Likelihood to Recommend Parallels RAS can be used in many scenarios, It can be a VDI platform for desktop replacement and a move to a more central virtualized infrastructure. It can allow you to publish a cloud app that can be accessed from anywhere on nearly any device avoiding the need to install anything on device. I can see its value in Retail, Remote services, Manufacturing, schools, etc. anywhere with an internet connection. It adds a secure layer in front of RDP services. It can be used to allow secure access to desktops or laptops from outside the office if this is something you need to do
Read full review I would not recommend using a VM as a complete replacement for your everyday driver, but I would recommend it for testing. One way that I use Workstation Pro is with testing GPO's. I can make a change to a user or computer GPO, take a snapshot, reboot the computer to pull the GPO, see if it worked. If it didn't, I revert to the last snapshot before the GPO was pulled, make some changes to the GPO again, and test on the test VM. The same style of testing can be used with creating and changing scripts for computer changes. We have a whole computer setup script that installs software and changes a ton of settings. On a VM you can test over and over to make sure the script runs how you want it to and revert if you didn't like the script outcome. Especially handy with software installs, so you don't have to wait for a program to uninstall and then edit the script and run the script again. Using snapshots save me so much time in testing!
Read full review Pros 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. Read full review It provides a great remote access tool for accessing and managing servers in virtual environment. With the security risks surround remote desktop this provides a good alternative to do the same functions. The app itself is very lightweight and easy to install/maintain. Sandbox testing can be a time consuming thing to setup and do. Workstation makes this easy to create, use, and put away. This make you more willing to put new things in the sandbox and test them before production usage. The cost of workstation is very affordable for the functionality that you get and you can try it for free before you buy it. We use it to run apps that can be difficult to setup or conflict with other apps. We just spin this app VM up run it, and then shut it back down. The startup and shutdown is very quick. Read full review Cons Enable users' access to their personal computer drives when accessing the cloud services through Parallels RAS. Limiting and controlling the access to server resources for the users. Need improvement in managing the resolution of service accessed via RAS Client (works well via RAS Browser, though). Improve access to personal and organizational print and scanning devices from the cloud service. Read full review At the moment, it's incompatible with Microsoft's HyperVM, which is used in Docker and the Linux Subsystem on Windows 2 (WSL 2). VMware shared files sometimes stop working and need to be reset. 3D support is limited to Windows and only certain scenarios. Read full review Likelihood to Renew 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
Read full review It's a solid product, and if they make it compatible with HyperVM (WSL, Docker, etc.) it would be great
Read full review Usability You do not need to be an expert in IT to configure, manage or train anyone to use RAS. Everything about deployment was simple and straightforward although I do wish the integration with okta and SAML was there and it didn't require the use of Active Directory for certain parts of the deployment. We eliminated AD and use Okta exclusively but without the integration we are forced to setup local users and use WORKGROUP on the server. Not terrible, just not as streamlined or secure
Read full review There are some settings that can only be done by editing the VMX file. However, that is easily done, and you can find examples on the internet easily.
Read full review Reliability and Availability 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.
Read full review Performance 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.
Read full review Support Rating 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
Read full review I haven't had to call VMware Workstation support. The majority of the time, whenever I have a problem, I can perform an online search and find the answers I need. Online forums and users with similar situations are generally sufficient to answer any questions I have had, though, from previous experience at another company, their support is outstanding and responsive to circumstances. However, that is generally for a paid support contract and should be expected when you are paying for that support.
Read full review Online Training Documentation is fair but sometimes a little difficult to follow
Read full review Implementation Rating 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.
Read full review Alternatives Considered Compared to other offerings, including Citrix and MS plain RDS - this product provides a different level of experience. Its load balancing capabilities are simple to roll out, and an entire farm can be up and running in hours, NOT days. Its OS independence and minimum resource usage, along with its RDS server optimization policies, make it very resource efficient.
Read full review VMware ESXi is more enterprise based whereas VMware Workstation offers capabilities at a lower cost and smaller scale. VMware Workstation Pro is also user friendly and easy to install. It can be utilized on a regular desktop system as the name implies. It helps with also demonstrations when needed to clients without having bulky hardware every time.
Read full review Scalability 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.
Read full review Return on Investment 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. Read full review When updating multiple VM's, this is a much quicker option vs trying to either RDP to them or console using Vcenter We are required to run a VM locally for certain tasks, and this has been the most effective way to use it The ability to manage a VM without having to worry about the console freezing up helps with management Read full review ScreenShots Parallels RAS Screenshots