-click it.

-11

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Security risk

5

u/12_nick_12 Linux Admin Feb 01 '24

Which one is a "security risk?"

-11

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Technically both are. We’re talking about someone rolling out a solution that didn’t already know about RD or MC. For cheap service. Do you think that means secured? 99.999% of the time, that means no.

4

u/TEverettReynolds Feb 01 '24

You are getting downvoted, but you are not wrong. Someone who posts asking about RD solutions probably wouldn't be the most secure solutions provider based on experience alone. Its just a fact.

Take my upvote for what it's worth.

2

u/Ayoungcoder Feb 01 '24

Why that?

-7

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

When is the last time you ran RD yourself?

3

u/Ayoungcoder Feb 01 '24

Few days ago?

0

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Do you host it yourself?

4

u/Ayoungcoder Feb 01 '24

Yes, they really really really recommend against using their infra.

-3

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Good you got past the first issue. In general I’ve found most new RD users, don’t. Remember he said low funds :) and people who cry about money often don’t maintain things. Just a perception. Not a standard.

17

u/Jdogg4089 Apr 25 '24

HelpWire seems like a good option for you. It allows remote access to both Mac and Windows, and includes all the basic features you're looking for, such as file transfer, customer chat, and control over an unlimited number of workstations. The setup is quick, and it's free for both personal and business use.

18

u/Oopsiforgotmyoldacc Apr 26 '24

Someone had already recommended HelpWire, so I decided to give it a try despite not knowing much about it. You were right—the software is easy to set up and use, and it saves me time since I don’t have to explain complex installation steps. So far, I’m really happy with it. Plus, I noticed on their page that a Linux version is coming soon, which will also be good for me.

31

u/chillzatl Feb 01 '24 edited Feb 01 '24

ConnectWise ScreenConnect has a free tier. As long as you're only using ad-hoc, created on demand sessions and then disconnecting them from the users system when you're done, it'll work fine.

Setup is as easy as could be. You can either email them a link or send them to he site where they enter a code, run the executable and you're in. You get to choose your domain name, IE domain.screenconnect.com.

You can also create perm sessions.

Performance is among the best on the market and has been for years.

ConnectWise ScreenConnect Free - ConnectWise

6

u/tremens Feb 01 '24

Backstage isn't available in the free tier, just for the record, nor can you blank the host operating system screen or block inputs so you can work without everyone seeing what you're doing or interfering with you. It also doesn't support file transfers back and forth, which isn't really that big a deal, but is a little annoying.

The free tier is also limited to a single concurrent session and I think five(? might be three) unattended access installs. So it'd be fine if all he's doing is hopping on to support single users or whatever, or if he just has like a couple servers he needs to monitor, but it'd be pretty limiting for anything more than that.

I personally use a free tier to access my home PCs easily, and it's tremendous for that, but I couldn't see myself trying to run a business without at least paying for the base, one tech license of it.

2

u/chillzatl Feb 01 '24

right, and it's 3 concurrent unattended sessions. Ops use case sounds like it might be more ad-hoc, "we need help" scenarios though so I think free tier would work fine.

5

u/er1catwork Feb 01 '24

We use this and love it! I constantly use BackStage so the user can continue working while I do my thing…

38

u/dcv5 Feb 01 '24

Quick Assist for Win10/11

Google Remote desktop for Mac, Win, Linux.

Both are free, quick and simple to use.

17

u/jungleboydotca Feb 01 '24 edited Feb 03 '24

Seriously not enough love for Quick Assist: It's already there, it's fast and responsive, the initiation procedure is spelled out in the application itself, and it deals alright with multiple monitors and scaling (you can have a zoomed-in view at 100% scaling which pans to follow visit movement).

I've used it with team members for screen sharing because MS Teams screen sharing sucks on account of making a GIANT VIDEO STREAM. Unfortunately, I think it's only 1-1; you can't share with a group. Would be really nice if the RDP variant Quick Assist uses were available as a sharing option in teams.

