Remote Hands with Visual Assist

Our Remote Hands with Visual Assist service enables you to troubleshoot, conduct visual audits, or do anything you'd typically do with Remote Hands on a video call with one of our technicians. Our technicians are equipped with Google Glass, so you can see what they see as they work in your space. You can chat in real time and annotate images to guide the technician. Your colleagues can join you on the session, too, so you can bring in more perspectives to help resolve the issue.

Remote Hands with Visual Assist is ideal when you need to work with someone in the data center to troubleshoot and resolve an issue that involves some iteration or experimentation. We don’t recommend it for routine tasks, for long processes such as building out an environment, or for queries that can be resolved by requesting a photo to verify work has been completed.

To use the Remote Hands with Visual Assist service, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to Cyxtera Command Center.
2. On the navbar on the left, click Create and select Remote Hands. Select the asset. When you come to choose the work type, check the box at the top of this section to Use Visual Assist. If you don’t see this option, Visual Assist is not yet available in your selected data center. For more information, see our guide on creating a ticket.
3. We’ll contact you through your ticket in the Cyxtera portal to schedule a mutually convenient time for the Visual Assist session.
4. We recommend downloading the CareAR Assist app before the session. For mobile devices, It’s available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. You can also download it for macOS or Windows. Check your device compatibility and find download links for CareAR Assist here. If you cannot install the app, you can use your web browser.
5. Through your ticket in the Cyxtera portal, you’ll receive a link to use for the session at the scheduled time. The link will take you straight into the session using the CareAR app or your browser. There’s no need to log in.
6. During the Visual Assist session, you’ll see what the technician sees in your space. Many of the controls will be familiar from other video calls: You can turn your camera and microphone on and off using the buttons at the bottom of the screen.
7. Use the drawing and text tools on the video feed to highlight something to the technician. It’s easiest to do this if you use the button to freeze the image first. This avoids the point of view changing while you’re annotating the screen.
8. To clear all your annotations, tap and hold the Undo button.
9. Use the virtual laser pointer to call attention to something without leaving a permanent indication.
10. You can share an image from your device, for example if you want to send a photo or illustration of how another server is configured.
11. When you’ve finished the call, you can disconnect using the button at the bottom of the screen.

Here’s a guide to the app and its icons: