Hello RDMers,

It finally smells like Summer! Little birds singing, flowers popping up everywhere, there are plenty of laptops and tablets on the terrace and it would all be perfect except for one thing…the dreadful bathing suit time – which means it’s DIET season, too! Well if we have to go on a diet might as well put our Remote Desktop Manager on a diet also!

We love all the possibilities that RDM has to offer but if you only need certain aspect of it why bother with the confusion of having too many options. Did you know that there is a fast and easy way to lighten your RDM?

Start by opening File – Options – Types – Availability. In here, you’ll find all of the entry types, including sessions, credentials, VPN, and many others.

Next, select the entry type you would like to customize.

Finally, from the list that appears, enable the entry types that you use in your day-to-day work. These will be the only one available when creating new entry.

If you wish to change this for your whole team and not just for you, make the modification in Administration – Data Source Settings – Types and select the availability of the entries for the data source, thus making the change for everyone.

For example, let’s say that you typically use RDP sessions and Keepass credentials in your work. With the above steps, you can simply disable all the other types of sessions and credentials. In just a few seconds, your lighter and streamlined RDM will fit like a glove…or like a bathing suit.

As always, please let us know your thoughts by using the comment feature of the blog. You can also visit our forums to get help and submit feature requests, you can find them here.

Have you ever had an amazing idea that could change the world (or at least make it better for some people!), but you couldn’t turn your vision into reality because you lacked the cash? Well, that’s where crowdfunding can help.

As you’ve probably seen, there are several crowdfunding platforms out there, with the three most popular being: Kickstarter, GoFundMe and Indiegogo.

While the primary goal is to raise money, crowdfunding is also a great way to generate some publicity – especially if an idea catches fire and is featured in a major publication or website like Inc. or Forbes.

Of course, just as there’s no such thing as a free lunch, there’s no such thing as a free crowdfunding pledge, either. The more people give, the more they expect in return – whether it’s a limited-edition prototype, a cool t-shirt, a super unique gadget, or a shout-out on the company’s “Investor Wall of Fame”.

Recently, I browsed through Kickstarter, GoFundMe, and Indiegogo, and made a list of products seeking funding that seem like winners – or that are just really cool! Who knows? You may want to check out the perks of contributing and become a backer.

The Kyberlight

Let’s start with the geekiest one. The Kyberlight is the perfect item for all of my fellow Star Wars lovers. It’s is a “real” lightsaber made of indestructible plastic. Plus, you can decide if you want to be a Jedi or a Sith by switching between 20 built-in colors, and it has fantastic sound effects that are perfect for engaging in the best lightsaber fight of your life. Amazingly, it’s just $199, customizable, and has a lifetime warranty.

Knocki

Yes, I know. This doesn’t look all that interesting. But looks can be deceiving, and don’t knock Knocki –  because now that I know what this is, I want a whole bunch, because it’s just so cool. Here’s the scoop: this little gadget lets you easily turn on the lights, find your phone, control temperature, set security features, and so much more just by tapping on your table (or anything else). It’s like The Clapper for the 21st century, only it’s a smart device, so once you attach one to any surface, you can knock on it to control any device in your house. I know it’s hard to get, which is why you should absolutely visit their Kickstarter page.

Runcible

Who doesn’t want to feel like an aristocrat now and then? Well, here’s your chance – but with a nice modern twist. You see, Runcible is a smart pocket watch. It’s a round cellular device with a wooden back cover. Honestly, I just can’t explain why I like it so much…but I do!

ZUS Charging Cable

Tired of cheap charging cables? Nonda has you covered. You can now pick up what is being hailed as the “most durable cable” ever created. The ZUS cable is made out of Kevlar and is backed by a lifetime guarantee. And it’s only $17!

