Last January our CEO, David Hervieux, shared the Devolutions Road Map and the Wayk Now Road Map for 2017. I am pleased to announce that many of our projects are on time and that Devolutions is running better than ever! We now have a team of around 70 full-time employees– and that’s not counting our intern army that will soon go back to school!

We’ve had a crazy year, and it’s not over yet! A lot of our projects now seem clearer, and what used to be ideas are now specific goals. Along the way we’ve been listening to our community, and will never stop creating and enhancing our solutions to help you control the IT chaos.

Today, I wanted to look at where we are now compared to our CEO’s January road map. Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about the last 8 months at Devolutions.

Remote Desktop Manager

As David explained back in January, Remote Desktop Manager is now a relatively complete product. In fact, we’re now focusing on making your experience better by fixing bugs, optimizing the software and making it more user-friendly. Plus, we are working hard to integrate almost every technology our community asks for.

Our main objective is to offer a globally similar experience to every user regardless of the platform they are using. To learn more about what changed since January, I invite you to look at the full change history of each Remote Desktop Manager version:

• Remote Desktop Manager for Windows
• Remote Desktop Manager for Mac
• Remote Desktop Manager for Android
• Remote Desktop Manager iOS

Password Vault Manager

Six – that’s the number of Password Vault Manager versions we released between January and August! Like our RDM updates, most of these were launched to enhance your user experience and to integrate a little more of your favorite technologies. The latest exciting release included:

• Data Source
  • New WebDav data source
  • Added AD authentication support in SQL Server Azure data source
• New Entry Types
  • Wi-Fi entry
  • One Time Password (OTP) credential

Take a look at the full change histories of the different platforms by following the links below:

• Password Vault Manager for Windows
• Password Vault Manager for Mac
• Password Vault Manager for Android
• Password Vault Manager iOS

Devolutions Server

The last time you heard of Devolutions Server we were just releasing version 4.5, which was a big deal. Now I am excited to announce that we have just released the brand-new version 4.6, which offers great new features like:

• Web based Password Management
• The possibility to edit the information when enabled
• The to-do notification
• User one-time code alternate login
• Windows authentication (integrated) support
• Integrated the direct connection from the browser extensions (Web Login)
• Mobile friendly UI design
• Multilingual support
• So much more…!

Most of our 2017 goals are achieved, but so much more is still on our radar. We know how many of you always wanted to access your credentials and sensitive data online through your web browser. Well, guess what? It's now possible with the new Web based Password Management feature!

Also, we recently introduced Devolutions Server CAL (Client Access License) for an accessible price that custom fits your needs – that way you won’t pay more than you should for a license.

Devolutions Web Login

As David said in the road map, Devolutions Web Login received a lot (I mean a lot) of positive feedback from our users. After waiting for our users to test it, we finally managed to launch better versions that are so great they’ll make you wonder why you’re still using another password manager! Web login can now easily create, store and auto-fill your login credentials and passwords to any websites directly from your favorite web browser. Honestly, we worked a lot on the Chrome and Firefox versions because we judge that most of our users use these; but don’t worry, we also released great versions for Edge, Safari, and finally Opera. Stay tuned – new updated versions for every platform should be coming soon!

Wayk Now

As you might recall, we had to post a second road map just for Wayk Now because we had big plans for the latest member of the Devolutions products family… Well, the good news is that Wayk Now is amazing! We received a lot of nice feedback and I would like to thank all the users that took the time to try it and give us honest feedback. Your feedback was much appreciated! The sad news is that it’s taking us a bit longer than planned to deliver this complicated solution. We do have a solution to offer and it's great, but we know what you guys are waiting for: NAT traversal. Well, trust me, it’s on the way, and it’s going to be great! Version 1.2 is available now and 1.5 is nearing release. Stay tuned!

Sysadminotaur

What’s going on with Sysadminotaur? To find out, read this recent article about how Sysadminotaur is about to get a little more epic. If you haven’t clicked the link yet, all I can tell you is that we might be creating a cartoon with Sysadminotaur and taking it to a whole new level. You’ll be able to enjoy the full Sysadminotaur experience!

You Are the Real MVP

Again, thank you for all your support. We promise to never take you for granted! We are so grateful to have such an amazing community and such awesome users. Please stay tuned by subscribing to our newsletter here. It is still only the beginning!

Cheers!

IT Security is fundamental for any company. However, choosing the perfect tool to assist you is easier said than done. In this blog, you will learn how the right password management solution can help reduce unauthorized access to critical assets and prevent insider attacks.

What's the challenge

Managing passwords is becoming a real nightmare and an important security challenge for IT departments and organizations worldwide. Privileged access to critical assets are protected using shared passwords which can easily lead to data breaches and insider attacks if not managed properly. Efforts to strengthen password management through policies can partially diminish risks, but can hardly satisfy all compliance requirements and will often lead to unproductive workflows.

Securing passwords is a complex task that the vast majority of IT pros must address. The challenge resides in finding the thin line between security and accessibility. Privileged passwords for both administrators and users must be secured in an encrypted and hardened vault without compromising user experience.

How we can help

Looking for a desktop solution?Take a look at Password Vault Manager

Looking for a web-based solution?Take a look at Devolutions Server

In both cases, passwords are brokered to the user based on their individual set of permissions and security rights defined by the admin using our role-based security system. Every entry or action on a session is then logged for complete audit trails and compliance reporting.

What's in it for you

Managing access to shared accounts from a highly-trusted enterprise password management will provide two major benefits: maximum security and increased productivity.

Being able to manage and secure privileged passwords from a unique platform will help reduce the risk of unauthorized access to critical assets and shared accounts. Moreover, using a granular security system adds additional control over user access preventing insider attacks by strengthening your network security.

A simplified user experience in addition to a centralized password repository will reduce helpdesk support calls as users won’t have to remember or retrieve lost passwords ever again.

A little while ago I posted a blog about Remote Desktop Synchronizer that discussed the wide range of external data types that are supported by Remote Desktop Manager. Today I’m delighted to roll out the red carpet for the latest addition to the RDM integration family: Amazon EC2 Synchronizer!

What is Amazon EC2

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (more commonly called EC2) is a web service that offers secure, resizable compute capacity in the cloud. It also makes web-scale cloud computing easier for developers, who can rent virtual computers to run their own computer applications.

About the Integration

In the past, you had to use Amazon SDK to create a .csv before launching Remote Desktop Manager’s Synchronizer to manually sync sessions in RDM. Now, however, you can configure automatic syncing to save time and effort.

The Amazon EC2’s synchronizer will help you maintain Remote Desktop Manager in sync with your Amazon Cloud environment, automatically connecting to your account and creating all of your existing Amazon sessions directly in Remote Desktop Manager.

