Discussion on:

10 indispensable iPhone apps for IT administrators

The iPhone has several powerful apps that allow troubleshooting and network discovery. I no longer carry a notebook everywhere I go. No need.

One thing that should be mentioned although its not an "app" is the built in vpn client, it works great and I am able to use it along with some of the tools listed in the top 10 to check things even if I am not close to a computer.

I am glad you mentioned it. Thank you.

for remote desktop access is a great app

I have heard the name Wyse a lot recently. Is this the same Wyse that made the 80 pound 8088 PBX controller/workstation I have sitting in my closet?

BTW it's still in perfect working order, I "surfed the web" with it once, someone set up a site in the Czech Republic for 8088/86 machines to contact so you could say you did it. =D (1MB expanded mem... "click-click-click-click-" goes the swapping)

I Use Logmein & Winadmin to access ALL of our Servers and workstations , This past year while attending the International Balloon festival in New Mexico I was standing Out in the Middle of the Launch field while accessing My Qualcomm Satelite Server Here in Illinois using the 3G service IT WORKED Great didnt have to go back to the car for the Laptop!!

I still shake my head at having that ability.

I don't have an iPod Touch anymore, but when I did, I recall that there was a free SSH Client that I think you should include in your list. Besides that, another usefull tool (and free) is one used to calculate subnets (can't recall the name). For the speed check, the site speedtest.net has a free app of their own. Also, there is a free app to perform some ping, traceroute and the likes (again, can't recall the name).

But good list tho, thanks!

I thought about SSH clients, but can't remember why I didn't include them. May be in the next 10 article.

This was my first thought also. Not that the others are bad choices, but I would generally consider SSH to be one of the top choices of networking applications. It has such a broad range of uses, including tunneling other applications.

Help me out here, Tommy.

I have tried SSH with remote clients and that was not what I would consider a good exchange. Yet, having them install LogMeIn was uneventful, with the problem being solved.

Sorry, I'm failing to understand what you are trying to say, specially after puting LogMeIn and SSH in the same example, where this tools are, each one of them, aiming to provide support for different platforms (sure you can use an ssh server in windows, but you'll be very limited since it is GUI oriented OS).

Ah, and about the SSH client for the iPhone, one thing that really doesn't go well is the lack of multitasking. Sure that the notifications thing will cover for that in IM software, but for an SSH client, I think there is no other way than multitasking (unless you feel confortable to logout everytime you need to look at the browser or e-mail client).

Can you do this for blackberry bold users
Thankyou

IMO Blackberry is VERY limited in it's capabilities. Great for emails, but not so much computing tasks.

If these apps could be used on blackberry's that'll be great. Which leaves me to wonder?..are more companies using blackberrys as company phones or Iphones?..

I would say that in the US there are more BB's, but here in europe it is usually more Symbian and Windows Mobile. Although RIM has been gaining some ground here, most companies still rely more on Windows Mobile.

Well, I read all of the hype and broke down and bought an iPhone. Some great apps, cost effective and so forth. Had some pics sent to my wifes phone and we decided to get them onto my phone using Bluetooth... NOT! The iPhone does not talk to other phones via Bluetooth. Works great on devices like Uconnect etc but to other phones... nope, no can do. Called Apple and discussed the matter with engineers where they even tried to make it work to no avail.. IMO, this is a failure on the part of the iPhone not being able to connect via Bluetooth to other phones..

One of the issues i have had with out of the box securioty is everything is on and wide open, any wireless connection that is wide open... including 802.11, is a security risk. I cannot think that Apple would want to take something like bluetooth (fairly unsecured) and "open" it up to peer to peer. That wreaks of havoc and disaster. Personally, I woudl rather see the iPhone available on more networks than ATT then opening another window or dooor to the phreakers and hackers.

I understand what you are saying, but depending on the manufacturer, bluetooth can be secure or insecure. For example, take my old Siemens S55. Its BT service was so bad, that if I had it visible to other devices, they could actually see the whole filesystem of the phone, regardless the security options I wuold choose (in fact, those options would only take effect for accepting automatically bluetooth obex transfers). But, besides that, I never had any other bluetooth issues whatsoever. Also, bluetooth is not a protocol that it is constantly streaming sensitive data, most people use it to exchange business cards, send files and connect to headsets. So, for me, having to use the 3G network to attach a foto to send to another device that is less than 1 meter close to me when I could simply use bluetooth it is a failure. It was worst in the beginning tho, because there was no MMS service, but still, c'mon!!!

