Keck Observatory

Keck

Keck Observatory - case study

Increase uptime

Avoid downtime with faster problem identification and resolution

Improve quality

Provide a more engaging and effective learning environment for students

Mitigate Risk

Anticipate and prevent system failures and the risk associated with on-site service

Company

Based on the summit of Hawaii’s dormant Mauna Kea volcano, the W. M. Keck Observatory enables astronomers to explore the Universe using the Keck twin telescopes, the world’s largest optical and infrared telescopes. The Observatory deployed RealVNC® remote access software with an Enterprise license to meet a variety of requirements across the Observatory, from the extraordinary such as remotely displaying screens from the telescope systems, to more commonplace requirements including remote administration and teleworking.

Challenge

Keck Observatory had a number of requirements for RealVNC® software to fulfil. The Observatory wanted to remotely display screens from their telescope systems, based near the 4200-meter summit of Mauna Kea, so that they could be viewed by multiple users from both the headquarters at Kamuela on the Big Island of Hawaii and research facilities across the United States mainland. Further to this, the IT team wanted to be able to remotely manage and administer its systems, whilst staff needed secure access to their office PC, regardless of location.

Solution

RealVNC software has been deployed to staff at Keck Observatory allowing them secure remote access to data and applications on their office PCs, whether they are on the road or working from home. Using RealVNC remote access software, the Observatory’s engineers and IT administrators are able to carry out round-the-clock remote IT administration, whether installing a new piece of software, performing upgrades or for troubleshooting, enhancing the efficient running of the Observatory.

The Observatory also uses RealVNC software to remotely display screens from the telescope systems, reducing the need for astronomers to travel to the summit for observation. VNC with an Enterprise license features configurable access restrictions and control rights that can be set so that a number of users can access and view the same screen, such as for remote observation, or with restricted access to ensure one user does not connect during another user’s session.

RealVNC software was chosen for its high level of security, providing the IT team with the ability to set preferences regarding encryption, access restrictions and authentication. In addition, RealVNC software runs on a number of operating systems such as Windows, Mac and Unix, with a deployment tool available for Windows operating systems, making it easy for administrators to manage.

Keck 2

“RealVNC remote access software is making a major contribution to our work at all levels.”

Jon Chock
IT Manager

Future

Staff at Keck observatory found RealVNC remote access software a multifunctional solution that contributes to work across the organization and reduces costs.

See how other customers are using VNC® Connect

Qtrac

“We immediately realized the user interface was much better for us, and much more user friendly for the help desk team. Pretty soon we said, ‘Let's just switch everything to RealVNC.’”

Aleks Nikolovski

emergency-response

MiPi Support

"RealVNC® makes it really easy for me, from virtually anywhere, to use my phone or tablet to look into and fix a problem should something arise."

Matt Ireland, Founder

Massage Robotics

“At Massage Robotics we don’t write programs that simply tell the robots to go from one point to the next. We create algorithms fed by databases that allow our robots to devise new routines. With hundreds of lines of code in each robot, and thousands more lines based in the cloud, RealVNC is a game changing solution for us.”

bear

Polar Bears International

"It would have been virtually impossible to keep the system running without using RealVNC® remote access software"

Staff member

iQuate_1

iQuate

"The RealVNC® server-based licensing model is perfect for us. A small number of licensed VNC Server computers in our QA Lab enables global remote training. This saves us time, money and improves the quality of our customer training."

Daniel Stuart-Kelly, Head of Support & Operations

CS_block_banner

Centurion Solar

"We've gone from being in limp mode to overdrive in one easy step, using RealVNC® as the driving force to get us there."

Johan Booysen, Founder

Experience secure remote freedom, like never before.