Five great Android apps for IT admins

With all the hoopla that surrounds the iPhone OS it's hard for some to imagine that some geeks...don't have (or want) an iPhone. Android, Google's mobile platform has been getting a lot of credit and recognition, especially as their app store continues.

Once you get past the cheesy games and fart machines, Android offers some great tools to people when they aren't tied down to a desk. For server and IT administrators, Android may have all the tools you need to become even more mobile. Here's a rundown of some of the best IT applications for Android:

ServerUp ($2.99)
As an IT administrator, the only way to keep your clients happy is to keep them up and running. ServerUp is a simple (yet remarkably feature-packed) server monitoring tool. You can configure the application to run tests on your server as often or as little as necesary and a simple UI makes it easy to know when something is wrong. In addition, ServerUp gives you the ability to disable hosts and turn off your network remotely if you need to do some work.


AndFTP (Free)
If you're looking for a simple way to connect and trasnsfer files, AndFTP is the way to go. The free application allows you to manage multiple FTP servers and even includes it's own file browser. In addition, you can use AndFTP to set and change file permissions and supports SFTP, FTPS and SSH. AndFTP is really user friendly, and makes the process of handling FTPs much easier. It is also localized in Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Korean so it's sure to work with you wherever you are in the world.

RemoteRDP ($5.98)
Sometimes, you need to be at a computer. When you're not near one, your Android device can be the next best thing. With RemoteRDP, you're able to quickly and easily connect to any Windows-based computer. Once you're connected, your phone becomes a mouse and keyboard and gives you complete control of your desktop. RemoteRDP goes beyond the basics and offers some awesome bells and whistles such as two-way audio, local copy and paste and 128-bit security.

EasyTether ($9.95)
You might find yourself in a place with limited or no wireless connection. That's where EasyTether comes in. Like its name suggests, EasyTether offers a simple and streamlined way to tether your Android phone to your laptop. By tethering your devices, you'll be able to use your phone's data service to connect to the internet on your computer. This application is great for it's simplicity and doesn't require and special plans or root access to a computer. Though a little pricey, a free "lite" version is also available to try.

Google Secrets (Free)
As an administrator (or almost anyone these days), you probably have a huge list of passwords and PINs to remember. The answer to securely and safely storing all this information comes straight from Google. Secrets is a password manager that can store almost any kind of sensitive information including credit card numbers, ATM pins, addresses and more. Locked up with a master password and secured with custom crypto-APIs, Secrets is also open source and can be modified and locked down to suit your specific needs.

Tags: Administrator, Android, FTP, IT, Mobile, RemoteDesktop, Server