Apple Remote Desktop

Remote support of headless systems.

IP addresses are easily seen.

Latency never seemed to be an issue.

UI seems dated.

Specific configurations are needed on endpoints.

It would be nice to get a notification when an endpoint comes back online after rebooting.

Remote searching on devices

Screen capture/sharing

File copy/transfer

Application installation

I just use what ARD offers and it works fine for my organization.

Automator Actions: This is a very cool feature and cost saving as it reduces human effort by automating the workflow of tasks.

Curtain Mode: This lets you block your local user's view of the desktop while performing administrative tasks.

Spotlight Search: It can perform lightning fast searches on machines using the spotlight search feature of OS X and thus saves a lot of time.

As apple usually does, this is only for Mac computers. This is not a cross-platform utility.

There is no mobile device interface to this software, it is only available on Mac App Store.

Providing a one-stop shop for doing a variety of troubleshooting tasks

Presenting its functions and tools in a clear and useful manner

Offering reporting capabilities

Supporting macOS in small deployments

Randomization of local administrator passwords

Lack of auditing capability

Lack of abilities to manage access to computers

Cannot install DMGs

Remote commands for doing things to a large number of devices

Allows us to see what the user is seeing

Allows us to repair things without leaving the office.

Can be slow at times

Network scanners don't always pull up all devices

Agent running on client machines has to be restarted occasionally

Allows us to execute UNIX scripts without alerting a user or interrupting their workflow.

Allows us to observe, control, and share control of a user's machine flawlessly.

Enables us to collect usage statistics from endpoints to determine machine usage and this, in turn, helps drive business decisions.

The software has some bugs. When I have tried to create detailed lists and scanners I have had the program crash entirely, this is extremely frustrating.

Software does not scan as fast as I would like, though it does scan rather fast I wish it could scan faster.

Very easy to use, and robust. Apple Remote Desktop provides a wide range of functionality at very low cost

It does network to network very well ( once setup)

Working on your LAN (Local area network) ARD is probably the best tool out there for managing Mac networks, with a full array of features, screen sharing, and reporting

The biggest flaw with ARD is its inability to map to multiple machines behind a router. Without the proper VPN router setup, you can only specify one machine on the other side of a router ( again without VPN'ing into the whole network)

Fast, this is great because usually remote desktops are rather slow.

Group demos, helps me when I am needing to show multiple people things.

Ease of use, freedom. Since it is so easy to use it makes it easier to not have to be stuck in front of your office computer.

Initial login, I had to look up how to do it.

Since everything is driven with mouse/touchpad. I have lost the remote desktop before and this has caused it to log out.

More shortcuts.

Apple Remote Desktop has a very simple and easy to navigate user interface. The top navigation bar allows for easy and quick access to all necessary tools and elements in ARD.

Apple Remote Desktop connects to all the computers on the network allowing for ease of use. This is a strength because it always works on the first attempt.

Apple Remote Desktop drops files directly onto the desktop for all students without needing to use google drive.

Apple Remote Desktop allows for sharing one screen to the rest of the class to allow to show student work to all students at once.

Apple Remote Desktop could improve by allowing you to drop files into specific folders rather than on to a messy desktop where some files may get lost or not seen quickly.

Apple Remote Desktop sometimes has a small lag. When I click my mouse I often need to wait another second or check the student machines to make sure that what they are seeing is what I am doing. It seems as if it does not live stream perfectly.

Apple Remote Desktop pictures do not show up as clean and clear as they do on the screen I am sharing with. My teacher iMac shows quality images, however, when screen shared the ARD screen share shows a lower quality imagine with less colors shown.

Screen sharing with Macs

Remote Control of Macs

I would like to see more included Unix scrips that can be pushed to clients.

Inclusion of a way to remote control or screen share with Windows machines would be useful, as I manage a handful of Windows machines. While this would be possible using VNC on the Windows machines, including the ability to connect using Windows terminal connections would be awesome, for me.

Provides a way to log the lab and classroom computers on to allow teachers to teach instead of one by one logging on the younger students.

Provides a way to update the computers all at once, which is particularly handy for the numerous Adobe Flash updates that come out regularly.

Provides a way to push scripts to maintain the computers and set power settings.

Allows me to remote into a trouble computer across the building to help when a problem arises.

Sometimes Apple Remote Desktop is finicky when it comes to wireless connection. If a lab computer drops the ethernet, Apple Remote Desktop can't always find the computer.

Setting of power settings can be messed up when certain scripts are ran and I haven't found a way to "reset" back to default. It has that option but it does not work to reset to default. I have 25 computers that no longer turn them selves on in the morning, even though the setting in the power settings has it scheduled to do so.

Depending on the day, Apple Remote Desktop does not search or scan as well as other days.

Pushing software.

Easily restart or shutdown of systems.

Being able to work on a user's computer with the curtains closed for uninterrupted maintenance.

Unable to remote into Windows Machines.

Need to connect to VPN to support users out of the local network.

District softwares remotely/silently.

Can be used to observe (specifically for the students).

Used to organize (name and tag) devices in the organization.

To set up some of the control features on the macs, like the system preferences settings, which can allow me to give controlled access to my students.

Software deployments via PKG file installs remotely.

Multiple observation of more then one computer at a time on screen.

Remote terminal command line interface.

It is resource intensive, sometimes it becomes locked up or unstable.

The UI is dated and could be improved on.

Would be nice if it offered abilities to clone or remotely install OS X upgrades.

Remote System Control. Quickly resolve a problem while continuing to work on multiple tasks from your own PC. This allows for less downtime/frustration on the end user and more efficient productivity from the technician.

Hardware and Software Reports. This allows the technician to quickly spot a hardware deficiency (perhaps not enough RAM) or software incompatibility (not running the latest version) without having to bother the end user for this diagnostic information.

Software Distribution. Used in tandem with the Software Reports, if an issue is found in a report, the Software Distribution will allow the technician to push the necessary software to the users PC.

Speed. Apple Remote Desktop still appears to be slower when compared to Windows Remote Desktop

Cost. The $79.99 price tag seems rather high. Windows Remote Desktop, although not as feature rich, is included with the operating system.

Drag and Drop. While functioning, it can be clunky and difficult to use.

Great for monitoring users on your network.

Easy tech support.

Good for sharing screens to a projector.

Screen refresh rate can be a bit slow, but this depends largely on your network

Push and manage updates.

Provide remote management and support.

One easy tool to gather information regarding machines in the field.

User friendly.

More support for iOS and mobile devices.

More support with pushing updates to mobile devices

Remote lock a device or wipe a device that has been stolen.

Apple has done a really good job at limiting the resources ARD uses in recent updates.

Unix commands are a very easy to use and very efficient when trying to run group updates.

The reports is a great option that makes quick work if you need to get serial numbers or computer specs on 1 or 100 computers

When using the control feature. the screen will become black and you will have to move the mouse around to erase the black screen away or disconnect and reconnect to the end user device.

When searching for specific IP address more times then not it wont find it.

Copy/Paste does not work too well when going back and forth between your local machine and remote user

Cant install printers.