So you are responsible for supporting Pocket PCs in your enterprise and you have users in the field? Well, with Epiphan's CEAnywhere (www.ceanywhere.com) you can offer your users the highest level of support that I have seen for Pocket PCs, Handheld PCs, and Windows CE.NET devices.
What is CEAnywhere?
CEAnywhere allows administrators on a PC to be able to view in real time what users are seeing on their Pocket PCs wherever they happen to be. It also allows administrators or developers to interact with their users' Pocket PCs and see errors or other problems firsthand and fix them at the same time. As administrator, your PC can be anywhere, just as your users Pocket PCs are mobile. Plus, you have the ability to send and receive a user's files and make registry updates as needed.
Fig. 1: CECommunity Administrator's view of the Pocket PC. Note that you can send and receive files, edit the registry, and see the amount of RAM in use, as well as work with the Pocket PC.
CEAnywhere allows you to control the number of colors that are sent via the connection. This allows you to adjust the amount of screen data being sent, which is especially important over slow-speed modem or cellular connections. One caveat: CEAnywhere does not handle playback of videos, games, or any other high-speed graphical programs. This is because of the work that the Pocket PC must do to receive the stylus movements and send back the screen updates to the administrator, and the speed of the connection between the Pocket PC and the Internet. Also, you can customize the user interface to meet your company's needs, including changing the branding of the Web page.
Security
CEAnywhere includes security options that are important to companies using mobile devices. You can restrict the access of the CEAnywhere server to internal Pocket PCs only and prevent unauthorized connections to the CEAnywhere host (Pocket PC). Plus, the data stream of the remote control session is protected. The remote control session can be logged so the administrator can review the changes. Of course, for the ultimate in security, you can use a third-party Virtual Private Network with CEAnywhere to ensure that no one else has access to the information being sent for the CEAnywhere session. For further information on security please contact Epiphan for additional details.
CEAnywhere versions
CEAnywhere is available in two different versions. Larger corporations and companies that need to highly customize or control their environment will want to purchase CEAnywhere Enterprise. CECommunity is a service for individuals and smaller corporations to use as needed.
CEAnywhere enterprise requirements
In order to use CEAnywhere Enterprise, a corporation would need to purchase a license for the software from Epiphan and a server to run it on. CEAnywhere Enterprise runs on Windows 2000 and Linux servers so you can choose the machines that fit best in your environment. It does require you to have an Internet or internal network connection to allow the administrator and the user to connect to the CEAnywhere server. These connections can be wired or wireless and include Ethernet, modem, cellular, and 802.11b.
CECommunity--CEAnywhere for individuals and small businesses
With CECommunity (www.cecommunity.com), a small company can sign up to use CEAnywhere as needed to support its remote staff. This option is much less expensive than purchasing CEAnywhere Enterprise directly, since you pay only for the service you use. Plus, you do not need to manage or update the server, as Epiphan does that for you! The administrator and the user will both need Internet access to the CECommunity server in order to use CECommunity.
Training--an additional use for CEAnywhere/CECommunity
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