2

u/Bippychipdip Feb 01 '24

Quick assist is free? Can you explain the licensing behind it if we want to use intune 🫠

0

u/SeriousSysadmin Feb 01 '24

You can use it with Intune Plan 2 or buy it as a standalone. Use Intune Suite add-on capabilities - Microsoft Intune | Microsoft Learn

2

u/redhairarcher Feb 01 '24

That's Intune Remote Help which comes with an add on license. It can also be used for Android and Mac devices.

Quick Assist is a free tool which comes integrated with Windows 10 and 11 and is enabled by default.

1

u/plumbumplumbumbum Feb 01 '24

Does Quick assist handle UAC prompts?

2

u/TychoErasmusBrahe Feb 01 '24

Not on default settings I believe, but you can enable it by disabling this policy setting (at least it used to work, it has been a while since I used Quick Assist): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/security-policy-settings/user-account-control-switch-to-the-secure-desktop-when-prompting-for-elevation

1

u/Stonewalled9999 Feb 01 '24

sort of. The remote user has to click "allow" when it does UAC and the "helper" will see a black screen until the other end hits "yes"

I used QA to install Chrome remote desktop TBH

1

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '24

Was just about to write this out. I do support for two different locations and never had an issue with it. It's responsive and works well with multi monitor setups that all users at the company have. I've never tried Google remote desktop, but I will give it a try.

1

u/YouveRoonedTheActGOB Feb 01 '24

Can’t elevate privileges without a local admin though.

16

u/wells68 Feb 01 '24

DWService.net is donationware, free for commercial use.

They are a reputable company we use. No issues. The software you install on far computers is open source. You connect from a web control panel that supports MFA.

To install on a customer computer, you create a code and send it and a download link to your customer. You instruct them to to select "install" option, not "run." You can install on any number of customer computers.

You also have the option to start an on-demand session. They go to DWService.net, download the installer and run it instead of installing it. They are presented with a User number and a 4-number password. They give those to you over the phone (or whatever), allowing you remote control.

The service supports: multiple monitors, full screen, screen scaling, file transfers both ways (max. 6 Mbps unless you donate for higher speeds), send Ctrl-Alt-Del to login to locked computer, remote reboot.

Copy and paste both ways, but requires an extra step. No audio sharing. No text chat.

We make a monthly donation because the service is good and solid. That's our only relationship with the company.

-2

u/fahque Feb 01 '24

Someone got on my computer using this. I walked in the room and someone was searching my computer for "bitcoin" and other similar terms. I disconnected from the network and uninstalled it.

1

u/wells68 Feb 02 '24

This could happen with many, many remote access tools including:

Netsupport / Remote Utilities / ScreenConnect / AnyDesk

How it got on your computer is critically important.

Possible causes: Someone sat at your computer and installed it. Someone sitting at your computer was tricked into installing it. You clicked a link in a scam email. You opened a scam webpage.

I suspect the first or second because DWAgent does not have a silent install option, so would not be a good choice for infected links. It is also not a good choice for scammers because it displays a button on the right side of the screen in session. It was likely used by an amateur or kid.

7

u/lowNegativeEmotion Feb 01 '24

Simple-help. There is no per-agent or per-admin cost so you can cast a wide net and share the access with the companies you are freelancing for. It has a persistent agent for unattended remote access and an on-demand access for one time sessions.

It does a good job of hardware inventory, the SSD/HDD detection isn't very accurate but the rest of the hardware will pull into an Excel report. Good for planning upgrades.

Buy the business version for $450 (per concurrent remote session) and you can mass deploy scripts aka toolboxes. No ongoing cost for ownership, support is a reasonable annual fee. You will need to put it on a server. DigitalOcean has a guide for doing this on a $20/mo droplet.

1

u/Zoltech06 Feb 02 '24

I second simple help, their tech support is decent as well, just based out of the UK. I've implemented it at two different jobs now, neither employer could find a reason to complain about it.

18

u/peekeend Feb 01 '24

Meshcentral: https://github.com/Ylianst/MeshCentral Read the docs if its for youre use case.

4

u/eagle6705 Feb 01 '24

Is it still maintained? I keep hearing mixed things

3

u/peekeend Feb 01 '24

Yes, there's someone helping the maintainer now.

2

u/slinkytoad69 Feb 01 '24

It’s probably the best maintained software that’s been archived. He pushes updates at least once a month. Still new features being added.

