It’s time to make a change for the better.
1. Simple Migration
RemoteLink leverages a familiar scripting language and uses a similar operational and administrative model. This helps simplify the migration from Afaria.
2. Cost Effective
Significantly lower initial and on-going maintenance costs ensure RemoteLink is competitive with other, less powerful solutions.
3. Function and Performance
RemoteLink executions work as you need – on a schedule, via external triggers, or manually when needed. With large scaling options there is no job too big for RemoteLink to handle.
4. Forward Thinking
We are actively engaged in developing new capabilities that deliver more value for our customers. New features and enhancements are released at least twice a year, largely driven by specific requests and feedback results and performance on-demand via detailed server and client event logs.
Since its introduction to the market in 2014, RemoteLink has been adopted by many former Afaria customers.
Top tier US variety store chain
Ensuring timely delivery of critical data at scale
Automating the delivery of critical sales data across more than 15,000 locations is no small task. Triggered by automated endpoint monitoring, this customer uses RemoteLink to manage both data delivery and system configuration updates across their entire store footprint.
Major US public utility
Managing updates and content for critical mobile systems
Supporting mobile systems is another area where RemoteLink excels. One of the largest public utility companies in the United States leverages RemoteLink to help provision and update both applications and important content that needs be available even when devices are offline. These functions are supported on thousands of mission-critical devices across many different business units.
Fast-growing QSR chain
Delivering return on investment through automation
Automation is key to drive operational efficiency for retailers. One of our QSR clients uses RemoteLink to manage the capture and reporting of daily sales data. This process includes the ability to automatically identify and collect data missed from previous reporting periods, saving countless hours of administrative time and effort. This type of workflow automation is a key part of the RemoteLink value proposition.
When considering Afaria replacements, other alternatives fall short.
Over the years, the use of Afaria expanded far beyond its mobile device management roots. In many organizations it became a key method for moving key business data, training materials, configuration files and software updates. Outlined below are the pros and cons of approaches that are often explored when searching for an alternative solution.
Application Extensions
- Low cost
- Narrow function centered on single, specific application data
- Limited operational features and capabilities
- Encourages use of duplicate tools
- May complicate future application decisions and flexibility
Device Management Products
- Modest cost (excluding required customization)
- Widely adopted technology
- Limited visibility for tracking and troubleshooting operationally-critical and time-sensitive data transfers
- Requires extensive scripting and other customizations to achieve functional parity
Middleware Technologies
- Excellent for frequently moving large amounts of transactional data
- Very costly, both in product and implementation resource
- May require significant process change to enable
- Fails to address the balance of the need for movement of non-transaction- oriented operational data
Custom Developed Solutions
- Highly-tailored for the specific needs of the organization
- Typically higher (and unforeseen) costs for both build and operation phases
- Requires significant investment and ongoing resource commitment
- Often lacks maturity of the current and desired off-the-shelf offerings
Our Unique Qualifications
For more than 25 years, we have provided expertise and services related to Afaria and other data delivery solutions. We leveraged the extensive knowledge accrued during this time to architect, develop and launch RemoteLink in 2014.
In addition, the highly experienced engineers that performed Afaria service work in past are now migrating and supporting RemoteLink customers. Their deep understanding of both solutions, coupled with their cultivated problem-solving skills, ensures challenges and issues are addressed quickly and with minimal operational impact.
Afaria Security Advisory
SAP officially ended all support for Afaria as of December 2020. Afaria 7.0 SP32, the last significant functional enhancement and maintenance update, was first delivered three years earlier in November 2017. Security exposures have been identified with varying versions of Afaria 7 that could put these and older systems at risk. Below are a few examples:
Account credential exposure
Account credentials may be stored in the Registry or database using a dated encryption method. The encryption details and keys are exposed on the Internet.
Client Script Execution
Network access to the client allows potential script execution and/or service disruption. Network access enables potentially dangerous requests to endpoints and could enable remote process execution, system access or data exfiltration.
Denial of Service Exploit
Network access to the server allows potential script execution and/or service disruption. An external actor can submit requests to the server as part of a Denial of Service attack, causing it to fail due to insufficiently sized memory buffer.