Activating this feature is incredibly easy. Simply launch Remote Desktop Manager Synchronizer and make sure that “Synchronize automatically” is checked (this is the default, so you actually won’t have to do anything unless you previously turned this off). Then just click OK.

That’s all there is to it! Syncing will automatically happen 30 seconds after a data source refresh. Of course, you can just as easily turn this off anytime you wish — simply uncheck the option and double-click on the synchronizer to have it run.

Hi everyone! It’s Monday, which means it’s time to gather around to try and make sense of the latest Game of Thrones episode and, of course, shine a spotlight on another amazing new Devolutions team member. Today it’s my pleasure to introduce you to David Potvin, who has recently joined our Web Development team.

Like many of our new recruits, David was part of our successful internship program.  We’re so happy that he agreed to join us full-time upon graduation! I recently had a chance to chat with him. We even had a game of volleyball on our court – I can tell you right now that he’s a tenacious competitor! If we ever have a Devolutions Olympics around here (hey, now there’s an idea!), I definitely want David on my team. Below is a snapshot of our conversation:

Can you tell me a bit about your background?

I recently earned my degree from Collège de Maisonneuve, where I studied IT. I also completed an internship here at Devolutions last year.

What would you say is your biggest professional achievement so far?

As part of my internship, I recreated the password generator from Remote Desktop Manager in Devolutions Server. At the time, it was a pretty big challenge for me and I was proud of the achievement. I’ve learned a lot since then, and it wouldn’t be hard at all to do now!

What was it about Devolutions that made you want to work here?

I’d say it’s the whole environment. Everyone is so happy and enthusiastic, and the vibe is always positive. I hadn’t even finished my internship when I decided that I wanted to be part of Devolutions as soon as possible, and contribute to a great and growing community. Also, the opportunity to work with a language that was entirely unknown to me was really appealing. But what really sold me was the volleyball court. As a big volleyball fan, I was very happy to see that!

What would you say are your top three strengths at work?

First, I’d say that I love learning. I'm always trying to learn new things, either asking my experienced colleagues for advice, or doing web research on my own. Second, I love working as part of a team, and brainstorming with others to find the best ways to solve problems. Third, I’d say that I’m very persistent, and will stick with a challenge or problem until I find a solution – whether it’s something I can do on my own or with help from my team.

What tasks do you carry out in your job, and what are some of the tools that you use?

Right now, I’m working mainly on Devolutions Server, and introducing all the different connections we have in Remote Desktop Manager. As for tools, I mostly use Visual Studio and WebStorm. As for languages, it’s mostly C# and TypeScript.

What are your impressions about working here?

Everything here is wonderful! Everyone works hard together as part of something bigger than themselves. Everyone is also super friendly. And it’s only five minutes away from where I live, which is great.

What goals would you like to achieve at Devolutions?

I’d like to help Devolutions develop awesome solutions, and constantly increase my knowledge. I hope to get better every day.

On a personal note, what are some of your hobbies and interests?

I play badminton on a regular basis, and as I mentioned I’m a big volleyball fan. I also really like hockey and video games.

 Please share a few words with our community of IT pros:

I’d glad to be here, and looking forward to developing great solutions that make your lives easier!

Hello everyone. Unless you’ve been stuck on Mars growing potatoes, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about Reddit, which is touted as“the front page of the internet.” According to Alexa (an amazing company by the way), Reddit is the fourth most visited site in the US, and the eighth most visited site worldwide. 

How Reddit Works

Basically, Reddit is a gigantic content aggregator. Individuals, groups, businesses, and even celebrities and your favorite bands (and their legions of fans) submit posts. These posts could be links, written messages (from short blurbs to long articles), videos, photos, gifs and more. Users then comment and upvote what they like, and downvote what they don’t. Posts and comments that get the most upvotes climb to the top of the ladder, and therefore get more views. Posts and comments that get the most downvotes get buried below the virtual ground.

Using Reddit

Signing up for Reddit is extremely fast — you just pick a username and password, and you’re in. It’s also free, which is always nice.

There are two basic ways to use Reddit. You can visit your homepage to see the most popular posts from the subreddits that you’ve subscribed to, or you can just browse your favorite subreddits (or take a chance if you feel lucky) to see what’s up.

Subreddits are sub communities of Reddit (in fact, Reddit acts as a meta-search engine that lets you search through all the subreddits). You can subscribe to as few or as many subreddits as you’d like. For example, you can connect with your fellow IT pros by visiting the subreddit /r/Sysadmin!

There are a few NSFW (not-safe-for-work) subreddits, but these are plainly marked and you can steer clear of them if you wish. Generally though, if you choose the right subreddits, you’ll find Redditors to be helpful and friendly. You can also send and receive private messages.

Karma

There’s a whole concept of Reddit karma. Whenever your fellow Redditors upvote your posts or the comments that you’ve made on someone else’s posts, you earn karma. This builds your credibility in the Reddit community. And while using Reddit is free, if you pay a subscription fee — or if people love your posts/comments so much they “give you gold” (i.e. they give money to Reddit on your behalf), then you’ll be able to participate in some exclusive subreddits, plus have more details on where your karma is coming from (it’s kind of like Big Data Analytics meets karma).

Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover

Also, here’s a pro tip: don’t judge Reddit by how it looks. Whereas some social media platforms are like luxury hotels, Reddit is more like a youth hostel. However, that’s part of Reddits appeal, because it’s really all about the content that Redditors provide. The scaled down interface also makes it fast and easy to use on smartphones, which is a big advantage.

Devolutions and Reddit: The Love Story

At Devolutions, we looooovveee Reddit! Each morning before we start work, you can find a few of us here checking out our favorite subreddits, like r/todayilearned. And many of the jokes on r/funny, /r/iiiiiiitttttttttttt/ and r/jokes quickly become running gags around here.

For work purposes, though, we mainly stick to r/sysadmin, as well as our NEW subreddits that I happily invite you to join:

• r/Sysadminotaur
• r/Devolutions
• r/ITComics

Your posts and comments would be very appreciated, as our goal is to create a space where IT pros can connect and share— and of course, have some laughs over at r/ITcomics, which we created to lighten things up a bit. Working in IT can be tough and stressful sometimes, as you know!

What Do You Think?

Please tell us what you think of Reddit, and also please share any pro tips with our community (like “don’t feed the trolls”). Thanks, and see you on our new subreddits! ??

Privileged Access Management can decrease the risks of threats and reinforce your security to meet compliance requirements. By reading this article, you will learn how the right PAM solution can diminish the risks posed by insider threats and data breaches, while helping you meet audit and compliance requirements.

What's the challenge

Controlling and monitoring privileged access is extremely important for both administrators and users in order to both diminish the risks posed by insider threats, data breaches, and to meet audit and compliance requirements. Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions provide secured privileged access to critical assets by securing, managing and monitoring privileged accounts and sessions.