GlareSmile

GlareSmile is a simple concept that should have been created years ago: a super smart toothbrush! Really, think of how many times your dentist has told you to spend more time brushing your teeth. Well, with this $99 high-tech toothbrush, there’s no need for more time ! It’s the first toothbrush that automatically ensures the correct brushing technique in just 10 seconds, which saves time and improves oral health. I need to get one of these to make my dentist proud!

Pebblebee Finder

The Pebblebee Finder is a must-have gadget. How many times have you panicked because you couldn’t find your keys or smartphone? The Pebblebee attaches to whatever you don’t want to loose. When you click the button, the device emits a loud alarm that can be heard from 200 feet.

Cosmos

Cosmos is so simple that it’s perfect. It’s a constellation clock that is also a Bluetooth speaker. The minutes and hours are marked with two different stars, and they move as time marches on. Why do you need one of these? I have no idea…but you just do.

Alpha 2

I saved my favorite for last. Alpha 2 is a robot that could be really helpful…or transform into The Terminator. That’s because this little robot accepts vocal commands and can do all kinds of stuff, like:

• Tell you news and weather
• Make calls
• Check voicemail
• Read and send texts messages
• Print and fax documents
• Guard your home
• Take picture of you, sing and dance
• Tell a story to your children
• Do a web search
• …and the list goes on

What’s more, Alpha 2 understands different vocal commands for each member of the family. So everyone will fall in love with him.

What about you?

I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it! Now, I’d love to learn about your crowdfunding experience. Have you used any crowdfunding platforms yourself, or funded any campaigns? Please share your experiences and opinions by commenting below.

Cheers!

Don’t we all love making our lives easier? Personally, I keep trying to win the lottery. I mean, if I could buy my very own private jet to travel the world, life would be such a breeze!

While it may not simplify things quite like winning the lottery, here are some tips and tricks that will help you efficiently organize your groups and folders by managing your tree view in RDM.

Let’s say you have a managed services company called “ABC Managed Services”. Let’s also say that you have a customer called “Windjammer” that has multiple sites in different cities.

Based on the above, you can create a Customer Group/Folder, as well as subfolders for each city. Next, you can create another folder for your own infrastructure, and add subfolders for your different teams.

Here’s how the structure would look in your tree view:

Since our security system is applied to the whole branch, all entries below a folder are indeed protected by the security group that you set on that folder.

Making good use of inheritance

Our security is inherited, but not the credentials, this you must put in place deliberately. You simply need to adjust the entries’ Credentials setting to inherited and to specify credentials at the folder level.  Note that if you have a deep structure with subfolders you must also set the same setting, this ensures that the inheritance chain is not broken.  Note that you can also inherit VPN settings in the same manner, which means that a customer/site based folder structure makes even more sense.

If you intend to use inheritance extensively, we recommend you use our Default settings feature for entries that you will create in the future.  For the existing ones, use our Batch Edit feature to fix settings in one fell swoop.

Grouping Credentials

You may have also noticed that your Sessions, Credentials and Macro/Script/Tools are all separated in your tree view. If you have a large organization, we strongly recommend enabling the option Merge Credential list with sessions in File – Options – User Interface – Tree View. This will group your credentials with the sessions.

Now…if only I could afford that private jet so that everything in my life coud be as easy as using RDM!

As always, please let us know your thoughts by using the comment feature of the blog. You can also visit our forums to get help and submit feature requests, you can find them here.

There are so many options out there when come times to find a password manager that will fit perfectly for you and your company. We buckled down and searched high and low, we put our best men (and women) on the job and after days of hard work, we finally found the perfect password manager software for everyone. The one that will make you feel safe and secure, the one that is quick and easy to use…the perfect password manager software is…drumroll…EXCEL!! Here are 5 reasons why Excel won the trophy.

1 – Excel is Easy to Share

Of course, an Excel spreadsheet is so easy to share with all your colleagues! Simply send an email to your whole team with your Excel document attached to it, hit send, and voila! Your passwords have been shared with all your colleagues…and likely others as well. By the way, you did know that anyone or any program that can access internal storage can probably also read your emails and your file attachments right? Rifling through your email is one of the most common things that malware does! Remember that email was not designed with any privacy or security in mind.

