Painless Computing™

Questions & Answers

Our business has employees located in different cities and some of our staff travel extensively. Is terminal services a way to deliver our business applications to all of these individuals?

Yes. As long as your employees have a way to access the Internet and a compatible Web Browser (Internet Explorer 5.5 or later), compatible thin-client device or compatible remote desktop software they can connect to this service and access their remote desktop.

Do I need a high-speed Internet connection?

No. Individual users may notice some reduction in performance if they connect using a dial-up modem but most clients are quite surprised to see that dial-up modem connections operate almost as quickly as higher speed connections.

Why do you use the term "Remote Desktop"?

Each connected client views a complete Microsoft Windows desktop that displays icons for each application delivered to them. For example, the desktop may include programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Project, Visual Studio and various other business and office applications that are used to run your business.

This desktop looks and feels much like a standard Windows 2000 or Windows XP desktop and includes such icons as "My Documents", "My Computer", "Recycle Bin" plus icons for whatever application programs or suite of programs you require.

If the client has connected using a standard PC, then they have access to data files located both at your Terminal Service and on their local drives. Windows compatible printers attached to their PC or attached to a Local Area Network are also available.

Although this desktop appears to be operating locally, it is not. It is running remotely. Keyboard, mouse and video display information is transmitted across the Internet to create the illusion of a locally operating Microsoft Windows desktop.

What happens if my connection to the Internet is lost or the power in our office goes out while I am connected to this service?

You would lose your connection, but you would not lose your "session". Your session is the desktop image you were viewing immediately before losing your connection. Unless your company has asked Sagacity to terminate all sessions upon disconnection, this session remains active for up to 24 hours from the moment that you were disconnected.

When the connection is restored, your desktop (including any active programs you were running) will still be there and everything will look exactly as it did when the power went out.

Can I connect to this service both from the office and from home?

This is up to your organisation to decide. Our default policy is to allow all members of your organisation to connect at any time, from any location.

If your organisation wishes to enact other policies, such as restricting your hours of use or restricting the locations or computers from which access is permitted then you would need to make specific arrangements for this type of home or remote access through whoever is your company's technical liaison.

Is the connection secure?

Yes. The connection between individual clients and remote desktops is encrypted. In addition, when each user connects they must log in using a user identification code (user name) and password.

Are there other levels of security available?

Yes. We support, as an option, both site-to-site and client-to-site Virtual Private Network (VPN) services. When a VPN option is requested your Terminal Service is placed behind a VPN gateway (a computer that blocks unauthorised access to your service). This gateway is configured to isolate your service from the rest of the Internet.

Site-to-site VPN implements a secure network connection between your office and our data center. Only communications between your site and our data center are permitted pass through this connection. Only individuals with appropriate credentials located at this site can gain access to your Terminal Service. Remote access from employee homes or other locations is not allowed.

Client-to-site VPN allows employees to gain access to Terminal Services from their home or other remote locations, but requires them to do so only after connecting to the VPN gateway using compatible dial-up networking software and Remote Desktop software. Access to the service through Internet Explorer or other means is not available.

Site-to-site and client-to-site VPN options can co-exist, so you can easily define a solution that includes both solutions.

Is IPSec Supported?

Yes. IPSec, which uses industry standard cryptography based Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocols to ensure data integrity, data confidentiality, data authentication and replay protection is an option available for selected implementations.

Are Smart Cards Supported?

Not yet. Support for Smart Cards (which require you to have possession of a credit card type security device and a Smart Card reader before a connection is permitted) is under consideration as a future enhancement. No release date for this feature has been determined.

Can I connect using non-PC devices, such as thin-client workstations or other devices?

This depends on the individual devices you wish to connect and the specific service extensions you have selected. Our standard service supports connections using remote PC's running Windows 98 or later, Terminal Services compatible tablet PC's or compatible thin-client devices are available

Clients requiring connections to other devices such as Macintosh computers, Unix or Linux workstations, OS2 PC's, legacy DOS PC's, PDA's, tablet PC's, wireless terminals, etc., require a custom implementation of Terminal Services combined with Citrix software. Citrix is a family of software products that, among other things, adds support for these type of devices.

