SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS) vs. ISL Light

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
DameWare Remote Support from Austin IT company SolarWinds is remote administration software for the remote control of desktops, laptops, and servers behind or outside the firewall, allowing registry editing, restart services, logging activity, account and password management, and more. The mobile app also provides access from a phone or tablet. DameWare Remote Support licensing is per technician, the number of end-user remote machines is irrelevant; one technician may receive a license for…
$276
per technician, unlimited end users
ISL Light
Score 7.9 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
ISL Light is remote support and remote access software that enables SMBs and large enterprises to offer fast and efficient support and maintenance for Windows, Mac and Linux computers as well as mobile device support for Android and iOS. ISL Light allows the operator to invite a client to join a support session by typing in a unique session code, or to start the remote support session directly from live chat software. The software is translated in 28 languages and used across…
$34.90
per month
Pricing
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)ISL Light
Editions & Modules
Dameware Mini Remote Control
$276
per technician, unlimited end users
Dameware Remote Support
$388
per technician, unlimited end-users
Cloud
$34.90
per month
Self-Hosted
$44.90
per month
Pay-per-Use (500 minutes)
$125
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)ISL Light
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsDameWare Remote Support and Mini Remote Control are licensed based on the number of technician users that use the software for remote administration. There are no limits or restrictions for the number of end-users supported or the number of remote endpoints/computers supported. As you buy higher counts of licenses, the per-seat pricing goes down giving you a reduced total price.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)ISL Light
Considered Both Products
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)

