Few educational environments have the in-house expertise required to monitor and maintain their network, day in and day out, at optimum efficiency. Fortunately, schools can now acquire the needed IT/MIS manpower and experience without the expense of adding on-premises headcount. It's amazing what can be accomplished with Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, and a simple DSL or T1 telephone connection!

The next five years will likely see an emergence of network monitoring centers that may appear on the surface similar to home alarm services, with a bank of displays being watched over by a staff of observers. But, unlike home alarm hubs, Remote Management Service (RMS) centers may be staffed with MCSEs well versed in technology such as Microsoft Windows Terminal Services, Active Directory, BIOS set-up, and Windows XP migration programs. Extending their know-how well beyond the Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance features of Windows XP, these experts will dial in to the network and spend their days examining onscreen diagnostics and printing reports, looking for something out of the ordinary, network surgeons examining their version of an x-ray.

RMS, one of the emerging Windows technologies that may soon impact those responsible for bottom line network management, provides added security, network access, and troubleshooting and problem resolution to the networked community with limited resources. RMS may be more important to educational institutions than commercial facilities, which often have the financial leverage to attract experienced IT resources, although the benefits of the more secure school environment may begin to lure tech specialists from the corporate world.

Rather than adding staff, affordable RMS maximizes the functionality of Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000 Server, and takes advantage of the communication benefits of the Internet to offer an appealing alternative that can enable educational institutions to have experienced technology eyes and intelligence, helping insure that their network operates effectively and efficiently. RMS also frees up the existing workforce so that staff personnel can bring the advantages of technology to more students. Services are available for monitoring networks that connect PCs, Macs, thin clients, servers and printers.

In a typical RMS scenario there is a high-speed telephone connection between the off-site provider of RMS services and the school network direct to one or more of the school's servers installed with Windows Terminal Services. RMS provides status of the network, identifies problems before they affect students or teachers, and alerts administrators of existing or emerging problems. By maximizing the benefits of this connection, MIS management at the school can help eliminate downtime with proactive management while improving security and access.

The range of benefits to schools extends far beyond troubleshooting and problem resolution. By remotely accessing Windows Active Directory, RMS can help manage student desktops, establish or revise home directories (digital lockers) and user profiles, and institute personal and network security as well as group policies. RMS can help protect centralized storage and applications, audit system/peripheral usage by student, report system-wide performance, institute and monitor daily file and/or system backups, and even deploy patches, fixes and updates, all remotely over the Internet. Best of all, threshold monitoring such as Tangent Computer, Inc.'s Network Alert™ service establishes security and operational parameters and then alerts school management and/or takes corrective measures when the agreed, pre-established limits have been breached.

Not every school is automatically ready for RMS. Installation may be preceded by a Windows XP migration from legacy operating systems. A well-organized migration program can be fairly quick and painless, with much of the planning and execution taking place over the network. Interestingly enough, the technology for RMS has been around for quite a while, but it's only recently that this backend functionality has begun to attract attention. And it's inexpensive. It's likely to become even more affordable as the technology continues to emerge and the field becomes more competitive.