The software manufacturer has revised its most important product.
(Photo: IMAGO/Future Image)
Dusseldorf Teamviewer is the best-known name in the remote maintenance business, but it’s no longer the only one. Since the corona pandemic, the market leader from Göppingen in Swabia has had more and more competition, and there are a number of alternatives, especially for private users and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The MDax Group reacts to this by revising its most important product, the program for remote maintenance and control of computers. The new generation has modern operation, an improved security concept and additional functions for business customers, the group said on Wednesday. In addition, the product is given its own name for the first time – Teamviewer Remote.
It is a “strategic initiative,” emphasized CEO Oliver Steil. The business with small and medium-sized companies – a total of around 620,000 – contributed around 81 percent to Teamviewer sales in 2022 with 458 million euros. This clientele is also the basis for marketing higher-quality products.
Teamviewer announced the development of the program in autumn 2021 as part of a realignment. After several failed forecasts, the company’s price fell by 70 percent within a few months. Difficulties in the SME business were considered one of the problems.
Easier to use, more security
The new Teamviewer program should be easier to use. One factor: Users no longer have to enter their ID and password, but can connect via a simple link – as known from Zoom or Teams. “Due to the pandemic, many people have learned to take part in a video conference,” said product manager Hendrik Witt. It is also possible to use the full functionality via the browser, i.e. without installing it on the PC.
The software manufacturer also wants to increase security. Cases are becoming known again and again in which fraudsters pretend to be a company’s customer service on the phone and gain access to the victims’ PCs using remote maintenance software.
Those who provide support via Teamviewer will therefore have to create a user account in the future. This should not go down well with all users – compulsory registration is considered unpopular.
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Teamviewer has grown for many years without much advertising, the free basic version gave the provider effective word-of-mouth propaganda. This helped the business with private users as well as small and medium-sized companies. Specialists like Anydesk and Go To are now competing for customers, as are corporations like Microsoft.
After the boom in remote maintenance in the corona pandemic, some customers in the entry-level segment were lost again, said Steil. In the meantime, however, one sees a good development in the medium-sized business: “The situation has stabilized quite a bit.” Especially since the market for remote access is large – “in this respect it is not bad that we have one or the other competitor”.
The new product should contribute to strengthening the competitive position. According to Steil, the previous generation had been on the market for a long time. The aim is now to establish new functions – especially in IT security – and to revise the operation. It’s no use having a top product that looks outdated.
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