This desktop sharing application asks users' permission before taking over the computer for support purposes, and a small download means that nothing needs to be pre-installed.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Managing Editor [September 11, 2006]

ISPs want to be able to access their customers' computers to solve problems, but customers and the ISPs' own lawyers warn about privacy issues. The right way to do this is to ask your users' permission, and that's exactly what Inquiero does.

The makers of Inquiero, NTR global, have offices around the world (U.S. offices are in Dallas), and are headquartered in Barcelona, Spain.

Tom Patterson, vice president of marketing for North America, says that even though the customer list includes some big names, as do the case studies (Tenovis, for example, is a business communications service provider based in Germany that was acquired by Avaya in 2004 for about $635 million), the company focuses on the SMB market.

"We define the SMB as having 10 to 250 employees."

As anyone serving the enterprise market knows, the advantage of doing business with a small business is that decisions are made fast. "Our average sales cycle is 11 days," says Patterson.

Security
Obviously, the top selling point for business support is security, and the company is quick to point out that it offers end to end 256 bit AES encryption, with additional SSL optional. In a follow up e-mail after the interview, Patterson emphasizes that the encryption is end to end, unlike competitors who provide point-to-point security.

The company also touts the fact that the software doesn't need to be pre-installed on the user's computer. "For a fully functional remote session, you're looking at a 60 or 70 K download versus 600K to 3.2 MB for Citrix or WebEx," says Patterson.

Permission
The feature that impressed us the most is farther down the list. The company calls it "new application selection" and explains in its printed material, "both the support representative and the customer can restrict remote control to a specific application or group of applications."

It seems to us that ISPs asking users to download software should make sure that software asks permission before acting (in exactly the way that AOL software doesn't).

Other features
Other software features include the ability to:

• Provide support in 15 languages, and switch between languages on the fly
• Take over computers that are powered on but unattended
• Remote reboot
• Delete files remotely (if, for example, a laptop is stolen)
• Use a built in VoIP capability
• View customized reports
• Connect with the user through any of six different methods without using VPN or terminal services

For reporting, the data can be fed to whatever trouble ticket system or CRM application your company is using, and can also be connected to your PBX.

Cathy Van Voorhis, senior account executive at NTR global touts another feature. "We're the only solution that tries to establish a connection through 6 port simultaneously," she says. Thus, it can use ports other than 80 if port 80 is in use.

Pricing and availability
The Inquiero product is available now from NTR global as an ASP or as licensed software.

The ASP model is priced starting at $2,100 per year for a one operator license plus a $200 fee for lifetime support and training. Discounts are available for volume purchases and for longer contracts.

The software can be purchased starting at $15,000, and an annual maintenance fee applies.

Van Voorhis says that one key endorsement comes from the vendor itself. "We're using the same technology we're selling."

ISPs that do not wish to purchase the product can participate in NTR global's affilate program, which provides a one time 10 percent fee for each new customer referral.

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