Do I have to purchase the software that appears on each individual's desktop?

This depends on the software you require. Most Microsoft software, plus software from some other vendors is available from Sagacity on a monthly service fee basis. Depending on the software you choose, Sagacity may require you to purchase or provide proof of licenses before implementation. If you choose, you may 'mix and match' leased (monthly service fee) software with software that you own. Leased software is maintained by Sagacity. Your leasing fees include the cost of software maintenance and upgrades.

I am a software vendor who is looking to use Terminal Services to deploy my software to my clients. I have two questions:

1) Who bills my clients, me or you?

This depends on the type of service you wish to offer to your clients. If you wish Sagacity to offer a service that bundles your software as an Sagacity product offering then we would normally bill your clients and pay you a software royalty. If you wish to market this service directly to your customers as an offering billed directly by your company, then we bill you.

Software vendors should note that individual clients are managed as Organisational Units (OU's) consisting of one or more end-users. If you deploy your solution in such a way that each of your customers requires implementation by Sagacity as a unique Organisation Unit then monthly OU charges would apply.

2) Can I include other software products, such as Microsoft Office, with the solution I market to my customers?

Yes. You can bundle your solution with many other products, allowing you to offer your clients a complete desktop solution.

What is the minimum term of a Hosted Terminal Services agreement?

For shared services, the minimum term is three months. For dedicated services the minimum term is one year.

Shared services mean services that are hosted using equipment that is shared by two or more Terminal Service clients. Dedicated services are services that are typically designed and implemented using equipment assigned for your exclusive use.

I require support for multiple languages, which means some of my users need to connect to workstations that support non-English languages. Is this available?

Yes. This is available as customised service.

What is the minimum number of desktops that I can purchase?

Our minimum requirement is five desktops.

Is a Service Level Agreement provided with this service?

Yes. For a copy of our current Service Level Agreement, please contact us.

Is there a contract to sign?

For month-to-month subscriptions, no. For annual or multi-year subscription terms, yes.

