Citrix intros GoToAssist Express online tech support
updated 02:35 pm EST, Tue February 17, 2009
Citrix GoToAssist Express
Citrix has formally unveiled a two-tiered service for providing online technical support with screen-sharing capabilities. GoToAssist Express is a stripped-down and less-costly version of GotoAssist Corporate, but geared for small businesses or individual owners instead of larger corporations. The services support both Windows and Mac OS X, although the Mac version has fewer features.
GoToAssist Express allows IT consultants, small businesses and even amateur "computer gurus" to service computers via the internet, using a permission-based screen-sharing set-up. The service is available by subscription, or a la carte using a 24-hour "Day Pass." Product Manager Brenda Dentinger claims that beta testing showed a surprising number of so-called computer gurus would use the service to help fix computers for friends and family. The Day Pass was created to serve that niche.
GoToAssist Express includes support for two-way screen sharing, file-sharing, chat, notes, remote diagnosis and repair, the ability to reboot a client's machine and after-hours access when a client is away. All of the tools are permission-based, so customers can control when their machines can be accessed.
GoToAssist Corporate is intended for large-scale support operations, such as call centers and help desks. The service includes incident-resolution tools and the ability to generate reports to monitor the quality of service and manage costs.
Dentinger says a significant number of customers asked for Mac support, and the company says it is committed to provide full-featured versions of GoToAssist for the OS X platform. Several features are currently missing, including chat and the ability to service unattended machines.
GoToAssist Express is available now for $69 per month or $660 for one year. One-day passes are available for $10. Pricing for GoToAssist Corporate is based on each user's needs.
