Parallels® Desktop for Mac is used to run Windows on Intel or Apple silicon. Users can switch between Mac and Windows applications, while retaining the macOS appearance, or use the familiar Windows desktop aesthetic.
$99.99
per year
Zoho Assist
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Zoho Assist from Zoho Corporation is a remote administration tool for SMBs and outsourced IT.
Parallels is great for an end user that is primarily a macOS user, but occasionally needs Windows access to a specific application or service that is Windows only, or Windows primarily. It obviates the need for multiple desktop units or remote VMs where spin up time is an issue. It is not quite perfect due to the ARM version of Windows requirement, but that particular case is common to all ARM use of Windows.
If you have many remote users in challenging-to-access locations and they use multiple platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux), Zoho Assist is the solution. If you have a limited budget, you'll like Zoho Assist pricing. If you have a large team of IT technicians, you'll appreciate Zoho Assist's concurrent usage licensing.
One user's computer screen is black, no task bar and start button, after system crush, Unattended Access help me remote control it and use tools under quick Launch to change system settings and created new account for the user, so she can work few hours later.
One user computer need help vpn setup but it is not on Unattended Access list, so I create a temporarily Remote Support session, send the link to him by WhatsApp, after he download and install agent, I can connect and remote control it.
Sometimes user computer has randomly happening issue, I will connect it by Zoho Assist, record the remote screen, then will catch the issue and know it's triggered
sometimes I use video chat as a meeting tool with users
The file transfer by web client is useful for me, most of time is to upload files into user computer when it is not able to access our network drive
Users are familiar with the application which will keep us going for a little while. However since we are seeing a decline for a need for the software, I wouldn't be surprised to find that this answer changes dramatically in the near future. We would probably keep it to some extent, but we would probably reduce our licensing count.
It has a good integration, including the connection of peripherals. Taking files back and forth works well and I can attach my Home drive as a network drive in Windows. There is even integration with iCloud and other macOS services. There are also a few different display modes which are useful and fleixible (coherence, windowed, full-screen with multiple screens)
Zoho Assist has proven to be a highly effective and reliable tool that I use on a daily basis. While the "wake up" feature occasionally fails to respond, this seems more likely due to network connectivity issues rather than a flaw in Zoho Assist itself. On rare occasions, the unattended access installation doesn't appear on the administrator's dashboard, which could potentially be caused by firewall restrictions rather than a problem with the software. Aside from these minor and infrequent issues, the platform has consistently performed well and has become an essential part of my workflow.
The Parallels documentation and support websites are great. I have not had much use for them, but a cursory check shows richly documented features aimed at both the layperson and the power user or software developer. Their website is well-designed and information is easy to find, and their list of known issues as well as bugfixes on point releases is clear and transparent. They aren't trying to hide any of the limitations of their software, and seem to be regularly updating it to fix new bugs that arise with Mac OS X updates.
Support is terrible. Quick to initially respond with the boilerplate "The information provided by you should be sufficient for my development team to analyse this further. I shall also write back to you as soon as I get an update from them on this regard." And then you will hear nothing more from them. Chase further and you'll get stock responses such as "Our development team are still looking into this," etc.
Main two features that made the balance decission go to the Parallels Desktop were the possibility to pause the Windows partition easily (allowing to consume less resources in Mac and save battery) and the other one is the user interface feature called "Coherence" with allows you to show the Windows application windows as if they were native to the macOS, allowing for a better user experience.
The value for Zoho Assist and the functionality is superior to what is now known as LogMeIn Resolve. I knew it before as Goto Assist. My decision to try out and ultimately purchase Zoho Assist has been a great one for my business. I am glad I heard about Zoho Assist and will continue using them for years to come.
Saves money on having to buy a Windows and MacBook, as the MacBook can run almost 99% of all Windows software and usually run it faster and share between your MacBook transparently.
Gives employers the most flexibility with regards to which OS to adopt across an enterprise
We are a media company and everyone uses Macs in our industry, Fortune 500 companies also use Windows and MS Project, Parallels gives you the most flexibility for almost all of these use cases
Improves efficiency as the MacBook Pro M3 systems are much faster than some of the fastest corporate issued Windows laptops. What takes me 3-10 seconds for a video export can take 5 minutes on a similar Windows laptop
