Whenever someone needs my help with their computer I usually connect with them through a screen sharing software such as CrossLoop.

However, this can be a very bandwidth-heavy way of doing it. Plus, of course, the recipient needs to have the software installed. That's why UltraVNC is a useful alternative - an easy-to-use, fast and free software that can display the screen of another computer on your own screen. The difference between UltraVNC and other screen sharers is quite simply the lightness and speed of it.

Of course, the recipient needs to have UltraVNC installed but once they have, you have a whole host of options open to you including file transfers, a viewing toolbar, scaling options and even text chat. However, what impresses most about UltraVNC is the speed, Where some screen sharing programs severely lag behind because of bandwidth issues, UltraVNC is lightening fast at connecting and sharing.

As an alternative solution to most bloated screen sharing software, you'll appreciate the lightness and speed of UltraVNC.

Download UltraVNC 1.0.5 in Softonic

The Dude network monitor is a new application by MikroTik which can dramatically improve the way you manage your network environment.

It automatically scans devices within specified subnets, draw and layout a map of your networks, monitor services of your devices and alert you in case some service has problems.

If you are a network administrator, you'll find this program particularly useful to diagnose problems in an instant.

Download The Dude 3.0 RC2 in Softonic

If you're a network administrator then accessing a network remotely is one of the most important aspects of your job.

Networks can crash or run into trouble at any time of the day or year and being able to access it remotely from wherever you are is essential. LogMeIn IT Reach allows you to centrally and securely support and manage remote PCs over the web. The program consists of a comprehensive IT toolkit and powerful remote access tool that can penetrate even the most secure firewalls.

The installation and deployment of LogMeIn IT Reach is one of it's big strong points. Rather than having to install software on separate PC's, it merely requires you to send an e-mail to all network users who simply click the link and follow on-screen steps to install the software which shouldn't take more than a few minutes. If you don't trust your users to do so, you can always do it manually yourself. After that, everything is administered through an easy to use web interface.

When logged in, you'll automatically see a list of all your computers and their status: online or offline. Simply select the computer you want to access, enter its Windows authentication credentials, and you'll be connected to it. From this moment on, the PC is constantly monitored for issues discreetly in the background with full detailed readings of system performance.

With master administrator and secondary administrator settings on top of this, LogMeIn IT Reach is one of the easiest network admin tools you'll find although it's only advisable for small networks.

Download LogMeIn IT Reach in Softonic

Manage PC also lets you take control of PCs through familiar interfaces. Use remote desktop, VNC, reboot, start/stop services, uninstall software and more directly from the ManagePC interface.

The program has actually been around in various forms since 2005. It began life simply as an .HTA script but development moved to the .NET framework in 2006 which vastly improved it's usability and opened it up to a wider audience. In late 2006 ManagePC was made available to all users without Active Directory. ManagePC allows you to make an inventory of all aspects of machines that belong to the same domain. With ManagePC, you can see at a glance the hardware available in each machine, operational services, software installed, running processes and also manage users and groups on your network. It goes much further than that though as the program can be accessed remotely via a Remote Desktop or VNC which means that you can also reboot, uninstall programs and stop services at any time.

For network administrators or just someone that wants total control over their PC, ManagePC packs a powerful punch.

Download ManagePC 2.5.0.13 in Softonic

DeviceLock is an excellent tool for network administrators that need to lock out unauthorized users from using USB and FireWire devices, WiFi and Bluetooth adapters, CD-Rom and floppy drives, serial and parallel ports and many other plug-and-play devices. Once DeviceLock is installed, administrators can control access to any device, depending on the time of day and day of the week. The USB white list allows you to authorize only specific devices that will not be locked regardless of any other settings. The intention is to allow special devices (e.g. smart card readers) but lock all other devices. The Media White List feature allows you to authorize access to specific DVD/CD-ROM disks, uniquely identified by data signature, even when DeviceLock has otherwise blocked the DVD/CD-ROM drive.

Once completed, you can generate a report concerning the permissions that have been set and see which users have been assigned for which device and what devices are on the USB white list on all the computers across your network. If you're not a network administrator, I don't advise touching this program without a through reading of the instructions because you can end up locking yourself out! However, generally DeviceLock provides a high level of security with an interface that is well integrated into Windows Group Policy Editor. If you've had problems with people using illegal devices on your company network, it's the answer to your prayers.