Think about it, most password management software features easy data sharing between multiple users. Such software operates efficiently and securely in a multi-user environment…not by sending your information through email, but by keeping your information on a secure server with restricted access.

2 – Cross Platform access

Because the Excel app can be easily installed on phones and tablets, and Excel documents can be open on PCs and Mac, the Excel spreadsheet is perfect for cross platform access, right? I just feel like having a Homer Simpson moment right now, slapping my forehead, and saying…DOH!

It’s vital to understand what we’re actually doing when opening an Excel document on a different platform. If we update the document on our PC, it won’t automatically update on our Mac, this isn’t the picture-perfect definition of true cross-platform access! Having access to the same software on different platforms, on the other hand, and having the most up-to-date information at the same time on your Mac or PC or Linux…well now that is true cross-platform access!

3 – Secure software

Of course Excel is secure! All you need to protect your precious file is a strong password, right folks? It’s perfect. You just have to remember that one little password and you’ll have access to your Excel spreadsheet and to all your important information. Now, you do know how easy it is to find Excel-cracking programs that use dictionary attacks to work out your hard-to-guess password in just a few hours, right? Oh yeah, you’re safe from hackers … NOT!

To counter potential hackers, how about using a program that is built to be secure and to protect your valuable information by using a strong AES-256 encryption. No hackers will get through that kind of encryption. Plus, most popular password manager software uses 2-Factor authentication to add an extra layer of security. Now, that is some top-notch security!

4 – Made by a big company we trust

Excel is the product of a huge company we love and trust — Microsoft! As we all know, Microsoft has proven its power time and again, and its reputation is undeniable. It is best known for its line of Windows operating systems, Microsoft Office Suite, and Internet Explorer. It’s the world’s largest software manufacturer and one of the world’s most valuable companies. Naturally, you should blindly trust them with your most important information … NOT!

Of course, we’re not trying to compete with Microsoft; they are the best at what they do. But Microsoft didn’t build Excel with password security in mind. Think about it, would you take your broken Mac to some random computer guy or the Apple Store? Let’s let the professionals do what they do best. The Apple Store can take care of your Mac and passwords should be protected by a sophisticated password manager and not Excel!

5 – Excel is a team oriented solution

An Excel spreadsheet is the perfect team-oriented solution. You could simply use Dropbox and share your spreadsheet across your whole organization. Now you might not have Dropbox or you might not one to share the whole document through your company! You could also just update your Excel spreadsheet and email it to your team. Oh but wait, you forgot to include one of your teammates so you have to resend it! And now some of your colleagues are calling because the password they’re using isn’t working anymore…oh wait they’re using the old Excel spreadsheet and haven’t seen the updated version yet, so let’s send it again…yeah, really, I can see how easy this is to manage!

Most password managers are team-oriented for larger enterprise or small businesses, allowing for full control over your password database and letting you easily manage who can access specific passwords with a single-click of the mouse. They also strictly enforce corporate security policies.

Conclusion

Come on guys, let’s be real here! We were so surprised by how many people still believe that Excel is the best way to keep and manage passwords that we thought it was time for us to bust some myths! Excel is definitely not a password management solution and should never be considered as such. It is a spreadsheet application and it is amazing at what it was built to do. Excel is not designed from the ground up to handle passwords, and it should never be used for password management.

We just want to emphasize that password security should be taken seriously. Some of you might think that it would be too time-consuming to replace your Excel sheet with proper password management software, but a security breach could be a substantially greater loss in both man-hours and money. Taking the time to implement a proper, well-though-out solution will serve your company better in the long run. Should you need any help choosing the right password management software for your organization, please take a look at our blog post, “Most Popular Password Managers Compared”. After all, we are always looking out for our geek society!

As always, please let us know your thoughts by using the comment feature of the blog. You can also visit our forums to get help and submit feature requests, you can find them here.

