TeamViewer - The One Stop Shop for Remote Access
Updated November 26, 2014
TeamViewer - The One Stop Shop for Remote Access
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
9
Modules Used
- Version 5
- Version 7
- Version 8
- Version 9
Overall Satisfaction with TeamViewer
In our organization we use TeamViewer a great deal because we are a global company. It is utilized mainly for connecting to computers that are overseas where the users are not always available to help us gain access to their computers. We also use the software as a method to connect remotely when other remote assistance / access tools don't function effectively. A couple examples of this is when there is an extremely slow connection or when a computer has been infected with a virus and needs to be rebooted in safe mode and then accessed again remotely.
- Speed of the connection: The speed that TeamViewer allows the screen to refresh is very helpful especially when connecting to computers all around the world. This is the fastest software as far as screen refresh that I have ever used. All other software has a lag due to the speed of the connection. I have never run into an issue with Teamviewer.
- File Transfer: The file transfer capability that TeamViewer has is a very nice thing to have. When working on systems that are in a location where the user is not able to assist you due to the time difference or schedule conflicts, this becomes very useful for copying install files to the computer while the computer is not connected to the company network.
- View-ability of dual monitors: This feature is invaluable. In the earlier versions of the software it wasn't an option. Ever since version 7 I believe you have the option to view more than 1 monitor should the end user have more than one connected to their computer. This is very useful when working on computers remotely because of the convenience.
- Able to restart the computer in safe mode: This feature has allowed me to connect to numerous computers that were very infected with a virus which was preventing other remote software tools from successfully establishing a connection. Allowing the connection to be re-established after prompting the "restart in safe mode" has saved endless hours in downtime for our end users.
- Account / System Management: If you create an account, which you should do to get the full functionality out of the program, you can do so much more. Once you are signed in you can create groups which can be based upon the systems locations. Within that you can include your different systems and configure the separate instances to save the ID and password so it connects automatically when you double click on the system. You can name the system with the user's name which makes connecting / searching for a users computer simple.
- No connection re-established after connect and disconnect of VPN: This isn't necessarily a weakness of TeamViewer but it would be something that would be nice to see them improve on. The software doesn't automatically prompt when the system is available to connect to again when VPN is either connected or disconnected manually during the remote connection. It prompts when the system is again available when a reboot is initiated.
- Tabbed connections: In version 9, when you are connected to multiple systems at the same time, the software only has one window open but tabs the connections. When you are connected to 3 or 4 systems at the same time, it is a nice feature but can be a bit confusing. You need to make sure that you have the systems named differently.
- Private use cost: If you wanted to use the program for private use but want to have multiple connections saved in an account, you need to purchase a license for the software. The software isn't very expensive when you relate it to a corporation's other expenses but when you relate it to a personal user's finances, it's an expensive software, but if you can justify spending the money, it is a great program and will live up to your expectations every time.
- TeamViewer has increased our efficiency / reliability as a customer technical support desk. We are able to resolve issues much faster and with greater ease than with any other remote support software.
- TeamViewer has allowed us to add a "Remote Desktop" link on our website that is fully customizable that allows us to establish a remote support connection with our customers and individuals that use our software. This is something that has improved our customer service because before TeamViewer we weren't able to do anything as far as computer technical support with our outside customers that were not on our network.
- Being able to connect to user's computers while they are away on vacation, working at home due to sickness or inclement weather is invaluable. We are thankful for TeamViewer especially when other remote access software wouldn't work because the reason that they are calling is because their VPN software (their link to the network) isn't working. This isn't an issue for TeamViewer because a connection to the same network isn't needed for a connection to be established.
TightVNC, SCCM and IntelliAdmin are very good remote access software solutions for connecting to computers that are on the same network no matter if the network is spread out over the U.S. Once you go to a global scale, the programs still work but the speed is greatly reduced. This is where TeamViewer steps in and shows what a remote access tool really should do. I sound like I'm in marketing for TeamViewer but that is truly how I feel about the software.
Using TeamViewer
25 - The business functions that use TeamViewer are Sales Support, Purchasing Support, Helpdesk Support, Analyst Support, Executive Support. There are many times that TeamViewer is used for remote access support when a need arises to connect to computers that are at locations internationally. Our customers and business partners that are outside of our network also find that us having this capability is very valuable.