Download DeviceLock 6.3.14610 in Softonic

If you're a network administrator, then you'll need software that can automatically ensure that your firewall and router settings are constantly backed up.

Kiwi CatTools automates configuration backups and management on routers, switches and firewalls. It provides e-mail notification and compare reports highlighting config changes. It supports Telnet, SSH, TFTP and SNMP and can automate many of the tasks that these features perform on a daily basis. For any network administrator or engineer, Kiwi CatTools can make our life easier by scheduling batch jobs,automating changes, and reporting on the the most important aspects of your network's activity. The program works courtesy of a batch processing machine. Once you have setup your network devices (routers, switches and firewalls) CatTools then performs the predefined tests that you require of it. In addition to all this, you can change the configuration at scheduled times and change all your network device passwords in one go.

If you're looking for a fully scriptable network monitor that supports SSH and Telnet options, then look no further than Kiwi CatTools.

Download Kiwi CatTools 3.3.11 beta in Softonic

The Network LookOut Administrator Professional allows you to see live screens of remote computers. This way, you can always watch what users are doing on the remote computer. Additionally, you have the ability to take control of a remote computer by controlling the mouse and keyboard; this is especially useful when you need to assist the person who uses the remote computer. If you are an administrator, you can easily administer remote computers.

Features:

• For monitoring your children’s activities on a remote computer
• For monitoring students in the classroom to achieve better discipline or, just to assist them (by using the remote control feature) when they are in trouble
• For lowering your business costs by monitoring what your employees are doing on their computers and helping them when they call you. Using the remote control feature enables you to fix problems remotely without visiting them; this saves you precious time
• For administrating all computers just from one location – your computer

Download Network LookOut Administrator Professional 3.1.1 in Softonic

This tools is especially designed for network administrators, which means that novice users may find it a bit too difficult to understand. Despite this difficulty, it's a perfect solution to manage and control Windows events.

The program's interface will look familiar to you, as it resembles the Office suite general look. It includes a wide range of configuration options to manually download logs or schedule an automatic task to do it.

Network Event Viewer also includes a very convenient feature: the possibility to generate reports and informative emails that can be sent to the administrator as a summary of everything that is going on in your network.

Download Network Event Viewer 2008 8.0.0.9 in Softonic

SysAdmin is an ideal tool for novice network administrators that need an easy way to gain an overall look over their domains, servers and users on networks with an Active Directory.

The program allows you to perform a range of functions ranging from creating, deleting and modification of files as well as deleting and displaying groups and users. You can see at a glance all the MS Exchange accounts on your network, list all the shared resources, control services, analyze systems remotely and generate an inventory. This is still a limited list of the program's many functions which also extend to viewing the remaining disk space on your network PC's (very useful for noticing whether your users are adding too many multimedia files to their hard drive!), seeing who has logged in on a specific computer and taking an inventory of the software installed on a particular PC. The program does not really give you much control over actually administering your network in terms of taking control of PC's but in terms of giving you an overview, it makes it easy enough for even those with little network admin experience to get started.

For those new to network admin or those who need a quick overview without advanced control over users, SysAdmin is the perfect package.

Download SysAdmin 2.0 in Softonic

PacketTrap DNS Audit brings together a collection of interface tools to facilitate network administration.

Specifically, it includes a graphical application for the PING command that verifies whether a server is active, scans ports, MAC addresses and SMPT/TFTP servers plus a tool to calculate the packets routed through different networks. There is a handy WHOIS tool for exploring the data for each domain and a utility to set a WOL (Wake On Lan) configuration. In addition, it features a useful desk with Widgets that allow you to customise your working environment with things like clocks, weather reports etc. This is by no means a sophisticated network management tool but it manages to pack in the essentials in a very light package. However, it could do with a better network analyser to investigate connection problems and some way of identifying PC's on a network.

In short, this is a collection of GUI based network admin tools that are user friendly although only suitable for small networks.

Download PacketTrap DNS Audit 1.1.3301 in Softonic

Event Log Explorer is a free software for viewing, monitoring and analyzing events recorded in Security, System, Application and another logs of Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 operating systems. It extends starndard Event Viewer monitoring functionality and brings new features.