IT teams and security have to find the right balance between keeping the organization’s critical assets secure and allowing users to be productive. Administrators such as sysadmins and IT professionals have to access a wide range of privileged accounts using multiple remote access technologies, making it more and more difficult to actually use privileged passwords without revealing sensitive information.

How we can help

Devolutions is proud to collaborate and partner with highly trusted leaders in the Privileged Access Management industry such as:

• BeyondTrust
• CyberArk
• ManageEngine
• Thycotic

While our technology partners offer comprehensive PAM solutions, Devolutions leverages its expertise in remote connection management by providing strategic integrations with its flagship solution, Remote Desktop Manager (RDM).

As a result, privileged passwords are secured and managed from the PAM solution while remote connections are accessed and launched from RDM, which retrieves passwords from our partners’ PAM solutions through our different integrations.

What's in it for you

We understand the significant level of effort and resources required to secure critical assets against cyber-attacks and insider threats, and we understand that security is one of the core challenges every organization must face. At the same time, we believe IT departments should have the ability and flexibility to achieve their daily goals in an efficient manner.

The integration of PAM solutions within Remote Desktop Manager will let you work productively in a secured environment.

Updated August 31, 2016: We have added FreeOTP, Authenticator Plus and SoundLogin!

Google Authenticator vs Authy vs Yubico vs Duo vs FreeOTP vs Authenticator Plus vs SoundLogin

Do you, by any chance, use the same password for more than one website? Do you download software straight from the Internet? Or click on sketchy links in email messages? By doing any of these typical actions, you risk having your password stolen or being hacked. 2FA will prevent this from happening by adding an extra layer of security to your account.

There are 3 well-known factors used for authentication: something you know (a password or passphrase), something you have (your mobile phone or a token), and something you are (your fingerprint). 2FA means the system is using two of these options to authenticate you.

2FA can offer important benefits to enterprises as well as individual users, although the technology can seem complicated and the tools themselves vary. Choosing the right software to fit your needs is a hefty task, so we did some digging around for you and took a closer look at the most popular ones: Google Authenticator, Authy, Yubico, Duo, FreeOTP, Authenticator Plus and SoundLogin.

Some of the features that we look for in a great 2FA application are mobile support, multiple token support, reporting, complexity workflow and FIDO support.

Google Authenticator is a 2FA mobile application that uses the Time-based One-time Password Algorithm (TOTP) and HMAC-based One-time Password Algorithm (HOTP), for authenticating users.

• TOTP algorithm: Google Authenticator uses the TOTP algorithm to provide new code every 60 seconds, making it a secure option to generate codes for 2FA.

• Works without Internet access: One of the most appealing features of Google Authenticator is that it doesn't require any sort of internet or cellular connectivity. Since Google Authenticator uses TOTP, the same code will be generated on your mobile device and on the Google side without internet. The matching code gives you access to your account.

• Holds multiple accounts in one place: Most websites allow you to have more than one account, but won’t allow you to use the same mobile number with multiple accounts. To receive your 2FA code, you then have to give different mobile numbers for each. The Google Authenticator application allows you to have codes for all your accounts in one place.

• Easy to use: Google Authenticator is easy to use and has a simple interface. The application also works in airplane mode and will work on older version of Android. It is less than 2MB in size, so it works easily on all devices, even those with less RAM and storage.

• User Interface: Google Authenticator would benefit from a smoother interface. The new version adds a lot of white space and wasted space, including a lot of scrolling to get where you want to be.

• Too few accounts on the screen: If you only have 4 accounts, then it will work well, but if you have 14 accounts, only 4 of them will occupy the entire screen, making it impossible to view all of your accounts in a glance.

Google Authenticator is mostly for single users, but it could also serve industry standards. It is best suited for users who need an easy app to protect their password on some of the most popular websites.

The application is completely free.

Authy makes it easy for anyone to use their iPhone, Android or desktop for 2FA with all their online accounts. Choose between 3 different combinations of authentication options: Authy SoftToken, Authy OneCode and Authy OneTouch.

• Mobile and desktop application: If you want to install 2FA on your desktop, Authy is the way to go. The application is supported whether you’re using iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Linux, Mac OS or Windows — you could even install the application on your Apple Watch.

• Security token directly on your desktop: Most people use their smartphone as their second factor, which means that you have to copy the security code onto your computer when prompted. Authy makes it easier by inserting the security token directly on your desktop.

• Sync and backup in the Cloud: Authy allows you to sync and backup your accounts on the Cloud. This saves time, since you no longer have to manually add your accounts to each device and browser.

• Remove other authorized devices: If your phone is stolen or lost, you will be able to remove the lost phone from the devices’ list on your desktop application, thereby preventing it from syncing with Authy’s servers. Keep in mind, however, that if your phone has been stolen, the thief could still use Authy to generate tokens for any accounts you’ve already added to it.

• Master password not mandatory: Authy hasn’t made it mandatory to enter a master password to protect its desktop edition; without protection, this could be a safety concern. Entering a master password upon installation should be mandatory.

• Initial investment of time: Getting Authy up and running takes some time, as you have to set up each of your accounts individually, authorizing the Authy application to generate 2FA tokens for each one.

Authy has made it quite easy and manageable to have 2FA for single users, developers and businesses.

Authy has different pricing depending on which plan – Authentication, Phone verification or Phone intelligence — you choose. They have a free plan for less than 100 authentications per month or a pay-per-use plan. You will have to contact them for an Enterprise license price, which will vary depending on volume.

Yubico offers YubiKey, which is a small hardware device that features 2FA with the simple touch of a button.

• Works independently: Hardware keys like YubiKey have the great advantage of not relying on phone or network coverage, or anything else; no matter what, they just do their job.

• One key to secure unlimited applications: There is no limit to the number of applications you can access from a single YubiKey. Just buy it once and use it as much as you want!

• Excellent support for users: Yubico offers support via email or online support tickets. They also offer plenty of online support documents, which are available to download, as well as some open source software for developers.

• Ease of use: YubiKey is incredibly easy to use. With a simple touch, it protects access to your computers, networks and online services. It’s robust, small and never needs a battery.

• Some sites are not really supported by YubiKey: Yubico lists WordPress as being supported but the plugin for WordPress is not developed by Yubico. The plugin was coded by an individual and hasn’t been updated in over two years, so it comes up with a security warning in the WordPress Plugin Directory. Yubico also lists Dashlane as being supported, but you will need a Premium or Business account for it to work. If you only have a free Dashlane account, YubiKey will not be supported.

• Easy to lose: The YubiKey is pretty small and some people find it hard not to lose one of these tiny gadgets.

The YubiKey really is for anyone and everyone. It’s built strong enough for large companies, while remaining simple enough for single users. Any organization considering 2FA should take a very close look at Yubico. It would even be the perfect solution for developers since Yubico offers open source software, documentation and tools.