Recently we hosted a Password Managers Webinar on integrating the most popular Password Managers with Remote Desktop Manager, you can find the recorded video on our Youtube channel.

In this webinar, we showcased how easy it was to implement that integration.

For most password managers, integration is fast and simple. Here are the steps:

1. Create a new credential entry.

2. Select your password manager from the list.

3. Connect your password management account to Remote Desktop Manager.

4. Use that entry from other sessions, or even better for a whole folder. (Spoiler alert! Next week blog will explain everything about inherited credentials.)

And that’s it! You’re all done, and can sit back, relax, and enjoy some hilarious Sysadminotaur comics.

However, for the most popular tool in our community, namely Keepass, integration involves a few more steps. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Create a new credential entry.

2. Select KeePass.

3. You’ll notice that a plug-in is required; you can either click Install Plug-in, or you can click: Tools – Extensions Manager – Others – KeePass Plugin. (Note: a KeePass Professional Edition (AKA 2.x) is required to proceed with the integration.)

4. You’ll see that there are multiple options in the Credential Selection tab; if you choose the Default Method, you can select a specific KeePass credential from your list, which will create a hard link to the credential stored in your KeePass database.

Another option is to select Always prompt with list. With this option, once your KeePass credential is linked to a session in RDM, you’ll notice a blue link that will grant you direct access to your KeePass credential list every time you connect, thus creating a bridge between RDM and KeePass. You will then simply have to select the proper credential for your session.

And that’s it! So easy that even Peter Griffin could do it!

For more help on how to integrate other password management software into Remote Desktop Manager (like LastPass or 1Password), please take a look at our Online help!

As always, please let us know your thoughts by using the comment feature of the blog. You can also visit our forums to get help and submit feature requests, you can find them here.

Today, I want to take a look at superheroes. Not superheroes like Superman, but IT superheroes who have changed the world by directly and indirectly shaping our lives. They changed the world by changing the way we communicate. Here in part 1, I’ll highlight 5 IT superheroes, and then in a forthcoming part 2, we’ll look at 5 more.

Elon Musk

Musk is perhaps best known as the co-founder and CEO of Tesla Motors, which makes electric cars. But before launching Tesla, the 44-year old genius co-founded Paypal, which profoundly changed how individuals and businesses could send and receive money. And now, Musk is focusing his attention on SpaceX, which is striving to reduce the cost of human spaceflight by 90%. In fact, Musk thinks that Mars can be colonized by 2040. (Can you imagine the Air Miles you’d earn for that trip?)

Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg

Mark Zuckerberg is the hoodie-wearing mastermind behind the social network behemoth Facebook. But he wouldn’t be where he is today – and neither would Facebook — without COO Sheryl Sandberg. Together, the dynamic duo has helped people and companies connect like never before. They both changed the world and deserve a couple of IT superhero-grade LIKEs.

Tim Cook

Yes, Steve Jobs was a genius – but Tim Cook is no slouch, either. He’s playing a key role today in steering Apple through some uncharted waters, as expectations from both consumers and stockholders are higher than ever. I know that not everyone is an Apple fan, but we can’t discount the impact the company has had on the lives of billions of people. Cook and Apple simplified how we work with all kinds of applications. Apple has also done a lot for small enterprises and individuals by giving them visibility all around the world, especially in the music domain.

 Jack Dorsey

Jack Dorsey is one of the co-founder of Twitter. In the beginning, Twitter was primarily focused on individuals and communities. But in recent years, it has become a key means for companies to stay connected with customers and other companies. In other words, Twitter has morphed into a mass information sending machine. Everything goes fast on Twitter and that’s why it’s so interesting and relevant. Plus, he’s now the CEO of Square Inc. that let us transfer money from everywhere. Keep smiling Jack! You changed the world.