Main features and benefits of Event Log Explorer:

• Multi-document user interface (MDI) to view several event logs at one time
• Favorites computers and their logs are grouped into a tree
• Viewing event logs and event logs files
• Archiving event logs
• Event descirptions are in the log window
• Event list can be sorted by any column and in any direction
• Advanced filtering by any criteria including event description text
• Quick Filter feature allows you to filter event log in a couple of mouse clicks
• Fast search by any criteria
• Sending event logs to printer
• Export log to different formats

Download Event Log Explorer 2.2.5 in Softonic

SolarWinds Wake-On-LAN "wakes-up" any computer compatible with WOL technology remotely. If Wake-On-LAN is enabled in the computer's BIOS settings, then the system will start up just as if the power button has been pressed. When a device is shut down, its network interface card is still receiving power and keeps listening on the network for a magic packet to arrive – enabling Wake-On-LAN to do its magic!

It works by identifying the MAC address of a laptop or PC via the network card. It's a great tool for anyone that needs to switch on and switch off a PC remotely for any reason. For network administrators, it provides a useful tool to ensure that whole banks of computers are turned off and for home users, it gives you peace of mind that after your PC is not left switched on idle at home.

In summary, this is a simple little tool which allows you more control over your PC from remote locations.

Download SolarWinds Wake-On-LAN in Softonic

Do you know for sure how many PC's are connected to your network? Whether you're a network administrator or home user, AutoScan Network will allow you to see instantly who and who is not connected to your network.

AutoScan features fast multithreaded scanning, automatic network discovery and entire subnets can be scanned simultaneously without human intervention. You can monitor equipment such as routers (useful for home users) plus servers and firewalls (excellent for network administrators). Alternatively, you can monitor network services such as SMTP, HTTP and POP.

AutoScan Network can also detect the OS of connected computers, brand and even the model. Possibly the most useful function is an "Intrusion Alert" which means that if you activate it, any new connecting equipment will immediately trigger an alarm - superb if you are trying to protect your wifi network.

As far as protecting networks go, this is a very basic but effective tool probably of most interest and use for home users.

Download AutoScan Network in Softonic

No one manages your own data better than you. So why trust anyone else with it? DNS4Me can help by turning your computer in to a web server, mail server, FTP server, or any other service available on the Internet. Simple, cost-effective, and it only takes a few minutes to setup. DNS4Me makes it happen.

DNS4Me takes the most basic protocol used to surf the Web and adds a host of features that ensures you get the most out of your DNS service.

DNS4Me gives you the power to turn your personal PC into a file sharing server, web server, email server, and more without the added cost and hassle of paying a company to do the same. DNS4Me includes a built-in web server and mail server that will meet most people's needs. These built-in servers are efficient and easy to configure.

Download DNS4ME 5.2.0.3 in Softonic

DameWare NT Utilities provides an integrated collection of Microsoft Windows NT administration utilities incorporating a centralized interface for remote management of Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 Servers and Workstations. All of the standard Windows NT/2000/2003 Server and Windows NT/2000/XP Workstation utilities are included, along with many DameWare NT Utilities custom NT tools including Mini Remote Control and Exporter. Most of the standard utilities have been drastically enhanced for superior performance, added functionality and ease of use.

DameWare NT Utilities contains an Active Directory Browser view for Active Directory implementations as well as a dynamic Network Browser view which will display Microsoft Windows Network domains in a network explorer tree view. Active Directory Sites can easily be added or removed from the Active Directory site list. Windows NT domains can be added to the Favorite Domains section of the Network Browser view. Domain controllers, servers and workstations, as well as non-browsable machines, can be specified by machine name or IP address and added to the network explorer tree view. DameWare NT Utilities includes a Mini Remote Control for fast and easy deployment and an Exporter to quickly extract information from remote NT/2000/XP/2003 machines.

Download DameWare NT Utilities 6.6.1.1 in Softonic

WiSSH Remote Access Technology provides easy, secure, controlled remote access to systems inside your network perimeter. Coupling Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol with the trusted open source SSH protocol in a lightweight client will give you or your customers a highly reliable, scalable solution to your remote access needs.

