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NetManage Updates Rumba

NetManage Inc. has updated its venerable Rumba host access client to better meet the needs of its customers. Rumba 7.0 adds features such as interactive help, SSL support, native Windows features, and features to aid people with limited sight, hearing or motor abilities.

NetManage offers two flavors of Rumba: Rumba 7.0 and Rumba Web-to-Host. Rumba 7.0 sits on an end user machine and emulates a mainframe terminal, giving users access to legacy systems without a green-screen terminal.

SupportNow is NetManage’s interactive help product, and Rumba 7.0 is closely integrated with SupportNow. “SupportNow provides live interactive help support via the Internet,” says Sona Kumar, marketing manager PC-to-host at NetManage.

Subscribers to the SupportNow service can contact the tech support center then enable the feature on their session. Technicians are able to view the session via the Internet, giving them a better insight into the user’s problem and, in some cases, the ability to solve the problem themselves.

Rumba 7.0 also supports SSL 3.0, giving enterprises the ability to secure mainframe sessions from end-to-end. Jim Raisio, manager for core products at NetManage, says new regulations, such as the Health Information Privacy Act, require businesses to keep all customer data encrypted. NetManage hopes it can help these users meet their legal needs.

NetManage has also worked to comply with Section 508 of the U.S. Federal Rehabilitation Act, requiring software to include features to aid impaired users. The software allows users to enlarge fonts or change colors for better readability. “Sticky Keys” are also enabled to allow users with limited motor skills to better use the machine.

Many of the enhancements made for Section 508 came with NetManage’s project to meet Windows 2000 certification. In addition, Rumba now uses the native Windows installer and supports Active Directory.

About the Author

Stephen Swoyer is a Nashville, TN-based freelance journalist who writes about technology.