If you are a system administrator for a company that uses SSH/Telnet Clients, you need to be using a Licensing and Deployment Server to help manage the clients.
What is Telnet and SSH, and Why do Commercial Environments Use Them?
Many commercial and industrial applications use Telnet for their data transfer, and SSH for their encrypted data transfer.
Telnet is simple and easy to use, and transmits data using clear-text. Telnet is the natural connectivity tool for RF Terminals, Bar Code scanners, and other data collection devices. The protocol is nimble, lightweight, fast and reliable. It is easy to set up and easy to maintain. There are other ways to transmit data across networks, however many use 3rd-party applications, get bottled up in the data transfer, and lack the basic functionality to transfer data. Telnet is also very easy to set up and maintain, while other data transmitting techniques can be a huge burden and time consumer for the system administrator. Telnet has unmatched reliability and speed, which is why it has been the ultimate solution for commercial and industrial environments.
For applications that are transmitting sensitive data, SSH uses an encrypted format to send data over a secure channel. Providing strong authentication, it is used for encrypted data exchange. The configuration is simple, and the security algorithms are incredible. As a warning, not all SSH algorithms are the same. Be sure that the SSH that you are using offers the most up-to-date algorithms. Some SSH algorithms are old and depreciated. While once strong and unbeatable, hackers have developed significantly since SSH first launched. It is imperative that the SSH algorithms are current and updated frequently. Similarly to the Telnet alternatives, other security solutions require administration that is extremely complex and lengthy that most businesses are either unprepared for the technical challenge, or not able to spend the required time for proper implementation and continued maintenance to maintain functioning security.
Those are some of the reasons that your industrial or commercial environment uses Telnet and SSH to transfer data. Coupled together, they are a powerful combination.
What does a Licensing and Deployment Server do?
If you are a system administrator or have multiple devices to manage on the GSW ConnectBot (SSH/Telnet Client for Android), a Licensing and Deployment Server (LADS) is a vital piece of software. It is an easy to use software tool that will be a big time saver. While the setting up and system administration of Telnet and SSH is simple and easy to use, a Licensing and Deployment Server will enhance the functionality and management of the clients. A lightweight mobile device manager allows the system administrator to easily and quickly:
- Manage Licensing – Licenses are loaded onto LADS for distribution and recovery
- Upload and download configurations from GSW ConnectBot powered devices – Configure one device, upload the configuration to LADS, and then download to as many similar devices as you wish
- Rapid 2-Tap Screenshots Upload to Server
- Manage and install updates to the client software
- Custom Keyboards
- Public Key Import/Export
- Private Key Import/Export
- Business Intelligence and Screen Recognition
- Zero Touch Push Configurations to Multiple Devices
How much easier and quicker does it make set up to only configure one device, upload that data set to your LADS, and then deploy those configurations across all devices? That saves significant time instead of setting up configurations individually across 100 devices. It will do the actions and services that most system administrators will need to do on a regular basis, on a mass deployment setting. If you are managing a few hundred or so devices (or even 15!), a Licensing and Deployment Server will make management of the devices easy and efficient.