The standard YubiKey USB authentication key starts at $40. Yubico also offers a FIDO U2F Security Key for $18.

Duo enables users to secure their logins and transactions by self-enrolling and authenticating through their smartphones, the Duo mobile app, a landline, or even offline.

• iCloud backup of all your information: When enabling iCloud Backup, your Duo Mobile account information will be automatically backed up on your phone and can then be restored on the same device.

• Duo Push: With Duo Push, you won’t even have to copy numbers anymore. It is an out-of-band authentication method that prevents remote attackers from stealing your password. The app or website sends an authorization request directly to the application on your smartphone, which displays two buttons: Approve and Deny. From there, you simply tap “Approve” on the push notification sent to your phone.
• Integrates with almost everything: Duo 2FA can be integrated into websites, VPNs and Cloud Services. It can work with iPhones, Androids, Windows phones, Blackberries and personal computers.

• Endpoint security: For organization, the Duo Platform Edition gives you advanced analytics to help you look into your users’ devices and security health. This edition will even flag any out-of-date device software for you, giving you rapid insight into possible security risks.

• Countdown clock: Duo could improve by integrating a countdown into their application. This would prevent users from being in the middle of typing the number in, only for it to suddenly change.

• Configuration sync between devices: At the moment, there is no way to synchronize your configuration between devices. You have to configure each device separately if working with more than one.

Duo’s customers can easily range from single users to small businesses to large corporations. It is easy to use for the single user but still meets organizational security requirements and has a wide range of options (like Endpoint Security and group management) for larger organizations.

The Personal license (2FA for up to 10 users) is completely free; the Business license is $1/user/month; the Enterprise license is $3/user/month; and the Platform license will cost you $6/user/month.

FreeOTP is a free and open source two-factor authentication application. It adds a second layer of security for your online accounts.

• Easy to use: Easily add tokens by simply scanning a QR-code or by entering the token configuration manually. No need to be tech-savvy to use this application.

• FreeOTP implements open standards: FreeOTP implements the open standards, meaning there are no necessary proprietary server-side components. FreeOTP offers HOTP and TOTP integration.

• Lightweight: Compared to some other 2FA applications that can be up to 6MB, FreeOTP actually takes up less than 500KB.

• Works on multiple online services: FreeOTP works great with multiple online services like Facebook, Evernote, Google, and GitHub (to name only a few).

• User Interface: The application definitely has some work to do to catch up with some other 2FA solutions. They would greatly benefit from a smoother interface, as at the moment it is underdeveloped and quite rustic.

• Offers no backup: They offer no backup and restore functionality, making you feel like all your eggs are in the same basket with nothing to keep them safe if something happens.

FreeOTP is often used to replace Google Authenticator. It is mostly for single users and is best suited for users in need of a quick and easy app that’s also a lightweight install.

The application is completely free.

Authenticator Plus offers a highly secure 2FA solution with seamless synchronization across devices.

• High level of security: The account data is encrypted with 256-bit AES encryption and also a PIN lock for an extra layer of security. The data is encrypted and decrypted locally before any syncing is made – your password never has to leave your device and stays accessible only to you.

• Syncs Across Devices: Authenticator Plus offers smooth synchronization across multiple devices. The application is available for Android phones, tablets, iPhone, iPad, Android Wear and Apple Watch.

• Organize: Easily position your frequently used accounts on top for quick access, group your different accounts by category and display account logos to find them with a glimpse of an eye.

• Automatic backup / restore: Allows for automatic backup of your data to a cloud solution like Dropbox or Google Drive, which can then be easily restored.

• Barcode scanner: Many users have mentioned compatibility issues when using the Authenticator Plus barcode scanner with either the Amazon Fire phone or the Kindle Fire.  Authenticator will simply not recognize the barcode scanner.

• Support: Authenticator Plus could highly benefit from more documentation and support.

Authenticator Plus is for everyone in need of an extra layer of security on their smartphones and tablets. It is quick and easy to use for everyone.

They offer a free version but you could choose to pay a one-time fee of 3,99$ to access all the Authenticator Plus’s Pro features.

SoundLogin is a two-factor authentication that relies on sound to generate one-time codes.

• Easy-to-use: SoundLogin simplifies the 2FA process by relying on an audio frequency. Simply click on the one-time code button on the mobile application which will play a short notification sound containing an encoded OTP. The browser then captures the sound, decodes it and automatically fills in the form on the website. No more manual entering of one-time passwords.

• Secure solution: Since the OTP is carried out locally by the sound wave, no account data is transferred over the Internet, making it safe from remote attack since no one can intercept your one-time password.

• Extract OTP: The application provides the option to extract one-time passwords from SMS messages and then send them to the browser via sound notification automatically or after user confirmation.

• Innovative technology: The SoundLogin mobile application by itself acts as a Google Authenticator or FreeOTP application, and is fully compatible with these applications. It is a new technology that is still a little glitch, but it’s worth looking at for the novelty of alone.

• Still a work-in-progress: SoundLogin is still pretty rough around the edges. With small glitches and occasional inaccurate code, at the moment it’s not ideal to have it as your only 2FA solution.

• Support: They offer no real documentation or support for the application. All they have is a contact form that you have to fill in to get more information about the SoundLogin solution.

SoundLogin is for everyone who is intrigued by new technology. Any single user who loves to try out new gadgets will want to give this a try.

SoundLogin is completely free and can be downloaded through Google Play, Amazon or the App Store.

Conclusion

2FA can render hacker attacks much less threatening since accessing passwords is not enough anymore to access your information; and it is pretty unlikely that the attacker would also have the physical device associated with the user account. More layers of authentication makes a system more secure.

Any of these four apps would do a great job in providing that extra layer of protection. All of them support mobile tokens, have different levels of flexible authentication methods, and some will even provide you with advanced analytics. They differ, however, when it comes to pricing, packaging offers, and ability to comprehend and act on the diverse product reports. Surely, these four should be in the starting lineup for any individual or enterprise in the market for a great 2FA.

We concentrated this blog more towards user oriented 2FA, however there are other beasts out there that are more enterprise driven like AuthAnvil or SafeNet only to mention a few. Devolutions Server actually incorporates those solutions such as: AuthAnvil, SafeNet, Azure MFA and Radius. Maybe one day will do a comparison with those ones…maybe…

Let’s not forget that 2FA comes in all sizes and flavors and you need to know as much about multifactor authentication as possible before choosing the right one for you.

Here is a table for a quick overview of some advanced options supported by the different 2 Factor Authentication applications.

We’re Baaaaaaack!

