Mac HelpMate Version 3 Released

MOST Training & Consulting announces the immediate availability of Mac HelpMate version 3 - a major upgrade to its Mac OS X Remote Support Application. A favorite tool of Apple Consultants Network members and Apple Resellers and Specialists, Mac HelpMate 3 brings compatibility for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and delivers an array of new features at a price point that hasn't changed since 2006, when the application was first released. Mac HelpMate 3 supports Mac OS X 10.3 through 10.6, all in a single drag-and-drop installation.

The Mac HelpMate Support Package includes the Mac HelpMate ZIRO (ZIRO Interaction Rollout) that initiates screen sharing from a URL mailed to a customer, embedded in an email signature, or posted on a web page. The ZIRO launcher then downloads Mac HelpMate application to the user's Desktop, where screen sharing automatically starts, making it easy for anyone to request support, even if they are new to computers.

In addition, a Dashboard Widget is also available for starting a screen sharing session. Mac HelpMate also provides configurable proactive alerts, which allow Support Providers to monitor any disk (local or network) on the system and email an alert when it falls below a certain percentage of free space, when kernel panics occur, when S.M.A.R.T errors occur, or when a Time Machine backup fails. All local alerts need no external configuration and the emails they generate do not require any special handling for delivery.


The zero-configuration screen sharing capabilities of Mac HelpMate have now been enhanced with a secure file transfer that preserves bundle attributes to copy uncompressed applications while simultaneously figuring out the correct permission for files and applications on the remote computer. In addition to its own screen viewer, Support Professionals using Mac OS X 10.5 or higher can now use the built-in Screen Sharing application to effectively control remote machines even if they have with multiple displays, or even quickly change sessions using fast user switching, all without losing the connection to the remote machine.

Mac HelpMate 3 bridges the remote computer to the local network of the controlling machine with Bonjour, allowing for file sharing connections and screen sharing as if they were both on the same network, as well as allowing for command-line Terminal access without having to type commands on the remote screen, allowing a Support Professional to update software, run diagnostics, or copy files without disturbing the user's work session.

The Auto HelpMate Manager has also been enhanced with Mac HelpMate 3; it now offers many of the same capabilities as Enterprise solutions but at a fraction of the cost. Auto HelpMate provides unlimited machine registrations, with no monthly per-machine fees, and is a boon for technical support professionals who support Macs in multiple physical locations, or for Network Admins at educational sites that need to track portables and keep an up-to-date hardware inventory. Auto HelpMate, which allows a consultant or support professional or IT Manager to control the screen of a remote computer without a user logged in, adds asset management by way of Apple System Profile Reports with Mac HelpMate 3 - which are constantly updated for each registered machine and which can be exported as tab-delimited text reports.

In addition, a unique messaging framework provides email or SMS alerts for registered computers when they go offline and come back online, when they roam from network to network (or are stolen), or a set number of days before their AppleCare warranties expire. Alert recipients can be Mac HelpMate admins, site customer recipients, group customer recipients, or even any number of arbitrary individuals.


Mac HelpMate also provides 200 troubleshooting and maintenance functions to anyone free of charge. For the Remote Support System, an annual subscription of $600 (USD) or monthly subscription of $79 is required to access the Auto HelpMate Connection Manager and Mac HelpMate remote control capabilities and enable the subscriber to personalize unlimited copies of the application with their own URL and graphic. This makes Mac HelpMate a perfect calling card for consultants and support professionals. Members of select Macintosh professional organizations such as the Apple Consultants Network (ACN) and Apple Resellers are entitled to a discounted subscription. Mac HelpMate 3 also allows clients to directly email their techs with problem reports or system profiles, a great solution if there is a problem with e-mail delivery.


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