Remote Desktop Manager (RDM) from Canadian software company Devolutions is a remote administration and credential management tool for securely centralizing multiple remote connections and sensitive data.
$299.99
per year
Remote Desktop Services
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Remote Desktop Services from Microsoft is virtual desktop and remote user session technology.
Remote Desktop Manager was the best product and most useful when compared to the others we used/tested. There are so many more features available within the product, as well as a low entry point from a cost perspective. None of the other products met our needs fully.
If you have lots of servers to manage, lots of credentials, different protocols, documents, other files, and need a single tool to manage it, this is the tool. Active Directory integrated, user and groups permissions, audit everything, keep data in encrypted files or in a database, customize everything, even the installer,
Remote Desktop services are well suited for people looking to connect to Local computers/Servers after connecting to VPN or Local Area Network. It is easy to use and performs superbly without any issues. However, it does not have support for connecting to Non-Windows-based Devices and Applications like Teamviewer beat RDP when it comes to connecting to machines outside one's network.
When you connect with RDS, everything looks and feels (and is) exactly like you're sitting at that desktop. This is great for us and for users.
You can sign in with RDS and the desktop will be the same as when you left it (if you choose to set it up that way).
Although they take some setup, RemoteApps are a very handy way to let users access a program without requiring them to actually connect to a remote desktop on the server.
I would like to see advanced auditing in the Devolution's drive data source like there are in some of the others. But that's just something I'd like to see, it doesn't hinder my using the app.
I would love to see even more addons available from even more software and service developers, but again the addon manager is great already so it's not a hindrance what so ever.
Remote Desktop Services currently does not support multiple monitors on the terminal server. Unlike other applications such as Teamviewer, there's no feature to toggle between multiple screens even if they were connected to the terminal server.
Remote Desktop Services should provide an option to scale up or down the screen size after a connection is established. Currently you can only adjust the screen size prior to a connection is established. So you'll have to take a best guess at what display screen resolution will fit best on your screen.
Remote Desktop Services should offer some kind of menu to send special key strokes like Ctrl+Alt+Del to the terminal server. Currently the substitute for that particular combination is Ctrl+Alt+End. But I have yet to discover a replacement for other combination keystrokes such as Alt+PrintScrn.
I've been using RDM for about 10 years now. I started with the free version, which I used for a few years, and eventually switched to the Enterprise version. I can never go back now! I use this tool for everything and cannot see doing my job without it! Whenever we have someone new come in or bring in a vendor/contractor, they always ask me what RDP tool I'm using. Once I explain about it's features and all, they're usually instantly sold on it. :)
I use this tool for almost everything in my day to day job. I launch the VMware VI Client from RDM. I launch vSphere Web Client Sessions from RDM. I RDP from RDM. Access Dell iDRAC and HP iLO via RDM, as well as Cisco UCS Manager and iKVM. I have saved SSH Sessions to my VMware hosts. I have URLs saved to get to things like IPAM, etc
The initial setup for Remote Desktop Services is complex, and licensing is costly. Each user connects to their virtual desktop hosted by a single server or group of servers, so a change or issue with servers quickly impacts every single user at the same time. Aside from that, users appreciate seeing their same personal desktop from any device or geographical location.
I've never had to use support as I've never had an issue. That said, you can open a support ticket right from the UI. The user forums are active, and there are thousands of threads covering many topics. Very easy to get support if needed. This is an easy ten.
As with any Microsoft Server product, support for Remote Desktop Services requires a paid support package. These are license-based and very costly, on top of the already costly product licensing. Microsoft's licensing is complicated to begin with, so setting up licensing alone essentially requires a licensing expert's counsel. There is community documentation and support available on Microsoft websites, as well as community websites.
The types of sessions. You are not limited to just RDP sessions, you can do SSH, Web Browser, iLO, or really any session you can imagine that you might use to connect to a remote service
The extensions, add-ons, and features of RDM. You simply can do a lot more.
Automation - There's additional things you can do that help automate your workday to make things easier
The interface - It's easier to navigate and deal with multiple sessions at a time.
We selected Remote Desktop Services based upon price alone. Other solutions on the market are significantly more expensive, but if your company can foot the bill you should seriously consider products that have been on the market for longer. The lack of an ability to easily upgrade farm servers has been a challenge for us - although it is still faster than updating an application on 2000+ machines. The lack of a centralized management console in 2008 R2 is also challenging, but you get by with the tools available to you. If you don't have the money to spend on Citrix or VMWare Horizon, Remote Desktop Services is a decent replacement.
A common place for storage for all users. Instead of employees using multiple different password management systems, they all use Remote Desktop Manager to store them now.
We don't have to buy licenses from multiple vendors when everyone uses Remote Desktop Manager.