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Poll Results Program

• Barack Obama (yeah, I saw that one coming)
• Thomas Randall - Senior Director at BT Americas
• Louis Tetu - Coveo's CEO (apparently pretty inspiring)
• Bonnie St. John - First African-American Paralympic medalist
• Jack Ma - Founder of the huge company Alibaba
• Anthony Robbins - Philanthropist and life coach
• Tome Tanasovski - Morgan Stanley's Vice President
• Pat Gelsinger - VMware's CEO
• Clifford Stoll - Astronomer, author and teacher
• Christopher Erhardt - Head of School for the Academy of Interactive Entertainment

And the Winners Are…

• something you know (a password or passphrase)
• something you have (your mobile phone or a token)
• something you are (your fingerprint)

Comparing 2FA Tools

You Can Win

SAAS vs Entrust IdentityGuard vs Microsoft Azure Multi-Factor Authentication

Last week we did an updated review of 2FA solutions that was targeted toward single users, but what about company-wide solutions? With businesses falling victim to brute-force attacks targeting physical and logical infrastructures, mobile platforms and user identities, an extra layer of security is integral to protect from all of those threats. To help you choose 2FA solutions for your enterprise we’ve compared three popular solutions: SAAS, Entrust IdentityGuard and Microsoft Azure Multi-Factor Authentication.

SAASPASS is known for its high level of security and multi-factor authentication. It easily replaces the use of passwords across the board.

• App Security: The SAASPASS application offers a high level of protection like the touch ID support, fingerprint support on Android, 4 or 6 digit PIN options and a pattern support on Android devices. With all of that, SAASPASS is always protected against brute force attacks.

• Recovery: You can setup recovery for your SAASPASS ID in case you’ve lost your phone and not cloned it onto multiple devices. You can also add additional security measures for your recovery by going to the Recovery menu under Settings.

• Secure Single Sign-on for Active Directory: As an administrator you can set up SAASPASS two-factor authentication and secure single sign-on for your Microsoft  Active Directory company domain smoothly. You can add SAASPASS to all your on-premises assets controlled by Active Directory.

• VPN with 2FA: Easily integrate your 2FA solution directly into your VPN. Secure tunneling is now safer than ever with static passwords being replaced by randomly generated dynamic passcodes.

The set-up is somewhat confusing. It can take a little while to figure out the process at times.

With their wide range of options and the Active Directory solution, SAASPASS would fulfill the needs of multiple companies both big and small.

SAASPASS offers different pricing options depending on which plan you wish to use. It is completely free for personal use. For companies over 150 employees, there are plans ranging from $20 to $60 per employee per year.

Entrust IdentityGuard is a 2FA application, server, smartcard manager, biometrics server and a versatile authentication platform that enables organizations to deploy strong authentication throughout an enterprise.

• Easy for Users: End-users are more and more confused by all the security measures they have to manage, like credentials, IDs, badges, and tokens. Entrust allows you to have a Jack-of-all-trades helping you to eliminate the confusion by reducing the number of credentials users must have for physical or logical access.

• Authentication Methods: Entrust IdentityGuard offers a wide variety of supported authentication methods ranging from mobile OTP, soft and hard token and grid cards, as well as smartcards, USB and OTP tokens, SMS, QR Code, Mobile Smart Credentials and more.

• Integration and Deployment: Entrust’s open API architecture allows for tight integration with today's leading mobile device management (MDM), identity access management (IAM) and public key infrastructure (PKI) vendors. This enables Entrust IdentityGuard to work with new and existing enterprise implementations, offering seamless integration with existing directories.

• Single Software Platform: Entrust IdentityGuard allows businesses to distribute smartcards, digital certificates, mobile-based smart credentials and a full range of strong authentication options from a single software platform.

There is quite a big learning curve for the administrators, so it can be time consuming to get the whole process started. Budget-wise, the smart card readers and biometric scanners don’t come with the licenses and can increase the overall cost.

Entrust IdentityGuard is meant for enterprises, not for personal use. It is an efficient tool to use when wanting to manage authentication devices and identities from a single-platform.

Azure Multi-Factor Authentication reduces organizational risk and helps safeguard access to data and applications by providing an extra level of authentication. It offers a strong authentication through a wide range of verification methods.

• Alerts and real-time monitoring: Azure helps you protect your business with high security monitoring and machine-learning-based reports identifying inconsistent sign-in patterns. The real-time alerts will inform your IT department of any possible threats or any suspicious account credentials.

• Deploy on-premises or on Azure: It uses the power of the cloud and integrates with your on-premises Active Directory and custom application. This protection is even extended to your high-volume, mission-critical scenarios.

• Use with Office 365: It helps secure access to your Office 365 applications at no additional cost. It is also available with Azure Active Directory Premium and thousands of SaaS applications, including Salesforce, Dropbox, and more.

• High level of security: Azure Multi-Factor Authentication offers strong and secure authentication using the highest industry standards.

The initial deployment can be confusing and challenging depending on the internal setup, and especially when diverging from standard use cases.

Azure can be quite expensive but if you have Office 365, Active Directory or if your solution falls within their standard use cases then it is a wise investment. On the other hand, if you need a lot of customization it would probably be better to go for another solution or to create a custom solution.

• Per user consumption-based: $1.70 per month (unlimited authentications)
• Per authentication consumption-based: $1.70 per 10 authentications
• Per user annual model (Direct): $1.70 per month (unlimited authentications)

Conclusion

And there you go folks! We know we have only taken a look at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to 2FA enterprise-wide solution, but don't worry eventually we will include even more solutions. Let’s not forget that the implementation of an extra layer of security, like multifactor authentication, is a must for your company and is something that should never be taken lightly! We hope this will help you choose the right solution for you and your company!

Here is a table for a quick overview of some advanced options supported by the different 2 Factor Authentication applications.

If you “have a case of the Mondays” then there are two ways to feel better:

1. Enjoy some Sysadminotaur comics, and put a smile on your face (my favorite is DDoOOOoS).
2. Sit back and enjoy this very special edition of our New Employee Spotlight, because it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Patrick Désilets — yes, that’s right, the creator and illustrator behind Sysadminotaur!

As I mentioned previously, Patrick is joining us full-time to work on a special new project for Sysadminotaur. How cool is that? Recently, I had the chance to chat with Patrick to learn more about his very interesting background. Here’s a look at our conversation:

Can you tell me a bit about your professional background?

I studied classical animation — that is old-school 2D hand-drawn animation frame-by-frame on paper, like in the early days of cartoons.  I now work digitally, but it's always 2D animation with actual drawings, never CGI. I've been a freelancer for most of my career, on both large and small projects: TV series, video games, commercials, comics, etc.  I've worked as an animator, illustrator, storyboard artist, background artist, color artist, designer, animation director, and I've directed a few things. I've worked on Sysadminotaur as a freelancer, and recently started doing that full-time.

What would you say is your biggest professional achievement so far?

Other than Sysadminotaur, I've been animation director on a few cartoon TV series, which was quite the challenge, but also very exciting. It involved problem-solving both technical and creative issues, management skills, good communication, tight deadlines, long hours, relatively scarce resources, many decisions, overseas teams, and overall quick thinking. It's a colossal team effort, but as a challenge it's very rewarding. Plus, some of those shows have won awards and are being broadcast around the world, and that's the icing on the cake.

