Mikogo

( " Show presenting " Swahili ) Mikogo is a free for personal use desktop sharing software for remote maintenance, web conferencing, online presentations and e -learning.

History

Mikogo was published in 2007 by the BeamYourScreen GmbH, a Mannheim-based software company. According to company information, the software has now been used in late 2009 in 180 countries.

In March 2009, Mikogo also a version for Mac, which was commissioned by the British in a Macworld review the "Editor's Choice 4- Star Award ".

Since the summer of 2011, the commercial use is chargeable.

Technology and security

The connection between the users takes place in contrast to solutions VNC a tunneling technique with the use of the ports 80 and 443, and the TCP and HTTP. By using these standard ports that must be open for browsing the Internet, it needs no further port openings or configurations to use the software.

A continuous 256- bit AES encryption ensures during the session for the security of data transmission.

Function and Applications

To transfer the own screen via the Internet, the user must install and run the program. Participants in meetings can install the program either also or run from the product website from a design file. When you start a session, the user will see a session number. Once he has passed it on to the participants, for example, by e -mail, they can attend the meeting.

After starting the session, it is always possible to change the direction of view, so that participants can transfer their screen. It is also possible to record the session. However, the recordings can only be played in the Mikogo own session player which can be downloaded for free from the website.

Mikogo also allows transmission of the remote control rights for mouse and keyboard. This requires the express permission of the respective user, these rights may at any time withdraw by a shortcut key (F12 on Windows, Ctrl Esc in Mac OS) again immediately.

Further features include:

• Selection of applications that will take effect
• File transfer
• Whiteboard
• Pointer
• Back Monitor
• Session planner

Mikogo in the media

In April 2009, Mikogo thematized in his own blog and a newsletter, the possibility of virtual meetings as a preventive measure against swine flu. For this purpose came Mikogo in parts of the Internet community in criticism that the company accused of using the outbreak of swine flu to promote their software.

In January 2010, Mikogo fell again in the headlines when the city of Mannheim, the release of the Twitter accounts " Mannheim " Mikogo co-founder Zondler demanded that the latter had registered in 2007. The renowned as harsh actions of the city as well as raising fundamental issues of Internet law moved the case in the public interest; he ended up in an out of court settlement.