Item: TeamViewer
Rating: 8
Author: Scott Anderson

Overall Satisfaction with TeamViewer

Implementation Rating

Overall, the implementation went pretty well, but we could have used more help with setting up MDM deployment for a truly seamless end-user and admin experience.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The IT admin uses remote access to provide help desk services and to occasionally copy files to remote workstations. In addition, we have 15 Remote Workers that access on-premise desktops for secure remote work.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Secure connections.
Easy file transfer.
Handles multiple remote monitors well.
Assigning multiple managers to a device.

Cons

MFA could be a lot better when connecting to the remote device. If a phone is added to security for the remote worker, then the admin cannot use Easy Access to access the device without interaction with the remote worker. Admins should have access to remote devices via other MFA methods.
App updates sometimes cause unstable status and computer must be restarted.
OS updates often require additional user interaction before completing the sign-in process, leaving TeamViewer in an incomplete startup state and preventing the Remote Worker from accessing the device. An admin then has to remote into the device using another remote desktop access tool (Apple Remote Desktop, for instance) and bypass the user interaction screens, which allows the login process to complete and TeamViewer to start up fully. It would be best if the TeamViewer Host could connect even when the OS is prompting for user interaction (e.g., clicking OK on modal dialog boxes post-update).

Return on Investment

Post-COVID, we moved to a hybrid environment, and TeamViewer allows me, as an IT admin, to access our devices remotely very easily (with some caveats) and to support staff who are also working from home.
A negative would be the TV Host agent not allowing access (hangs on authorizing or connecting) after an OS update restart.
Another negative would be the need to log in to an admin local account to assign a manager to a device. Should be able to do it on the standard user side as long as the person trying to set managers is a TeamViewer manager and has the proper access and authentication. It could be an issue with our deployment, but the master admin manager is not being set automatically as it should.

Alternatives Considered

Apple Remote Desktop, ScreenConnect and Datto RMM

Apple Remote Desktop requires a VPN connection to the LAN to be useful, but it is still necessary to use it when TeamViewer will not connect. Datto RMM seems very solid, and I like it, though I only have access to it from our MPS. It can often connect when the TV cannot. ScreenConnect was not a good fit for us and did not seem to work well.

Key Insights

Do you think TeamViewer delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with TeamViewer's feature set?

Yes

Did TeamViewer live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of TeamViewer go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy TeamViewer again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Claris FileMaker, Microsoft Office 2016 (discontinued), Google Chrome, Freshservice, iMIS, Microsoft SharePoint, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Google Workspace, Arctic Wolf Managed Risk, Cisco Meraki MX

Likelihood to Recommend

I think it works well for IT management and help desk support of end users. I find it very useful to help users and send files to their desktop. Remote Workers still run into some problems with MFA and updates, both to the TV Host app and OS updates. However, it does give us secure direct access without the need of a VPN.

TeamViewer Feature Ratings

Comments

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TeamViewer Remote Desktop and TeamViewer Host.