What was it about Devolutions that made you want to work here?

I was fortunate enough to be given this great opportunity to create what became Sysadminotaur, a comic strip about the daily lives of IT pros. Starting a project from scratch is always very exciting, because you get to come up with characters and ideas.  And I loved having the flexibility to improve and refine it as we went along.  I also found the company culture here, which is collaborative and open, very appealing.

What would you say are your top three strengths at work?

I'm always trying to learn and improve, and find ways to do better. And while I’m very independent and autonomy is vital to me, I work well on teams. I also have a good understanding of how to bridge the gaps between the creative and the technical, and the priorities of management.

But most importantly: I exude an extremely powerful scent of Aqua Velva and Old Spice, which deters enemies.

What tasks do you carry out in your job, and what are some of the tools that you use?

I create all of the Sysadminotaur comics, and am in charge of all related artwork and illustrations. We come up with each strip by pooling our ideas together: anecdotes, user stories, shower thoughts, etc. Then I write them into proper scripts and draw them.

Speaking of drawing, that part has taken an increasing amount of time as the comic has become more polished. Somewhat surprisingly, one of the challenges is to remain focused on the comedic aspect throughout the process. That’s because the longer that process is, the more small decisions and opportunities there are to tweak or improve things — which increases the risk of losing sight of what made the idea funny in the first place, especially if the humor is subtle. Of course, keeping things funny is the top priority. A badly-drawn funny comic beats a nice looking but un-funny comic any day of the week.

As far as tools go, I like drawing some early rough sketches on paper. I'm a bit of an art supply nerd, so I'll sometimes use funky brushes and exotic pens and pencils, for no good reason other than it's just fun and it helps me to find a good flow. But that's only for the very early super-rough sketches. Most of the work is drawn directly in Photoshop on a Cintiq.  If animation is involved, then it's Adobe Animate, After Effects, and Toon Boom. And lastly, I wear a helmet at all times.

What are your impressions about working here?

I very much love the company culture of collaboration, respect, transparency and openness.  I find the overall philosophy of the company, both in terms of conducting business and workplace environment, to be really positive. My experience with the team so far has been nothing short of excellent. And my experience with The Simpsons pinball machine has been almost as good.  I'll get you one day, Moe.

What goals would you like to achieve at Devolutions?

I'm always looking for opportunities to improve my craft, and in this case it seems like the sky's the limit.   Web comics are a very open format, which allows for a lot of creativity, both in terms of writing and artwork. We're starting to look into broadening the medium a bit, and have incorporated a small amount of animation in a recent comic. We’re also planning to go further in that direction, and that's exciting. In fact, now that we have achieved the completion of one animated GIF, I believe our interactive tactile AI hologram of Maurice should be ready pretty soon.

On a personal note, what are some of your hobbies and interests?

I love biking, doodling, nature, and traveling. I'm compulsively curious; I love to learn and try new things. I also tend to read obsessively when something new interests me, like to follow the news, and I'm quite interested in history and how we fit in it. I play video games only very casually and rarely, except for Civilization, which I cannot play at all because it's always "I'll play for ONLY ONE HOUR" and a minute later it’s tomorrow morning.

Other interests include: national parks, craft beverages, je-ne-sais-quois, weird plurals, jaywalking, bongos, brisket & bourbon, prototypes, space-age exotica, dunking donuts, whistling & rocking my feet & jangling my keys AKA acting normal, misinfotainment, goods & services, lavish Philistinism, Zeno of Citium, casually pompous entries in long enumerations, tacos, cacti, and enjoyment.

Please share a few words with our community of IT pros:

I hope you guys have fun reading Sysadminotaur! Your feedback is always appreciated, and knowing that someone got a chuckle out of a comic always makes my day.

Who says summer is the time to relax on a beach? Here at Devolutions, we’ve been very busy with major updates to Remote Desktop Manager, Wayk Now and Password Manager. Well, if you thought we were going to slow down, think again, because I’m delighted to announce that Devolution Server 4.6 is here! 

What is Devolutions Server?

Devolutions Server lets you control access to privileged accounts and manage sessions through a secure solution that can be deployed enterprise wide. The solution enables passwords and credentials vaulting including integration with two-factor authentication (2FA) capabilities for maximum security around privileged assets and users.

Used in combination with Remote Desktop Manager, Devolutions Server supports a wide range of systems focused on the IT department specific requirements. The solution can also be leveraged to manage shared accounts and users for your entire organization using Password Vault Manager and/or our web-based client including Devolutions Web Login for auto-login capabilities.

What’s New?

Devolutions Server 4.6 offers several major improvements and additions. The definite favorite here at Devolutions is, without a doubt, the ability to see and edit passwords/entries for many types of sessions directly from DVLS web page. Yes, you read correctly: you no longer have to go through RDM!

Here are some other great new and improved features (along with screenshots) that you’ll find in Devolution Server 4.6:

• Added favorite list (web)

• Added MRU (web)

• Added open connection list (web)

• Added private vault support (web), and added support for the private vault in the web browser extension

• Added logs to attachment operations
• Added UPN domain suffix support

Get Devolutions Server 4.6

• If you already have a Devolutions Server License: Upgrading to the new version of DVLS can be a little tricky, so please contact our team of experts at support@devolutions.net. We’ll take you through the update step-by-step.
• If you’re new to Devolutions Server: Your free trial awaits! Please request it from this page: https://server.devolutions.net/Home/Trial

**IMPORTANT NOTE!**

To avoid problems, it’s very important that you have an active install of Remote Desktop Manager 12.5 before installing/updating Devolutions Server 4.6. If you have any questions or need help, don’t hesitate to contact our support team: support@devolutions.net.

Tell Us What You Think

We can’t say it enough: we love hearing from you. Many of your suggestions make their way into our product updates — and Devolutions Server 4.6 is no exception. Please tell us what you think by commenting below, posting in our forum, or emailing us at infos@devolutions.net.

Great news everyone! Devolutions has been listed in the Other PAM Solutions category in Gartner's 2017 Market Guide for Privileged Access Management (PAM).

We’re proud to join a small list of select vendors — such as Microsoft and Red Hat — that have been designated as effectively delivering an alternative way to mitigate the risks around privileged access, or providing a set of specific and deep capabilities to augment existing PAM deployment.

As noted by Gartner analysts: “Devolutions offers Devolutions Server, Password Vault Manager and Remote Desktop Manager. The combination of these products offers capabilities for vaulting administrative passwords, account sharing and session management.”

What is PAM?