3 - When supporting TeamViewer I think of what is needed to assist end users in purchasing support and sales support when it comes to the basic functionality of the software. There is not much need for them to use the more advanced functionality of the software as all they typically need to do is connect remotely to the computers of the individuals that they are assisting.
- Connecting remotely to computers that are located in different countries: This is essentials because of the time difference that makes it difficult to have end user assistance on the foreign countries end. This software allows us to work on the computer without any interaction needed with the end user.
- Connecting to a computer that is infected with a virus or spyware: This software allows us to remotely resolve virus issues whereas before we utilized this software all of these computers needed to be sent back to our headquarters where they could be repaired, meaning that the end user had at least 2 days of downtime.
- Connecting to users that are outside of our network without any working method of getting connected to the network: All of our other remote access software requires the systems to be located on our network. If they are not connected to the same network a connection cannot be established. TeamViewer makes a connection possible.
- TeamViewer makes it possible for us to connect to customers and business partners from all around the world and assist with issues on their computers related to the installation / functionality of our software. We never knew that was going to be a possibility.
- Connecting to computers that are infected with a virus that is making the computer unusable was something that we weren't expecting. That was something that was a nice surprise.
- With TeamViewer, eventually it may be possible and effective to allow the technical support folks to work from any location in the world because of the speed and effectiveness of TeamViewer.
Evaluating TeamViewer and Competitors
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
The most important factor in why we decided to purchase TeamViewer was because of the availability of a Quick Support tool which could be linked to our website and then in turn could be used to support our customers and business partners around the world. This was the main concern and why we were looking for a new remote support solution. The rest of the great features we discovered after using the software.
I don't believe that I would change anything regarding the evaluation / selection process that we went through except maybe just going ahead with the purchase and integration sooner. As much as this software has improved our customer service and increased our efficiency, the cost of the software is out of the question. It is well worth every penny.
TeamViewer Training
- Self-taught
The software was fairly easy to understand and learn while on the job without proper training. Learning the different features on my own made it interesting and more rewarding. It didn't take long to learn the ins and outs of the software since I use it so frequently. I would recommend this approach to others because you don't need to spend money on training for this software if you have any background / knowledge or remote tools at all.
TeamViewer Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved No escalation required Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
I was having trouble with two remote systems taking the same ID so when I would try to connect to one of the computers it would connect to one or the other. This was an issue that I reported and they had already seen the issue and knew how to fix it. They had me up and running again on both systems within a half hour.
Using TeamViewer
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar | None |
- Initiating connection with computer: All you need to do is have the ID and password of the computer / device that you're attempting to connect to and you're in. There is nothing complex or complicated about that process. Very easy for a person with any computer knowledge.
- File Transfers: File transfers are very easy to initiate. All you need to do is drag and drop a file or folder from your computer onto the screen that you're connected to and the transfer process initiates automatically.
- Connecting to multiple screens: The process of connecting to multiple screens is very easy. On the top bar in the screen that you're connected to there are many options. With one click you can switch between multiple screens or view the entire desktop at the same time.
- Keeping all computers in your account up to date: When you create an account in TeamViewer to save all of your connections, there currently is no way to perform a remote update to the remote computers TeamViewer software. You must connect to the computer and perform a manual update. This adds difficulty.
- When setting a password on the remote computer it is a bit cumbersome when the user on the remote system is not an administrator on the computer because you need to log off of the system, log in as the administrator on the computer, add the user as an administrator and log back in as the user just to allow TeamViewer to start up during the start up of Windows and use a static password which you can set on the connection account. It takes a few steps to get it to work nicely in this situation but I haven't run into it too many times.
- I have run into an issue when doing a manual update on a computer where the software doesn't properly perform the update and then it throws errors constantly. When this happens I try running the update again as another user that is an administrator on the computer, I try uninstalling the software completely and removing all files from Program Files. Nothing seems to correct the issue. This has maybe happened 5 times since I started using the software so it isn't a big concern.
Yes - I have used the mobile interface both on my Android phone and on my iPad. The interface works well on both devices. What I would like to see on both of them is rather than the cursor being something that you control like a mouse with your finger it would be nice if the cursor would be right under your finger and where you tap is where the mouse would be and would select what your finger is on. I think that would increase the efficiency of using the interface. The speed is great on the Android no matter if you're wireless or on the mobile network.