Anybody tried MeshCentral? Open source remote support by Intel..

[beejayzed]

Hey guys, have just recently stumbled across meshcentral: https://meshcentral.com/

Apparently it's created by a senior intel developer:
https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/meshcentral

It appears to be a webbased remote management and monitoring solution. And it's open source.. Thoughts, experiences?

 

[fencepost]

My gut feel is that this started as an internal project/tool to support the Intel AMT (Active Management Technology) features, then got turned into an open source project so they wouldn't have to do so much to maintain it internally. Also adds some levels of support for pre-AMT systems, along with phones, etc. I think this is Intel enterprise-focused stuff making it to the general public.

Some interesting capabilities along with the standards. 2 remote control options (theirs plus VNC, some AMT versions include hardware-level VNC). Remote shell. Using any endpoint as an HTTP/HTTPS proxy (e.g. for access to internal management interfaces). Using any endpoint (presumably on the same LAN) to send Wake-On-LAN requests to another endpoint on that network. Remote file browser/management.

There's a commercially-supported version available (based on the open source one). Sprinxle. Pricing there is $4/month per device which is.... not so appealing. Presumably that drops a lot if you're a large enterprise.

I like that you can download and run your own server instance on the open-source side - I'd not want to run it using their no-charge / hosted by Intel portal for risk of breaches and/or Intel canning the entire department and the whole thing goes away.

The developer is actively involved in Intel AMT development and related areas (now MeshCommander): https://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/author/337009 (latest update: this past Tuesday).

Overall, the open-source side might be interesting to investigate, and I could see buying a single-seat license to Sprinxle just to get access to their knowledgebase if it's any good (and if it remains relevant to the open source packages), but I don't see it in production use for most techs here. I could see it being something that an RMM vendor might investigate depending on their existing remote control options. I wouldn't expect Solarwinds (N-Able, MSPAnywhere) or Connectwise/Labtech/ScreenConnect to put resources into it, but vendors who don't own a remote software company might invest time.


Also worth noting: Meshcommander

 

[trevm999]

MeshCentral2 seems to be gathering some interest from fellow techs
https://www.meshcommander.com/meshcentral2

Might be worth keeping an eye on for when Connectwise Control kills maintenance renewals for on-prem installs.

 

[jflitney]

Connectwise just notified 15% price increase and are trying to encourage people onto cloud hosted version.

 

[Sky-Knight]

As they should, on premise solutions are going on patched and resulting in these huge MSP breaches. However, one thing to note, the cloud hosted version of Connectwise isn't quite what most expect, it's a private instance. Sort of like how O365 works.

But, at least Connectwise the software company, is now separate from Connectwise the huge MSP in Florida.

 

[timeshifter]

when Connectwise Control kills maintenance renewals

Wait, what???

 

[trevm999]

Wait, what???

There was a point when they were really trying to push just the hosted version, and had stopped selling new on premises subscriptions, but it looks like they have reversed course a bit.

 

[Your PCMD]

had stopped selling new on premises subscriptions

"Contact ControlSales[at]ConnectWise.com for self-hosted options starting at $2,525."

Versus

$300 for Simple Help - which I am loving ATM. Soon as I get my server (R210) up and running, I think I will pull the trigger and buy - but just use for my business clients. The few residential I have left will still be on AnyDesk.

 

[Sky-Knight]

@trevm999, yes because ConnectWise is a dedicated software company now with new owners. Thoma Bravo owns it now, along with Bomgar, Continuum, McAfee, Solarwinds, and Sonicwall. That happened the end of Feb this year. Subsequent to this, the prices on ConnectWise fell substantially. It's now cheaper than it's ever been to get started with the product. I won't call it cheap, but the prices are at least competitive now, and sane for tiny shops like mine.

SimpleHelp is just remote access. Automate is an RMM tool with a stupidly powerful scripting engine that happens to come with ConnectWise Control. That's not the same gig... Apples and Oranges.

Though SimpleHelp + M365 = Pretty darned cheap and comprehensive... that's something I've been looking at, need to get more familiar with intune first.