High privilege accounts are a growing security concern, especially for organizations that must adhere to strict corporate governance or compliance regulations. Controlling and monitoring privileged access is extremely important for administrators and users in order to both diminish the risks posed by insider threats and data breaches, and to meet audit and compliance requirements. Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions provide secured privileged access to critical assets by securing, managing and monitoring privileged accounts and sessions.

IT teams and security have to find the right balance between keeping the organization’s critical assets secure and allowing users to be productive. Administrators such as sysadmins and IT professionals have to access a wide range of privileged accounts using multiple remote access technologies, making it more and more difficult to actually use privileged passwords without revealing sensitive information.

The Devolutions Connection

At Devolutions, we collaborate with trusted leaders in the PAM industry to help organizations implement robust enterprise-grade security for internal and external access points. At the same time, we provide IT professionals with the flexibility they need to launch and manage remote connections within a secured environment.

We are honored to be cited by Gartner. We believe that this further validates the trust that our customers and technology partners place in us to be significant part of their data security strategy.

The Devolutions team is thrilled to announce that we have been ranked 74 on the PROFIT 500, which is the definitive ranking of Canada’s fastest-growing businesses based on their respective revenue growth over the past five years. You can find the complete ranking for 2017 here.

From the PROFIT 500 Program Manager

Stated PROFIT 500 program manager Deborah Aarts: “It is never easy to earn a spot on the PROFIT 500, but this year’s applicant pool was the most competitive yet. This year’s winners demonstrate the resilience, innovation and sheer management smarts it takes to build a thriving business today.”

From Our CEO

Stated our CEO David Hervieux: “We are proud and honored to be ranked on the PROFIT 500. Our strong and continued growth is driven by the skills and talents of our incredible team, and by the tremendous loyalty and support of our global user community.”

Thank YOU for Making Us Possible

I’d like to join David in thanking all of you for making Devolutions what it is today: an exciting, innovative and growing company that is well respected in the IT community. We’ve come a long, long way since David launched Remote Desktop Manager in his basement more than a decade ago. But regardless of how much we grow or big we get, be assured that we’ll never lose sight of where we came from, or how we got here: it’s because of YOU.

Looking Ahead

While we’re grateful and happy to be on the PROFIT 500 list, we aren’t dialing things down. We have plenty of new and improved products on the way, and the wind down to 2017 is going to be, well, pretty crazy. But the good kind of crazy. Not the clown from IT kind of crazy. Stay tuned, because the best is yet to come!

Hi everyone! There’s a unique twist to this introduction. Normally the great people who join Devolutions are new to me as well. But that’s not the case with the newest member of our Inside Sales team, William Nicholls!

You see, I met William 5 years ago at Cégep (which is like an academic bridge between high school and university in Quebec). We studied together for a few years, and I’m thrilled that he has joined Devolutions. I have no doubt he’ll make a great addition to our growing Inside Sales team, which is dedicated to serving the members of our wonderful community (a.k.a. YOU).

To help you get to know William a bit better, I asked him some questions about his role and goals. Here’s a snapshot of our conversation:

Can you tell me a bit about your professional background?

After our time at Cégep, I earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a specialization in marketing at the University of Trois-Rivieres. I also worked as a lifeguard at the university. After graduating, I started working as a financial advisor and learned a great deal about helping build customized solutions for different types of customers.

What would you say is your biggest professional achievement so far?

I’ve always been entrepreneurial, and at the age of 19, I launched my own clothing company. My work included establishing partnerships, creating the website with the help of a friend who specializes in web development, and handling all marketing strategies and analysis. It was very exciting and a successful experience.

What was it about Devolutions that made you want to work here?

As an entrepreneur, I immediately saw the potential here for major growth. And I kept seeing on the blog what a great place this is to work, and how there is an amazing Silicon Valley vibe to the work culture.

What would you say are your top three strengths at work?

I’d say that I’m positive, hard working and creative — all of which will help me in my role with the Inside Sales team.

What tasks do you carry out in your job, and what are some of the tools you use?

The mission of the Inside Sales team is to help our customers fully understand our products, while guiding them in a consultative manner through the acquisition process so they make the best purchase decisions for them. We also focus on helping customers maximize their investment so they get full value and renew their licenses with us. Overall, we are in charge of managing and maintaining customer satisfaction, and delivering the best service and support possible.

What are your impressions of working here?

I’d say this is the best place I’ve ever worked. This company is constantly growing, and I’d say it’s one of the most promising businesses in Quebec.

What goals would you like to achieve at Devolutions?

I’d like to deepen my knowledge and experience in the IT sector, and improve my entrepreneurial skills to help our team grow even more.

On a personal note, what are some of your hobbies and interests?

I really like rock climbing, hiking and camping.  On some weekends, I pack my car and go camping in national parks. Parks are the perfect place to enjoy a hike, do some canoeing, and unwind in front of a nice fire. I find that camping is so relaxing, and being in nature fuels my creativity. When I get the chance, I also like traveling, and I’ve taken some insane road trips around the country. In the winter, I like snowshoeing and snowboarding.

Please share a few words with our community of IT pros:

I’d like to thank all of you for your support. If you weren’t demanding more solutions from us, Devolutions wouldn’t have needed a new Inside Sales pro. My goal is to build amazing business relationships that have customers saying WOW. We are very big on transparency and openness here, so if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch!

Great news everyone: the Sysadminotaur website has been upgraded! It’s now faster and easier to browse through the entire library of comics. You can get your Sysadminotaur fix anytime from: http://sysadminotaur.com/ Plus, you can keep up with the Sysadminotaur gang — and other news related to the beloved comic — on our blog here.

About Sysadminotaur

If you’re new to the Sysadminotaur, it’s our popular comic strip created by IT Pros, for IT Pros. It’s a funny look at real life in the IT world. The situations and characters are sure to remind you of your own experiences in the IT field.

Inspire Us!

Do you have a weird, wonderful or wild IT tale to tell? Our Sysadminotaur team would love to hear from you, and see if they can translate your experience or imagination into a hilarious comic that can be enjoyed by IT pros around the world. Just think of the pride you’ll feel. Yes, earning a high-profile industry certification is great ­­– but being the inspiration behind a Sysadminotaur comic is life changing. You can put it on your resume, boast about it at performance management meetings and job interviews, and even get the IT pros you meet at a conference to buy you a beer. Good times!

To be the real Sysadminotaur MVP, simply send me an email at dsthilaire@devolutions.net and I’ll make sure Patrick (the magnificent mad scientist behind Sysadminotaur) receives it. You can also leave a comment below.

Great news RDMers: after many months of hard work and testing, Remote Desktop Manager 13 is on the way and should be launching in the next few weeks!

Vision and What’s Ahead

As our CEO David noted in the Devolutions 2017 Road Map back in January, our development vision for RDM has evolved, and we are now focusing on optimizing user experience by making RDM faster, simpler, and more versatile.