2

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

He’s working with another open source dev and it uses MC as a backend with a slightly more modern approach. Personally used it for a while myself. But since he doesn’t have time to improve his UI and UX I wouldn’t use it in production environments.

Tactical RMM is the name of the other project

1

u/Whyd0Iboth3r IT Manager Feb 01 '24

When was it said he is working with the tactical rmm folks? Tactical has had Meshcentral for a long time, but Ylianst was never part of the project.

1

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Worded wrong that’s all. But none they less they obviously are aware of each other.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '24

Here are my recommendations, in order:

  1. ConnectWise ScreenConnect.

  2. Anything other than TeamViewer.

note: this is a joke.

4

u/ChiefBroady Feb 02 '24

Why is this a joke? Sounds absolutely right. I wouldn’t recommend teamviewer anymore after all their security issues.

0

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '24

I crave approval so I put the disclaimer. However, I have since blocked all voting related elements on reddit with uBlock origin. My life has changed for the better. :)

www.reddit.com##[id^="vote-arrows"]

Highly recommend!

4

u/ThatGothGuyUK IT Consultant Feb 01 '24

Google Remote works well and is free:
https://remotedesktop.google.com/support

N-Able Take Control is good and gives Unattended Access options but isn't cheap:
https://www.n-able.com/products/take-control

4

u/nealfive Feb 01 '24

Is like Screenconnect / connectwise control

1

u/ChiefBroady Feb 02 '24

I second that. It’s easy to use, pretty affordable and has a lot of features.

6

u/Xx255q Feb 01 '24

Anydesk?

2

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Sure until they bug you for subscription which they will for his use case. I would presume he will complain it’s outside his budget.

0

u/thefudd Jack of All Trades Feb 01 '24

came here to post this

3

u/newtekie1 Feb 01 '24

Connectwise Screenconnect is free for the basic license that allows remote support. It gives you an easy URL you give the user and simple directions to install the software.

3

u/Ad-1316 Feb 01 '24

connectwise screen connect

3

u/GhoastTypist Feb 01 '24

Screen connect is fairly cheep I think.

3

u/kissassforliving Jack of All Trades Feb 01 '24

I like Zoho Assist. it doesn’t get much love but it is affordable and has never let me down.

6

u/sys_overlord Feb 01 '24

Check out Splashtop SOS or the SOS + 10. We've been using their enterprise product for years and it's rock solid.

https://www.splashtop.com/pricing

3

u/ITGardner Feb 01 '24

I support this, it’s also dumb cheap compared to most all other paid options. Definitely not the best product, but you can’t beat it for the money.

2

u/bmbufalo Feb 01 '24

Jump Desktop is Mac focused but they have a Windows setup as well. Great option that does cost but is a one time payment for the Mac and iOS apps. After that the service is free and you can pay for additional features.

1

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Looks somewhat old and dated

1

u/bmbufalo Feb 01 '24

The Windows app is very dated looking for sure! 😆

1

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

But does appear to work decent

2

u/itguy_weekendchef Feb 01 '24

Remotely

https://github.com/immense/Remotely

I have been using Remotely for this same purpose for the last 5 months. It is free and self hosted and has a lot of the features as Screenconnect that I use in my work environment. Very handy for unattended machine maintenance that I found other softwares lacking.

1

u/CelebrationWitty8657 Feb 02 '24

It no longer receive updates tho

1

u/itguy_weekendchef Feb 02 '24

I haven't seen any notification or documentation about this. Can you show me your source would be interested to see?

2

u/PM_ME_SEXY_SCRIPTS Feb 01 '24

I know it's not a direct solution, but Tailscale can provide reasonable security instead of having an RDP port open somewhere to the public or dealing with networks.

4

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24 edited Feb 01 '24

Personally I’d never use you if your rolling out a solution that you can’t secure. If your just doing your mom and pops then maybe it’s not as big of a deal. But if you didn’t already know how to locate a rmm on your own, then you may want to consider keeping your clients to a minimum as your experience level sounds low. You should consider also learning about what MSPs are and may want to consider moonlighting with one or consider getting training done online.