No answer on this topic

ISL Light
Chose ISL Light
Simple UI with ease of use for the end user. ISL Light compability with a range of Windows OS's. Cost effective. Great support and aftersale puts ISL Light at the front of the line.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)ISL Light
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
8.5
65 Ratings
3% above category average
ISL Light
8.0
35 Ratings
3% below category average
Screen sharing10.053 Ratings9.033 Ratings
File transfer10.050 Ratings8.133 Ratings
Instant message7.747 Ratings6.127 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication8.416 Ratings7.811 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers9.035 Ratings6.125 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session8.248 Ratings8.633 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile9.025 Ratings8.525 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations9.258 Ratings8.927 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management7.139 Ratings8.611 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard8.238 Ratings8.319 Ratings
Session record8.55 Ratings8.223 Ratings
Annotations7.94 Ratings8.521 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts8.75 Ratings7.517 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control7.231 Ratings7.828 Ratings
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User Ratings
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)ISL Light
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(66 ratings)
9.0
(35 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(13 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(10 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
5.0
(9 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.0
(8 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Configurability
9.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)ISL Light
Likelihood to Recommend
SolarWinds
I feel like this is a very robust solution that I would recommend to anyone who relies heavily on remote support. Most of the colleagues I work with already use SolarWinds products to one extent or the other. I feel the price for the solution is very fair and a good value for the product.
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ISL Online
If a colleague needs reliable, fast, easy to manage and easy to learn remote support software, then this is it. If you need a remote support app that just installs and works, it literatlly can be set up in seconds. Open, offer remote support, get code and send it to the other side. The only time I would not recommend ISL Light is if my colleague need remote connect software just to connect to one non essential machine - like home media computer. For that I would suggest some free software. But as soon you need to connect to couple of computers or much more that ISL Light would be the only recommendation.
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Pros
SolarWinds
  • Troubleshooting computers remotely without the need for the user to even be around.
  • Install software that needs to be installed manually without having to travel.
  • Viewing what the user is doing specifically that triggers the issue, making replicating issues way simpler.
Read full review
ISL Online
  • Allow remote control of Windows, Mac, Android and iOS
  • Automatically record support / remote sessions
  • Allow UAC easy control remotely
  • Auto-recognize the OS of the client, to download the correct remote file for them to execute
  • Very fast connection speed (initial connect, and on-going session speed)
  • Allowing us to use our own website AND the islonline.net in case there are issues
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Cons
SolarWinds
  • It would be nice if the installed agent would be able to check in with the server so that I can connect to laptops, etc that have the agent pre-installed for when they are off network.
  • DameWare could do better with the mobile app. I cannot connect in from the outside with the mobile app to provide quick support if needed. This kind of defeats the purpose of a mobile app. If I am on the network, I probably have access to my workstation.
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ISL Online
  • I would like the chat not to get in the way during the sessions, although it is something not so important if it could be seen better.
  • Something in the design does not look so modern, I would like its interface to look more attractive.
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Likelihood to Renew
SolarWinds
This application is one of my most used tools when it comes to supporting end users and the network as well. I don't have to run all over the place to get things done when I can access multiple computers on the network at the same time to accomplish multiple tasks in a minimal amount of time.
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ISL Online
We are renew the license for 10 years now and we do not see why would change that. It just gets better with every new version.
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Usability
SolarWinds
Because it has enhanced my ability to trouble shoot more issues during the day. Instead of having to go to each machine and spend time at the machine, I can remote in from my desktop and assist the person 90 per cent of the time. I also use it from home to remote in which saves me the time from having to return back to the workplace.
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ISL Online
Web portal as well as the mobile apps are simple to use interfaces. Nothing daunting about them at all.
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Reliability and Availability
SolarWinds
Yes, always available.
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ISL Online
No answers on this topic
Performance
SolarWinds
The application always seems responsive to me
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ISL Online
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
SolarWinds
I use a Samsung mobile device; DameWare Mobile was working and then after an Android update it started crashing. I reported the issue to DameWare and worked with the technicians and developers to gather data for them to correct the issue. They quickly published a beta release for me to test (which corrected the crashes) and then published an update to the Google Play Store.
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ISL Online
We had issues with mouse skipping on mobile devices. Support is immediatly availabe, they examined our case and in one of the new versions of the app this problem was gone.
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In-Person Training
SolarWinds
It was excellent
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ISL Online
No answers on this topic
Online Training
SolarWinds
The videos were more than sufficient to learn the product
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ISL Online
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
SolarWinds
It helps greatly if you know someone already using DameWare Remote Support. I was fortunate as my tech support guys were using it at their hospital and assisted me through the purchase, download and implementation of remote support. As well as, knowing how many licenses to purchase at the time. You have to make sure that anyone assisting in IT can have access to the program with their own license.
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ISL Online
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
SolarWinds
We previously utilized LogMeIn. They increased the pricing of their solution which made us reconsider it. I inherited LogMeIn. I am not a big fan of hosted solutions for some vital IT processes. There was convenience in LogMeIn, but there were also risks about the solution that I was never completely comfortable with. I had utilized DameWare at a previous company, so I knew what I was getting with it. It was an easy decision for me to make. DameWare is an exceptional product.
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ISL Online
- Biggest turnoff for TeamViewer: The different version (Connection doesn't work if there are different versions running) - No password or such things needed, just a code which is automatically generated - Easy Modus to see UAC-Windows and complete administrative tasks - Stay connected even after a restart - Wide range of options and customization - Easy Interface and super maneuverability
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Scalability
SolarWinds
You get an 8 because of the constant initial freeze on most connections. Takes a reconnect to have it work.
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ISL Online
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
SolarWinds
  • DameWare has allowed us to maintain our non-traditional approach to IT support. It allows our administrators to work from anywhere and has extended their reach to clients domestic and abroad.
  • Return on investment was realized as soon as we purchased the licenses. We don't have to maintain a large office space or overhead costs due to the flexibility it allows our administrators.
  • First call resolution has increased drastically since implementing DameWare company-wide. The user no longer has to wait to reproduce an error. We can screen share and view it as it happens and mitigate the issues.
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ISL Online
  • Saves time: able to help our customers right-away. No need to visit them physically
  • Fastest aid in problem-solving: customer happy and more likely to return
  • Negative: not much negativity about ISL Light, although I get even less in-person contact with clients :-)
Read full review
ScreenShots

SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS) Screenshots

Screenshot of DameWare Remote Support Management ConsoleScreenshot of Remotely Connect to Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X ComputersScreenshot of Over-the-Internet Remote Session via Secure Proxy ServerScreenshot of Connect to Remote Computers from iOS and Android Mobile Devices

ISL Light Screenshots

Screenshot of remote access control in ISL Light.Screenshot of unattended access setup. Access can be allowed to as many computers as desired.Screenshot of a connection with a remote client, which can be set up by sending an email or sharing a link.Screenshot of interactions with the Windows UAC on a remote device.Screenshot of the dual panel File Manager, used to transfer files.Screenshot of the web console where remote desktop sessions can be managed from a web browser.