This isn't a lot of help for most casual users, but a Jailbroken iPhone can Bluetooth communicate. I broke into mine a few months ago, took about 3 minutes total (and is completely restorable, just read up on it first if you're interested) and have seen huge improvements in performance as well as the ability to have apps like video recording (Cycorder)and streaming live video/audio (Qik App) on a standard 3G where Apple released the 3GS with the same camera but it does video. Mine also multi-tasks now, running multiple apps and having a pop up tab to pick which app I want to view while the others work.

Yes, this is not for most and took a lot of thinking before I did it. Some believe too much hype about voiding warranties but in reality I didn't like having a unit capable of so much more and Apple telling me (consumers) that we shouldn't be doing these things because it takes money away from them - thought my $400 covered that but I guess Apple/AT&T needs more $. IMHO it's the best thing I could have done.

Our managers are starting to use IPhones. I actually forwarded this article to my manager for information.

At this moment, with the iPhone, Android and more polished WM, the BB starts to seem kinda dull I would say. Besides, the iPhone, with native push support and that wonderful browser and e-mail viewing almost covers for the lack of mini-office suites where you can view, edit and save files on your device (that is one thing I hate about the iPhone, all that storage and you can't make a fair good use of it).

I would personally go for an iPhone than BB or WM.

This is the biggest loss for the iPhone, I can agree here. I would gather that eventually this will change though. apple has to let down it's guard with such a sweet piece of equipment. There's more money to be made for them!

Don't want to go too far afield because it's a separate subject. But, as a budding iPhone app developer, the Achilles Heels (1 on each foot) for Apple making greater strides into the enterprise is
1) ALL applications first must be vetted through Apple before they can be added to the store - Apple doesn't need to know my business.
2) ALL apps are available to everyone through the store (why would I want my custom biz app publicly available), 3) married to AT&T (bad move Apple. shame on you).

Oh wait, I ran out of feet.

Apple needs to seek divorce with AT&T. My company currently utilizes Verizon. On the enterprise level, I don't see any overall price difference between Verizon and AT&T given the number of devices in my org. Having two different carriers is a billing hassle I don't need. The iPhone isn't enough in and of itself to make me want to run out and replace all my phones and wireless cards in the field, install new software and hand out new phones. Not only that, but after extensive testing with vendor donated wireless cards I discovered Verizon had the best coverage (3g or otherwise) in my area. My GIS guy even went through the trouble of making an actual coverage map using the cards and some various home brew ESRI extensions.

I also agree on the apple store bit. We have a few custom GIS apps that run on windows mobile clients. It is very specialized and can't be made available to other organizations for security reasons. Well it could be, if the developer removed some of the custom bits and features that make it so appealing to my organization. Maybe they should start an iCorporateStore for such things? The developer could just enter usernames that should have access to their apps and it would still be seamless to the enduser. I would imagine Apple would make the developer buy into such a thing and pay fees for publishing apps.

You dont need to publish enterprise apps to the App Store - thats what the iPhone Configuration Utility is for - you can create a standard setup with custom apps and apply it to a device without the need to use the App Store.

I was thinking about both Blackberry as well as Android apps. I certainly will check it out.

EOM

Thanks for providing this resource for IT admins and for including LogMeIn Ignition as part of it. As a quick point of clarification, due to the way the App Store works, the iPhone version of LogMeIn Ignition cannot be offered as a free trial. Those interested in learning more about Ignition can visit https://secure.logmein.com/welcome/iphone/ to view a demo, read reviews, and connect with other users.

Thanks,
Kevin Aries
Community Relationship Manager, LogMeIn
www.Facebook.com/LogMeIn
www.Twitter.com/LogMeInNews

I appreciate the update, that Web page is a bit confusing then.

Is the $29 a one time fee or a yearly fee?

The $29.99 is a one-time fee.

Kevin

because you don't offer a free trial. You have to be able to try it before buying. The online demo is good but its not enough.

Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and try it. I bought the app and whilst I don't use it on regular occasions, it is great to have it for that little emergency when you just need to see what the error message is on the screen or navigate someone's computer out of trouble.

It blows a lot of clients' minds that I can drive their computer through my phone when they're in a different country.

Regular use? Probably not. Get out of jail card? Definitely.

I used to access the LogMeIn Web site using Safari and that was just too painful. One of my clients was surprised that I was accessing his server while riding in a car.

I'd be lost without logmein. It is the only completely finished product that I've found, that has top security in mind. You can go through any firewall including some of the tough ones, and not have to worry about violating the clients security or mine either.

The logmein support team seems to be very conscientious and competent, and development is always ongoing to improve the server service, and GUI.

So far I really like the Pro2 product and have had very good experiences with it. My clients are simply gob-smacked at how well it works, while keeping client side security as a top priority.

I must admit, if I were on the go, I'd actually buy the iPhone just to get logmein as a feature! I would need to be able to talk to the client at the same time as using logmein though; I assume this is possible - from what I see about it on AT&T commercials.

I don't work for any person or company besides myself(disclaimer)

It wasn't $30. Give me a break, that's a lot of money for an app.

I don't care how good it is, I would imagine there are a lot like me that won't spend $30 on an app.

I really look at the paid apps but if it is over $15 I dont even read the description. Maybe I am to cheap but I didn't get an iphone so I could continuously spend money on it.

Thanks, I'll pass this suggestion along to our Product Team. I appreciate the feedback!

Kevin Aries
Community Relationship Manager, LogMeIn Inc.
Facebook.com/LogMeIn
Twitter.com/LogMeInNews

Whilst I understand that it is a lot of money and I thought twice before buying it, I don't really understand why people don't want to pay more than 99 cents for an app on the iPhone. It's not as though it's a piece of software that should have been included on the iPhone. Software packages on the PC are a lot more than that.

Surely the $30 is a simple business expense. I think I've only bought 2 apps for the iPhone and Logmein was one of them.

About 99 cent apps and I don't think it should be that cheap but somewhere in the middle.

It is a business expense and has a coolness factor for a client but I don't have a client that can't wait for another tech to get near a computer and use showmypc for free. I have never had a client say if I have to wait 30 mins for a call back I am taking my business elsewhere.

Would rather put the $30 towards taking a client to lunch and saying thanks for all the support.

It's just not an app that is going to get used so much it justifies the cost, at 10 or 15 you don't have to think about it.

As far as the Tom Tom well that's pricey in my mind but atleast that would be used on a dailey basis.

Just my 2 cents.

There's so much available for free it's tough to pay for an app when there may be a lite version that does what you need it to. You're right $10, $15, $100 (TomTom) is craaazzyyyyy to me.

You can flip that logic. How much does a GPS cost? Also, you have two devices to deal with. I have Tom Tom on my iPhone and I sold my GPS. It is especially nice when on business trips.

Yeah, interesting way to look at it. Though I think it's a bit of a 'new' application which I think may lack what another $100 dedicated device may offer. I have a TomTom as well and still use mine though I hacked my iPhone and have the xGPS now (voice , GPS driven - not triangulated) and it was free. Works pretty well for free. I really can't provide a response to how well TomTom on the iPhone works. My only criticism would be that there's no transfer of the unit...it's YOUR iPhone, so if your wife wanted to go on a trip with the girls she'd have to take your phone as well. A dedicated unit would allow you to let her borrow it and you don't lose your phone in the process. I guess this is all a matter of preference. $100 is pretty steep for an application though another comment made on here is that buying apps is not unlike buying software for your home computer and $15, $30, or $100 is a steal in the software world. - just a thought

You made some good points. That is why I love reading comments. What works for me, may not for others. This is one of the best ways to learn that.

The Tom Tom app is surprisingly close. I do know that I like Tom Tom over Garmin. The one issue is that it is a huge download, taking so long it will not allow you to do it using 3G.

I once worked for the government. In that case, I couldn't in good conscious waste tax payer money by buying a product that I wasn't %100 sure of, no matter the price.

But in the case of corporate money or even my own I wouldn't fret too much over a sub $50 purchase.

Unfortunately, due to the way the App Store works, it is not possible to offer free trials.