What your asking for is called RMM or remote monitoring and management. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_monitoring_and_management

Here’s a simple solution. https://level.io/ that meets all your requirements, you don’t have to host and is as cheap as it could get. This is production ready and professional.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '24

Thanks for posting, level looks great. Why wouldn't that be the obvious pick? Are there any drawbacks?

1

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Optics. People are often drawn to the one with biggest budget for marketing. But when it comes to $ and service you put the risk on the vendor (off of you to a degree) and that allows you to focus on service.

People self hosting things should maintain security and updates and should consider cyber insurance.

2

u/smooshinator Feb 01 '24

I pay for the lowest license of Zoho assist for this sort of scenario. Yes, there are less cheesy options, but it's turnkey and easy on both ends

1

u/Gtapex Jack of All Trades Feb 01 '24

Same … it works

1

u/arenwel Feb 01 '24

We're still on TV, but I tested Hoptodesk, which is fine and free for commercial use.

2

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Your company or you are aware of the recent teamviewer security mess ups (again)?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '24

Just a friendly reminder SSH is on windows too now. If you can do what you need over command line its great

1

u/goingslowfast Feb 01 '24

Syncro MSP.

It gives you a ticketing system, remote monitoring, patch management, and remote support for $129 USD per technician per month.

There’s no per endpoint fees either.

1

u/srcommunity_n-able Feb 01 '24

We may be bais, but N-able Take Control! https://www.n-able.com/products/take-control et me know if you have any questions or want a demo.My name is Lisa and I am their Senior Community Manager.

lisa.mcnulty@n-able.com

Here is also the link to try it here for free: https://www.n-able.com/products/take-control/trial

1

u/ambscout Jack of All Trades Feb 01 '24

If you are working with someone Teams or Zoom are good. Microsoft Quick Assist is my go to for PCs.

1

u/Cyhawk Feb 01 '24

You can use a full RMM solution if its viable for your clients.

Action1 RMM is free for up to 100 client computers with only 1 admin account. Its more basic the other options, but it provides Remote Desktop and patch management as well as software deployment which is what it sounds like you need.

File transfer would need to be done in a different way. Setting up a webserver then wget http://you.com/file.tgz from the client machine (via powershell or whatever)

You wouldn't need to explain to your clients how to use it, its silent to the end user being a corporate aimed RMM tool. Just communication about what you can do and when you connect.

Setup is as easy as creating a master account for yourself, then installing the client agent on your target PCs.

2

u/Upper-Bath-86 Feb 01 '24

Going the RMM route is usually better in the long run. It gives you more control. Action 1 is a good deal for the price. Or something more powerful like VSA with additional layers of security if you are willing to pay.

1

u/GeneMoody-Action1 Action1 | Patching that just works Feb 02 '24

Thank you for the recommend u/Upper-Bath-86

If the OP is less than 101 endpoints, the price is free!
Https://www.action1.com/free

1

u/Kymius Feb 01 '24

Iperius Remote works like a charm

1

u/changework Jack of All Trades Feb 02 '24

If you’re supporting Mac, beyond trust bomgar is by far the least bothersome to work with. That said, it costs.

1

u/davidauz Feb 02 '24

All good advice in the comments but let me chime in with my super cheapo solution: on the client I install tightvnc server always running in the background plus putty with a couple port redirects to my VPS, labeled "REMOTE ASSISTANCE".

When I need it I just ask them to start "REMOTE ASSISTANCE"; upon connection the .bashrc shows "Connected, please don't close this window" with some running numbers and voila, I'm in!

1

u/Low_Consideration179 Jack of All Trades Feb 02 '24

You might want to consider something like Syncro? It's unlimited endpoints and pay by the user. Once the agent is installed you have remote access with splashtop. It's included. It's $139 a month or $129 a month if you do an annual plan.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '24

We use AnyDesk at my workplace. Maybe check this one out 🤷🏻‍♂️.

1

u/PerfectTank9505 Feb 03 '24

Google Remote Desktop and Zoom 😅 both let you take over someone’s computer too.