WiSSH is extremely easy to use, for both end users and administrators. WiSSH can help slash time and expense supporting remote access. WiSSH can easily work with your existing SSH server or you can utilize a dedicated system various operating systems and SSH Daemon server types.

WiSSH allows access through the Gateway SSH server to:

• Windows 2000 Terminal Servers
• Windows 2003 Terminal Servers
• Windows NT Terminal Server Edition
• Windows XP with Remote Desktop enabled
• Windows 2000/2003 Servers with Remote Administration enabled

Download WiSSH Standard Edition 2.80 in Softonic

If you've ever wanted a simple way to forward your Ports then you'll know they're few and far between. PassPort is a simple port forwarding utility which aims to take the pain out of port forwarding.

The program actually runs as an NT Service and can forward several ports from any local machine to a remote IP address of your choice. The program is managed with a simple Windows GUI interface which makes it accessible to all but the most novice users. The program makes things easier by avoiding the need to deal with NAT's. on your router.

If you use P2P software, then it's likely that you forward data to one of your ports. This is essential if you're going to achieve high speed downloads with a fixed IP address. P2P clients often need two or three ports to function at optimum levels. The most other common uses for this program are for those that don't have a direct connection to the internet or use FTP, SSH, or VNC services.

This will make port forwarding a lot easier although it's important you know what you are doing otherwise you could actually block applications from accessing the internet properly.

Download PassPort Control 0.1.0 in Softonic

LanHelper scans network at high speed and finds IP address, MAC address and other network information. You can boot (Wake-On-LAN), shutdown or lock your PC, make the remote computers run commands. Screen capture or manage processes remotely and more. Monitoring machines' availability, and find the changed IPs or computer names. No server program needed. Support XML for saving the scan results.

Download LanHelper 1.72 in Softonic

Network File Monitor Professional provides solutions for a real-time automatic backup, replication and synchronization of local and remote files and directories.

• Operates over LAN, WAN and Internet
• UNC and mapped drives support
• Access to files and resources by HTTP, FTP, POP3 protocols
• Informs you about news on web site pages
• Sends the pages to your email
• Notifies you about changes by LAN messages, email, ICQ or SMS (via email gate)
• Checks email accounts for predefined messages
• Sends notification about the letters by LAN messages, email, ICQ or SMS (via email gate), executes scripts, tasks and external programs
• Uses ICMP (ping) protocol to notify you by LAN or email if the remote server goes down
• Notifies you if the disk space is low by sending LAN and email messages
• Launches scripts and external programs which can free disk space
• Follows records in the Windows event logs on a local or remote computers
• Sends alerts and notifications, launches tasks and commands if errors or specified events appeared in the logs
• Launches scripts, programs and OS commands
• One-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many monitoring and replication types are available
• Replicates file attributes and NTFS security descriptors
• Selection of files or folders by full or partial name, file size or size range, file date or date range, file attributes (System, Hidden, Read only, Compressed, Archive)
• Extends functionality by using additional modules: File compression, File encryption, Remote console, Remote agent and others
• Sends alerts and notifications on errors, system events and tasks status to a system administrator or recipient list by LAN, email, ICQ or SMS

Download Network File Monitor Professional 2.29.2.1 in Softonic

VNC Manager is an easy to use remote administration tool which allows you to connect, view and take remote control of any computers running VNC or Windows Terminal Servers. VNC Manager has a modern GUI interface and powerful feature set that makes it unbeatable in the remote desktop management applications class.

The unique features are:

• Can control both VNC and RDP servers from the unified GUI interface and does not require external VNC viewer to be installed
• Support for latest VNC distributions
• Thumbnail view allows viewing of remote screens as thumbnails. Just like the Windows Explorer thumbnails view mode
• VNC deployment wizard allows installing VNC server to and uninstalling from any Windows NT based computer
• You can mass reset remote VNC servers password with powerful "Reset VNC Server Password" wizard
• Network administrator can reboot or shutdown remote computer
• If your network has a strict proxy server installed, built-in HTTP/SOCKS5 proxy support will help you connect to the remote VNC servers
• With the IP address and windows domain/workgroup scan you can easily discover active VNC servers
• The only VNC manager available on the market today with native support for different VNC distributions features

Download SmartCode VNC Manager Enterprise 3.6.19.0 in Softonic