This is another cyber café network-administration software. It can do automated billing, time track users, manage cyber café members’ accounts and generate various reports. It’s available in standard and advanced editions, and we tested the latter.
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Installation and configuration are simple and don’t take very long. The server interface is simple and easy to operate and has two operating modes: owner and administrator. The difference between the two is that only the owner has the right to change user passwords.
By default, the software supports up to 15 clients, though the advanced edition supports unlimited users. If you have more users, then you must contact the software vendor to add it into the advanced version. The software’s server has strict control over the clients. A client can’t be used unless the server has allocated it remotely. So, a user must first ask the administrator to allocate a machine, who will then enable one for the amount of usage time specified by the user. The user then types in a username and starts working.
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Members also get a password to enter. One annoying feature here is that upon completion of the usage time, the machine automatically logs the user out and presents a bill. There’s no early warning system to allow users to extend their usage time. To continue, the user must again get the machine reallocated by the administrator. Upon logout, the server is immediately informed through a pop-up window if a system goes down. This means more work for the system administrator, plus the customer’s work gets disrupted for a short duration. Thankfully, none of the applications that the customer is using are closed after auto-logout.
iTrak provides a simple but effective billing system. Bills for all dates are stored and reports can be generated for them. It only tracks the client usage time, so if the cyber café is also providing other services such as printing, faxing and copying, it can’t factor these into the billing system.
Another feature in the software is the provision to insert advertisements on client screens, which can be made to scroll above the user’s taskbar. Users can also have multiple membership facility, wherein they can get multiple accounts under a single membership.
The administrator can also logout a user manually before the time is up. Though a good feature, a problem here is that after doing this, the administrator must physically go to the client machine and also do a manual logout. Otherwise, the next user can’t be allocated this client.
The Bottomline: Given the price, the software is a good buy for small cyber cafés.
Varun Sharma