Ace Cloud VDI vs. Citrix Workspace (discontinued) vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS)

I appreciate that a backup of my data is regularly updated and stored at more than one location in the U.S. One
of our employees got a new computer about a month after we started using Act
Cloud Hosting, and the employee simply contacted tech support and they helped
her get her new computer connected to the server and she was back working in a
very short time. And I appreciate that they have always followed up after a tech support request to make sure that I am satisfied.

Citrix Workspace is no doubt one of the best solutions if you are looking for seamless access to multiple daily used applications at a single place in a company secured connection. It has centralized updates and a patching mechanism which makes it operate hassle-free. If you are using AWS cloud in your company and big fan of it, you can also go for Amazon Workspaces for a uniform ecosystem.

Scenarios where time is a factor in having a solution in place and up and running safely and securely. Where there are older devices that ordinarily wouldn't be up to the task of running modern apps and services. Where users need to work away from the network, and security is a concern.

Incentivized

• They are quick to set up the server
• They asked all the right questions the first time.
• They are helpful on their documentation and allowing us to train on using the system.
• They sent detailed email on how to log in and use the system.

• It provides secure environment for the access of client's database.
• If we have verified account or having the login id password (credentials) we have the access of Workspace as long as we want.
• Connectivity is so simple that first time user also understand all the features.

• The printing driver is quite excellent, both in the Parallels Client and on the HTML5 client.
• Setup is incredibly easy; the default setup is very functional, and adding features is a breeze.
• Speed is very acceptable in general for end-users, the clients adapt quite well to the amount of bandwidth available, and features are available to adjust further.
• Automation through PowerShell is great.
• Support is usually quite fast and efficient.

Incentivized

• Centralization of communication. My experience tells me that there are people initiating emails without the knowledge and the status of the progress with the installation

• I find it particularly difficult to easily save to anything other than my file database, such as my regular desktop files. The series of folder paths is very confusing in my opinion.
• I cannot save pdfs to my remote system and must save them locally.
• No printing to work place destination capability.

Incentivized

• Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) continually improves the product but has broken some features recently. For example the web management portal lost the ability to manage user sessions after a major update. That issue was fixed in a later release
• Multi-monitor support beyond 4 monitors (It does handle up to 4 -1080 monitors well)
• More options around connection security and MFA. current options are sufficient but limited
• We've noticed some performance issues with Windows Server 2019 and 2022. I'd like to see more robust support for remote applications running from those platforms.

Incentivized

We find Citrix Workspace an easy to use, reliable and secure remote access tool. We never have issues accessing either environments (workstations, servers and virtual machines) not using deployed applications.

Incentivized

We have been using Parallels since it was called 2X - it is a major part of how we do business. It is fairly simple to use and maintain - staff like it, we like it. It is a product that makes a promise - and it keeps it. As Parallels evolves, and clean bandwidth becomes more readily available everywhere - it just makes sense to continue to use Parallels in our environment

Incentivized

It was a savior and I had no issues that were not easily resolved. There was always someone there no matter what time. It was easy to use and most important it saved me tons of money and time. It just was a great decision to use there product and services.

Incentivized

Access to the workspace is simple and quick, using username and password and a second factor authentication. Once logged in, you can see all the environments (servers, virtual machines, etc) and applications that are available based on the permission granted to your user. With a couple of clicks you can easily access to your remote desktop or to one of the applications.

Incentivized

Parallels RAS was easy to setup, with great admin guides and resources. We especially liked the included Visio templates which made diagramming much easier. The reference deployment diagrams also simplified our deployment process. Our end users love Parallels RAS. Apps launch faster than Citrix, and the Parallels RAS client is far more reliable than Workspace.

If there are any issues with Parallels - they are usually more about the server operating systems than Parallels itself. It would be rare for us to have any reason to take Parallels offline - we schedule a reboot on the servers at 3am to keep the O/S itself fresh, but again - it is not a Parallels issue. If individual users have any issues we ask them to completely log out of parallels - which ends their session - and then back in - and that typically resolves the issue right away.

Incentivized

I am giving Parallels 9/10 on this one because the only application that sometimes seems slow or has issues - is Microsoft Outlook. It is sometimes the result of a pop-up that may not show up in the published application (vs full desktop). Other than that - pages load very quickly - and it does not seem to slow down other applications that are running at the same time. Most of our users run Outlook, softphone and Teams locally - and published applications for everything else. When they do that - it is very solid.

Incentivized

Good support in place if required, very helpful when it comes to upgrades or any issues faced. The support team is knowledgeable, friendly, and quick to respond to issues The company also provides a range of online resources, including a
knowledge base, documentation, and forums, which can be helpful before raising a ticket

Incentivized

Documentation is fair but sometimes a little difficult to follow

Incentivized

Overall, it was pretty simple compared to most other projects. Again, we had a strong familarity with the product so there was not much of a learning curve. Our 'biggest' issue is the end-user understanding of a 'local' application and a published application. For example - Online meetings need to run locally for camera/video to work smoothly so opening a link to a meeting from a published application continues to be an occasional issue.

Incentivized

We selected Ace Cloud Hosting as it has been serving the clients for 14+ years all around the globe. Ace Cloud Hosting has 24*7 customer support available and every time I or any of my team members had any difficulties using the product they were able to solve instantly.

Citrix does great at allowing us to access work from remote locations. Our IT provider is very familiar with the product and is able to troubleshoot this product much better than the competitors.

Incentivized

Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) provides the finest end user experience while being cost-effective and reducing administrative and support man hours.
Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) is platform agnostic; it works with various kinds of devices (computers, phones, tablets) and several operating systems (Windows, Linux, Apple, etc.), allowing users to access it on gadgets of their choice.

Incentivized

We added our Integrated Services Staff to parallels, with filtered, published applications - in a single afternoon. We added licensing and installed the desktop client software on multiple platforms both in the office and at remote sites all on the same day - and got remote users that had never used the product up and running - very quickly.

Incentivized

• Saved me two extra users to QuickBooks which prices kept increasing for Accountants with Payroll.
• It allowed me to focus on tax returns which my billable hours are more then data entry and not have to stop in QuickBooks for someone to use my computer.

Incentivized

• During the pandemic, Citrix Workspace was vital in allowing me to continue operations by working from home. Without Citrix Workspace, I think that our company would have had a lot of trouble with all of the WFH operations.

Incentivized

• Our customers have had dramatic cost decreases due to no longer needing IT departments to work with our software.
• We've been able to charge more for our hosting services due to our customers saving money in the long run. Parallels Remote Application Server has more than paid for itself, and the increased income has gone right back into the business.
• Both our customers and our company have benefited from this transition.

Incentivized