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As long as your employees have a way to access the Internet and a compatible Web Browser (Internet Explorer 5.5 or later), compatible thin-client device or compatible remote desktop software they can connect to this service and access their remote desktop. Do I need a high-speed Internet connection? No. Individual users may notice some reduction in performance if they connect using a dial-up modem but most clients are quite surprised to see that dial-up modem connections operate almost as quickly as higher speed connections. Why do you use the term "Remote Desktop"? Each connected client views a complete Microsoft Windows desktop that displays icons for each application delivered to them. For example, the desktop may include programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Project, Visual Studio and various other business and office applications that are used to run your business. This desktop looks and feels much like a standard Windows 2000 or Windows XP desktop and includes such icons as "My Documents", "My Computer", "Recycle Bin" plus icons for whatever application programs or suite of programs you require. If the client has connected using a standard PC, then they have access to data files located both at your Terminal Service and on their local drives. Windows compatible printers attached to their PC or attached to a Local Area Network are also available. Although this desktop appears to be operating locally, it is not. It is running remotely. Keyboard, mouse and video display information is transmitted across the Internet to create the illusion of a locally operating Microsoft Windows desktop. What happens if my connection to the Internet is lost or the power in our office goes out while I am connected to this service? You would lose your connection, but you would not lose your "session". Your session is the desktop image you were viewing immediately before losing your connection. Unless your company has asked Sagacity to terminate all sessions upon disconnection, this session remains active for up to 24 hours from the moment that you were disconnected. When the connection is restored, your desktop (including any active programs you were running) will still be there and everything will look exactly as it did when the power went out. Can I connect to this service both from the office and from home? This is up to your organisation to decide. Our default policy is to allow all members of your organisation to connect at any time, from any location. If your organisation wishes to enact other policies, such as restricting your hours of use or restricting the locations or computers from which access is permitted then you would need to make specific arrangements for this type of home or remote access through whoever is your company's technical liaison. Is the connection secure? Yes. The connection between individual clients and remote desktops is encrypted. In addition, when each user connects they must log in using a user identification code (user name) and password. Are there other levels of security available? Yes. We support, as an option, both site-to-site and client-to-site Virtual Private Network (VPN) services. When a VPN option is requested your Terminal Service is placed behind a VPN gateway (a computer that blocks unauthorised access to your service). This gateway is configured to isolate your service from the rest of the Internet. Site-to-site VPN implements a secure network connection between your office and our data center. Only communications between your site and our data center are permitted pass through this connection. Only individuals with appropriate credentials located at this site can gain access to your Terminal Service. Remote access from employee homes or other locations is not allowed. Client-to-site VPN allows employees to gain access to Terminal Services from their home or other remote locations, but requires them to do so only after connecting to the VPN gateway using compatible dial-up networking software and Remote Desktop software. Access to the service through Internet Explorer or other means is not available. Site-to-site and client-to-site VPN options can co-exist, so you can easily define a solution that includes both solutions. Is IPSec Supported? Yes. IPSec, which uses industry standard cryptography based Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocols to ensure data integrity, data confidentiality, data authentication and replay protection is an option available for selected implementations. Are Smart Cards Supported? Not yet. Support for Smart Cards (which require you to have possession of a credit card type security device and a Smart Card reader before a connection is permitted) is under consideration as a future enhancement. No release date for this feature has been determined. Can I connect using non-PC devices, such as thin-client workstations or other devices? This depends on the individual devices you wish to connect and the specific service extensions you have selected. Our standard service supports connections using remote PC's running Windows 98 or later, Terminal Services compatible tablet PC's or compatible thin-client devices are available Clients requiring connections to other devices such as Macintosh computers, Unix or Linux workstations, OS2 PC's, legacy DOS PC's, PDA's, tablet PC's, wireless terminals, etc., require a custom implementation of Terminal Services combined with Citrix software. Citrix is a family of software products that, among other things, adds support for these type of devices. Do I have to purchase the software that appears on each individual's desktop? This depends on the software you require. Most Microsoft software, plus software from some other vendors is available from Sagacity on a monthly service fee basis. Depending on the software you choose, Sagacity may require you to purchase or provide proof of licenses before implementation. If you choose, you may 'mix and match' leased (monthly service fee) software with software that you own. Leased software is maintained by Sagacity. Your leasing fees include the cost of software maintenance and upgrades. I am a software vendor who is looking to use Terminal Services to deploy my software to my clients. I have two questions: 1) Who bills my clients, me or you? This depends on the type of service you wish to offer to your clients. If you wish Sagacity to offer a service that bundles your software as an Sagacity product offering then we would normally bill your clients and pay you a software royalty. If you wish to market this service directly to your customers as an offering billed directly by your company, then we bill you. Software vendors should note that individual clients are managed as Organisational Units (OU's) consisting of one or more end-users. If you deploy your solution in such a way that each of your customers requires implementation by Sagacity as a unique Organisation Unit then monthly OU charges would apply. 2) Can I include other software products, such as Microsoft Office, with the solution I market to my customers? Yes. You can bundle your solution with many other products, allowing you to offer your clients a complete desktop solution. What is the minimum term of a Hosted Terminal Services agreement? For shared services, the minimum term is three months. For dedicated services the minimum term is one year. Shared services mean services that are hosted using equipment that is shared by two or more Terminal Service clients. Dedicated services are services that are typically designed and implemented using equipment assigned for your exclusive use. I require support for multiple languages, which means some of my users need to connect to workstations that support non-English languages. Is this available? Yes. This is available as customised service. What is the minimum number of desktops that I can purchase? Our minimum requirement is five desktops. Is a Service Level Agreement provided with this service? Yes. For a copy of our current Service Level Agreement, please contact us. Is there a contract to sign? For month-to-month subscriptions, no. For annual or multi-year subscription terms, yes.