What should I do first when reviewing a remote access renewal?

Write one sentence naming why you are reviewing it: cost, licensing shape, unused breadth or procurement process. Then audit your real operator count, peak simultaneous sessions and device list before collecting a single quote, because a stale device list inflates every price you are given.

How do I avoid losing audit history when switching?

Export it before the subscription ends. Access to historic session logs usually stops when the contract does, and they cannot be reconstructed afterwards. Establish what you are obliged to retain, export in a format you can store and read later, and confirm the replacement records at least the same fields.

How long should a cutover take?

Plan a fortnight of parallel running. Deploy the new agent across the estate, verify coverage against the audited device list, update runbooks, confirm every access route including out-of-hours and single-machine ones, then remove the old agent through the same automated task.

Is a focused remote access tool enough to replace a bundle?

It is if the bundle's other components are not operated. Audit each component and record when it was last used deliberately and who owns it. Where two or three carry the work, buying tools scoped to those jobs is usually cheaper and easier to keep configured than renewing breadth nobody uses.

Alternatives · 9 min read

Choosing a LogMeIn alternative after a renewal review

Name: 247connect
Brand: 247connect

Written for: IT managers, business owners and support leads reviewing a LogMeIn renewal or consolidating remote access tooling.

Written by the 247connect Marketing Team

Renewal review

A renewal review runs in one order: name the reason, audit the estate, model each meter, then export the audit history before anything is cancelled.

In short

Most LogMeIn reviews start with a renewal rather than a feature gap, which is a useful thing to admit at the outset because it tells you which comparison rows matter. Separate the remote access requirement from anything else bundled with it, count the operators and devices that genuinely need coverage, then model twelve months under each candidate's own current pricing. Score on time to session, access models, administrator security controls, platform coverage and cost, and let a fortnight of live tickets settle the shortlist.

Key takeaways

Name the reason for the review: cost, licensing shape, unused breadth or procurement process. It changes which rows matter.
Separate remote access from bundled extras before comparing, or you will compare products of different scope.
Count devices that truly need unattended coverage; estates usually contain machines nobody has audited in years.
Model twelve months under each meter with your own numbers, taken from the vendor's own pricing page.
Export audit history before a subscription ends, because access to it usually ends with it.
Run both tools in parallel for a fortnight so no access route is lost at cutover.

Start with the reason for the review

Reviews in this category cluster into four causes. The annual figure has grown out of proportion to a function that means putting an operator on a screen. The licensing shape does not match a team where several people occasionally connect but few connect at once. The organisation is paying for breadth it does not use. Or procurement requires a competitive review at renewal.

Each leads somewhere different. A cost problem may be solved by a different meter rather than a different product. A breadth problem is solved by buying a tool scoped to the job. Write the reason down in one sentence before reading a single vendor page, because the first page you read will otherwise define your criteria.

Establish the real requirement

Produce a one-page requirement before shortlisting: number of operators, peak simultaneous sessions, number of devices needing unattended access, operating systems in the estate, whether you support devices you do not own, security and hosting constraints, and any retention obligation on session logs.

The device count is the one that usually surprises people. Estates accumulate machines that were enrolled years ago and are still licensed: a decommissioned server, a spare laptop, a kiosk in a building the organisation no longer occupies. Audit the list before you use it to price anything, because a stale count inflates every quote you collect.

Model the cost properly

Meters differ across this market: per named operator, per concurrent session, per managed device, or a fixed plan. The meter usually matters more than the headline price. Apply each candidate's meter to your audited numbers for twelve months, including any add-on you would genuinely enable and any minimum commitment.

Take the figures from each vendor's own pricing page on the day you build the model, and note the date on the sheet. Packaging in this category changes several times a year, so a model built from a blog post is stale before it is finished.

Security and audit rows

Remote access is privileged access, so the security rows carry weight beyond the checkbox. Ask how sessions are encrypted in transit, whether multi-factor authentication can be enforced rather than offered, how permissions are scoped by group, what an end user sees and consents to during an attended session, and where session metadata is hosted.

Audit logging deserves particular attention during a migration. Establish what the incumbent recorded, what you are obliged to retain, and how to export it before the subscription ends. Access to historic logs commonly stops on the day the contract does, and reconstructing them afterwards is not possible.

Cutover without losing an access route

Deploy the replacement agent alongside the incumbent across the estate and verify coverage against your audited device list rather than against memory. Update runbooks and any user-facing instructions naming the old product. Confirm every route the old tool quietly served, including out-of-hours access to a server and any single machine in a remote building.

Only then remove the old agent, ideally through the same automated task that deployed the new one, so removal is not a manual tidy-up that never finishes.

Common mistakes

Pricing a renewal from a stale device list that includes machines long out of service.
Comparing a bundle against a focused tool without separating the remote access requirement.
Letting the subscription lapse before exporting audit history.
Cutting over without verifying coverage against an audited device inventory.
Forgetting an out-of-hours or single-machine access route the old tool served.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do first when reviewing a remote access renewal?: Write one sentence naming why you are reviewing it: cost, licensing shape, unused breadth or procurement process. Then audit your real operator count, peak simultaneous sessions and device list before collecting a single quote, because a stale device list inflates every price you are given.
How do I avoid losing audit history when switching?: Export it before the subscription ends. Access to historic session logs usually stops when the contract does, and they cannot be reconstructed afterwards. Establish what you are obliged to retain, export in a format you can store and read later, and confirm the replacement records at least the same fields.
How long should a cutover take?: Plan a fortnight of parallel running. Deploy the new agent across the estate, verify coverage against the audited device list, update runbooks, confirm every access route including out-of-hours and single-machine ones, then remove the old agent through the same automated task.
Is a focused remote access tool enough to replace a bundle?: It is if the bundle's other components are not operated. Audit each component and record when it was last used deliberately and who owns it. Where two or three carry the work, buying tools scoped to those jobs is usually cheaper and easier to keep configured than renewing breadth nobody uses.

Why teams choose 247connect

Fixed, predictable pricing
Unlimited operators with five concurrent connections per user, so the bill does not move every time the team grows.
Both access models included
Managed (unattended) access to devices you own and on-demand (attended) access to devices you do not, in the same console.
Fast time to session
Sessions typically connect in around eight seconds, which is the number a support desk feels dozens of times a day.
Zero-trust, AES-256 encrypted
Outbound agent connections with no inbound port to forward, and session activity logged against a named operator.
Try it on your own estate
A 14-day trial with 2 on-demand licences and 10 managed devices, no credit card required.

Where 247connect fits: it targets the common outcome of these reviews, a team that needs fast, secure, logged remote access at a predictable price rather than a broad bundle. Managed and on-demand access are both included, sessions typically connect in around eight seconds, and pricing is fixed with unlimited operators. The 14-day trial covers ten managed devices and two on-demand licences, which is enough to run it beside your incumbent during a parallel fortnight.

Start a 14-day free trial See the feature list