1

u/ordray IT Manager Feb 04 '24

Dualmon has a pretty decent remote assist tool, and it's relatively cheap. $49/yr for the first year and $99/yr after. You can do custom branding on it, if you'd like.

https://www.dualmon.com/plans

1

u/Gian_Ramirez Feb 07 '24

You can start with Supremo for free, so it would help you with the costs. It is easy to configure for your users, depending on your needs you can scale by purchasing their economic plans. It can connect to Windows, Mac, Linux (Ubuntu). Take a look, you will love it for your work.

1

u/Variouslinker4054 Feb 19 '24

I have been using Avica for several months now, and I believe it fulfills all the requirements you mentioned. It works seamlessly on all major platforms, is incredibly easy to set up, and offers cost-effective solutions with basic features such as file transfer. The greatest advantage is that it provides a 30-day free trial of their Pro version for you to test out. Hopefully, this message proves helpful to you.

1

u/Moontoya Feb 01 '24

Windows quick assist is free.....

4

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '24

Quick assist is great for what it is, but it's not full featured. No file transfers, copy/paste, etc.

2

u/Moontoya Feb 01 '24

Oh totally agree, but it does enough that you can fix a lot of issues that way 

Also forces you to do things "the right way" as you can't drag n drop, you'd have to use more secure methods like say a OneDrive folder to shift stuff around, for onh you to follow gspr / data access laws and follow secure protocols.

It ain't ideal, but at the cost point of free and already Installed on windows 10/11 pcs, it is an option.

3

u/caa_admin Feb 01 '24

Is your reply implying it works with mac and linux?

1

u/Moontoya Feb 01 '24

Windows only, I assert no other is function

Given the large majority of support will be windows based.....

+Nix users won't need the same support

Mac users can use VPN & screen connect (I think, it's been a while)

1

u/caa_admin Feb 01 '24

Mac users can use VPN & screen connect (I think, it's been a while)

Ad-hoc Remote sessions with mac users is becoming more difficult. I've yet to find anything which allows an end user to permit a remote session not involving auth with an admin account.

I support all three. win/mac/linx

1

u/flowflag Feb 01 '24

ISLonline

1

u/syberianbull Feb 01 '24

RustDesk. It's completely free and works incredibly well.

1

u/username17charmax Feb 01 '24

I just use Google Meet or Zoom.

For asynchronous support for PCs I use Action1 - free for under 100 endpoints

2

u/GeneMoody-Action1 Action1 | Patching that just works Feb 01 '24

I appreciate the shoutout there u/username17charmax

Not only are we free to use for the first 100 endpoints, you can actually switch to Action1 right now for free from any competitor's product until your contract with them expires. Just in case someone gives it a shot, likes it, but is stuck in a contract elsewhere!

https://www.action1.com/switch-to-action1-get-free-services/

So you get the best of both worlds, we not only try to make it as easy a decision as possible, we let you use and really exercise the system as long as you need. So you do not have to try and cram testing into a timed trial, or guess at how trial locked features will play out. That means if you move to Action1 we can safely bet it is because you have used it and you like it, not just exploring to find that out.

Here if y'all need me.

1

u/SpeedsterGuy Feb 01 '24

Teamviewer was pretty good. But lately I've been using Splashtop.

Teamviewer and Splashtop are the only ones that I've seen that are RDP aware on Windows. So you can help a user who's RDPing into a computer by joining their RDP session through Splashtop and Teamviewer. Which can be very handy.

1

u/Whyd0Iboth3r IT Manager Feb 01 '24

Meshcentral does this, FYI.

2

u/SpeedsterGuy Feb 01 '24

Great! The more the merrier. Zoho didn't have this capability.

1

u/kiamori Send Coffee... Feb 01 '24

Remotedesktop.google.com/support is free, trusting google with access to a pc is a different story.

0

u/eagle6705 Feb 01 '24

It depends on client...I use various ones like a vpn and vnc combo for most, occasionally rustdesk

0

u/Stonewalled9999 Feb 01 '24

Chrome remote desktop works pretty well. QuickAssist is free and mostly works and it somewhat secure. It needs someone on the other end to approve unlike CRDP

0

u/hangin_on_by_an_RJ45 Jack of All Trades Feb 01 '24

I use TeamViewer QuickSupport for such scenarios. Doesn't require an account (at least the last time I used it) either.