That said, we will always be adding great new features! We are going to showcase these new features in upcoming blog posts so stay tuned! In the meantime, here’s a snapshot of what you can look forward to in RDM 13:

• Documentation (Markdown)
• HTML (Markdown) everywhere (secure note, description, HTML document)
• Multi-monitor tabbed view support
• Check-in/check-out management
• Favorite folders
• Tag manager (batch edit and advanced search)
• Application with SendKeys to log-in
• TFTP
• True Key integration (credential entry)
• Google Drive

The above is just the beginning — there will be many additional features, improvements and enhancements. After all, this is just a sneak peek, right? We’ll make further announcements as we approach the official launch date.

IF YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR RDM 13 AND WANT TO TRY IT RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE: https://remotedesktopmanager.com/Home/Download#Beta 

How and When to Get RDM 13

As mentioned, RDM 13 should be available within the next few weeks (there’s even some talk about launching before the end of September!). When it’s ready for prime time, here’s how you can get it:

• If you have an active RDM Enterprise License, you’ll be automatically prompted to upgrade to RDM 13. Or you can simply download it from our website here.
• If your RDM license has expired, now is the ideal time to renew since you’ll benefit from all the new features and functions of version 13. You can quickly and easily renew through our store. Or if you need a custom quote based on your unique needs, just send an email to sales@devolutions.net, and our sales team will take care of you.
• If you’re new to the Devolutions community, you know what they say: it’s never too late! You can try RDM 12.5 Enterprise for free, and then (if you wish) buy a license when 13 is available. Or you can continue using RDM Free. If you want a quick rundown of the differences between RDM Enterprise and RDM Free, read this blog post.

Get in Touch

As you hopefully know, most of the features we work so hard to implement in our solutions are the result of suggestions and advice from YOU, our amazing community of IT pros. Our mission has always been to help make your lives easier, so you can control the IT chaos in your world.

We can’t wait to release RDM 13, and we look forward to learning what you think. As always, you can contact us by commenting below, or you can email me at jdupont@devolutions.net. I’ll make sure to forward your email to the right person.

Stay tuned — more information on RDM 13 is coming soon!

I am certain you all have heard of our Private Vault, a user centric repository allowing users to create entries that only they can access. However, have you heard about our new Private Vault search? Got your attention, right!

As you know, you can create credentials in the Private Vault. Though it is possible to select those credentials via user-specific override, there was no way of linking private vault credential entries by name to global session settings… until now! Our team of super-developers (you thought the Avengers were awesome… you should really meet our developers!) has created a new feature, the Private Vault search.

From now on, when creating a remote session, there will be a new option available from the credential dropdown menu called Private Vault search. It will allow you to type the name of the credential you are looking for in your own Private Vault. Once the credential is found, it will automatically use it to open your remote session. The search is not case sensitive, it will run a partial search, and if there is more than one with the same name or no match at all, it will prompt you with a list of your available private vault credentials.

This is based on a feature request from customers that do not want any credential stored in the public area of the data source. This workflow imposes a dependency on the staff to create entries with specific names, may we suggest maintaining a CSV file containing the name of the entries you expect to find. You will simply need to educate your staff to import that file in their private vault, then fill in their credentials as needed.

Availability

When creating a new credential entry in your Private Vault, you will notice the Global Availability option. When executing the Private Vault search, it will only be looking for credentials with the option set to Available in the Global Availability. If the option is left to Unavailable, the search will just skip that credential. The Global Availability option only exists for credentials used in the Private Vault.

Little quick trick here, the Global Availability option is set to Unavailable by default for every entry created in your Private Vault. However, if you wish to change that setting, you can do so in File – Options – Types – Credentials – Global Availability.

Don’t worry about overexposing your credentials though, as the Global Availability just marks them as available when using the Private Vault Search in an entry. The private vault is linked to the data source user you are logged in with, thus another user will never be able to see your private vault’s content.

You are now safe and secure with a secret little place for all your private credentials!

Happy Monday!

Please allow me to introduce you to the newest addition of our Software Engineering team, Gilles Philippe Dubuc. I had a blast meeting Gilles Philippe, especially after learning that we have a lot in common. For example, both like camping, canoeing, and (you guessed it) canoe-camping! We might plan a trip with a canoe full of craft beer and friends to discover the amazingness of the wilderness in the north of Montreal (don’t worry – we never drink and canoe at the same time!).

Here’s a look at my recent chat with Gilles Philippe, so you can get to know him a little better: 

Can you tell me a bit about your background?

From an early age, I’ve always messed around with electronics — I was the guy who took things apart just so I could examine them from the inside, and then put them back together. After finishing college, I earned a degree in Software Engineering at Concordia University in Montreal. During that time, I learned a great deal about the field in general, along with core engineering practices such as planning, design and product development. Also during my first couple of years at Concordia, I learned how to program. And while I was very excited to be running applications, I didn’t know how to deploy them. That’s what motivated me to learn more, and where I discovered my passion for DevOps.

What would you say is your biggest achievement so far?

It’s always a challenge to constantly try and implement new technologies and practices on a daily basis! But specifically, I would say that my biggest achievement so far is surviving engineering school while working full time.

What was it about Devolutions that made you want to work here?

I truly believe in the products and the company, and especially the talent that we have here. The environment is motivating, challenging and professional. Plus, we have lots of perks like free breakfast, ping pong tables and a beach volleyball court!

What would you say are your top three strengths at work?

First, I would say that I’m a good team member, and I’m proud to work with extremely knowledgeable developers here at Devolutions who are motivated to succeed. Second, I would say that I’m constantly learning new things. For example, I’m really interested in containers and am constantly reading about them. When my colleagues have questions regarding certain prototypes, we discuss how we can containerize the whole thing and my knowledge comes in handy. Third, I’m always looking to implement cutting edge technology that supports agility and helps deliver products faster.

What tasks do you carry out in your job, and what are some of the tools that you use?

Currently, I have several responsibilities as part of the Wayk Now development team, including setting up a CI/CD pipeline, automating everything that I can, and working to deploy new cloud services. As for tools, as you might expect I use Remote Desktop Manager to access all my computers from a single place. When I need to manage our servers, I use Saltstack, Jenkins and Packer.

What are your impressions about working here?

The company is great! The leadership team cares about employees and success in equal measure, which creates a great working environment where everyone wants to do better each day.

What goals would you like to achieve at Devolutions?

I would like to automate as many things as possible, so that we can deliver products as quickly as possible to our customers.

On a personal note, what are some of your hobbies and interests?

I spend most of my free time learning and reading about new technologies, or drinking craft beer with friends! If I am not doing that, then I’m most likely camping, canoeing, or trying out different pizza joints.

Please share a few words with our community of IT pros:

I’m grateful to be part of such an amazing and booming company, and you are the main reason we exist! I would like to thank you all for your continued support, and for giving us your feedback so that we can create better products.