Larry Page

Larry Page is the co-founder of a little search engine called Google. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? In its early days, Google had a simple algorithm that ranked websites by the number of links pointing to it, which, frankly, allowed SEO experts to exploit it. But over the years, Google has poured billions (yes, billions) of dollars into their technology, and now the algorithm is so complicated that we’re not sure even Larry Page understands how it works (not that he’s likely to care).  You may flip-flop between loving and hating Google, but let’s face it: Google has changed the world, and Larry Page is a big reason why. He gives us the information and the knowledge that would make previous generations jealous. In the business world, Google saves us so much time and effort that I can’t imagine what my life would look like without it.

What about Part 2?

You can now find the part 2 of my look at IT superheroes Right here.

In Part 1 of our two-part series on IT superheroes, we featured Elon Musk, the team of Mark Zuckerberg & Sheryl Sandberg, Tim Cook, Jack Dorsey, and Larry Page. Today, I’m shining the spotlight on 5 more entrants to the Geek Hall of Fame.

Jeff Bezos

While Amazon has both fans and haters, nobody can argue that Jeff Bezos hasn’t changed the world. While there are many reasons Amazon has gone supernova and exploded into one of the biggest companies ever, it all stems from logistics. Amazon has transformed not only the way we buy things, but also how companies sell, stock and ship goods through a network of fulfillment centers around the world. And of course, IT pros know that Amazon is a MAJOR cloud player. In fact, Amazon Web Services has more than 10 times the computing capacity as the next 14 cloud companies put together !

Steve Huffman, Alexis Ohanian and Yishan Wong

The next time someone tells you that achieving a goal is impossible, remind them that many people said the same thing to Huffman, Ohanian and Wong when they targeted Facebook and Twitter with their community-based platform Reddit. But that’s exactly what they did back in 2005 – and instead of being sent to the dustbin of history, Reddit is still going strong. Today, it’s the #9 ranked US site on Alexa, which isn’t far behind Twitter at #8 or Facebook at #2. If you haven’t tried Reddit yet, my advice is, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”; what it lacks in design elements and production value, it more than makes up for in usability, speed and versatility across various browsers and devices. And there’s seemingly no end to the topics of conversation, either. You’ll find all kinds of threads, from Game of Thrones to political to sports and more. It’s informative, entertaining, and yes, a great way to waste time when you need a break from being an IT pro!

Jack Ma

Jack Ma is a Chinese businessman who founded the Alibaba Group, which owns Alibaba.com and Aliexpress.com. The logistics and fulfilment system he spearheaded is arguably the best ever (sorry Bezos!), and the breadth of products and merchants (both B2B and B2C) that use it each day is staggering. You can find pretty much everything on Alibaba.com and Aliexpress.com, from low cost coffee mugs to large-scale industrial equipment.

Satya Nadella

Although Bill Gates will always be linked with Microsoft, current CEO Satya Nadella is carving out his own legacy, too. He started with Microsoft back in 1992 with a focus on business servers, online services, Cloud services, the Azure project, and so on. Although lots of people aren’t Microsoft fans (bugging people to upgrade to Windows 10 hasn’t generated much love!), Nadella can be credited with focusing on simpler products, particularly when it comes to online services.

Rob Carter

Last but not least on our list of superheroes is Rob Carter, an IT superhero who is relatively unknown among the general population. He’s the CIO of FedEx and the driving force behind the implementation of a technology-led logistics, communication and tracking system that has made FedEx one of the world’s biggest and most recognizable companies. So the next time you get a real-time text on your smartphone telling you precisely what’s going on with your package – whether it’s in the same city or on the other side of the world – you can thank Carter for helping make that happen. The same goes for businesses, which no longer have to field endless streams of inquiries that start with, “Where’s my order!”

Your Turn

Obviously, there are MANY more IT superheroes that I could have focused on here – there are literally thousands of them, although some are better-known than others and their contributions have been serious game-changers.

What do you think of my list? Please share your comments and opinions below. Who are the IT superheroes in your life?