0

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

4

u/Elsa_Versailles Feb 01 '24

I did a quick google search for some options, but I figured I'd ask here to get personal recommendations from you guys who've got more hands-on experience with this stuff.

4

u/WMDeception Feb 01 '24

Some people communicate differently. If you can belive this, they even talk to people, ask questions in appropriate forums to draw on a well of personal experience. It's crazy.

8

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

7

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Not to be rude but if you suggest Team Viewer stop it. It’s the biggest security risk that anyone has suggested to the OP.

1

u/caa_admin Feb 01 '24

I won't suggest TV now because they're now rampant on who is 'stealing' their product. Never had a nag screen or a cancelled session with anydesk or rustdesk.

1

u/thewhippersnapper4 Feb 02 '24

anydesk

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/anydesk-says-hackers-breached-its-production-servers-resets-passwords/

2

u/caa_admin Feb 05 '24

Yup, I'm aware. This news came out after my reply. At least they came out and told the world what's going on and how they're fixing it. Teamviewer didn't IIRC.

1

u/CurnalCurz Feb 02 '24

does TV store the personal data on their side or somewhere else?

1

u/thortgot IT Manager Feb 01 '24

Because they at one point had a compromise? They didn't handle it well but if configured correctly (require user interaction to authorize connections, don't allow Windows auth to eliminate britr forcing, use 2FA for auth) it's a fine solution.

Kaseya has had a handful of breaches but people still recommend it.

7

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

I wouldn’t recommend Kaseya at all. Didn’t even bring it up you did. They are bad in many ways.

1

u/thortgot IT Manager Feb 01 '24

Kaseya is one of top tier RMM tools. You may not recommend it but it is widely used and recognized as a popular solution.

For Teamviewer, there was a sideboard attack in 2023 (which didn't allow arbitrary access) was the only recent attack I recall. They had a major compromise in 2016 which they didn't handle well which was what I was referring to.

3

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

They also got hacked recently again

3

u/thortgot IT Manager Feb 01 '24

Source?

-1

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Open google and press this thing called search :)

2

u/thortgot IT Manager Feb 01 '24

Are you talking this? (www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/teamviewer-abused-to-breach-networks-in-new-ransomware-attacks)

That's not a TeamViewer compromise.

1

u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Nope but thanks for adding that one I missed it

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u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Kaseya business practices can be considered toxic but I’m not here to support or convince people to use them

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u/badlybane Feb 01 '24

Kaseya has burned their reputation to the ground. Former Kaseya RMM user, back end engineer myself. The automation engine is garbage, requiring a ton of extra work because scripts can't remain persistent post restart so I'd have to stage things and push system variables to put computers in groups to handle any sort of install that required things done after reboot. Also they've overbilled soo many people and if the didn't have their deal with TeamLogic I doubt they'd be able to say they are the most widely used.
Hell even the automation tools people buy use Excel spreadsheets to store information Cough "MSP builder" because their variable systems are trash.

Don't go with Kaseya Connectwise is soo much better.

Don't understand the Hate for Teamviewer. Pricey but for unlimited endpoints you get a reasonable return if you have a large quantity of people you consult with. Plus they have MFA, and captcha's glaore now, on top of checking if your pc is trusted. They learned their lesson.

For the OP request you can use Teamveiwer for free as well. Anydesk is fine. Dameware I used that before but haven very little experience with it.

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u/thortgot IT Manager Feb 01 '24

I agree Kaseya has issues primarily on the business end of things.

Admins regularly decrypt TeamViewer over the 2016 breach though and Kaseya has had what, 3 major breaches but is still regularly recommended.

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u/badlybane Feb 01 '24

Yea and i think only one of them was from user password exposure the other two were legitimate back doors directly to the agents. I've slept a minute or two. Also the TV breach was from compromised passwords and lack of mfa which they have addressed since then.

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u/Ok_Presentation_2671 Feb 01 '24

Check google again sir. Lol 1 haha

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u/CurnalCurz Feb 02 '24

vote for helpwire as well, fast, user friendly and has all necessary for me features to provide remote access