Solid easy to use VM product
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We have some software that requires the Windows operating system for various enterprise activities. We used to put a separate PC on people's desks, then we moved to a bank of VMs that people could remote into, but with the release and support of Apple Silicon by Parallels, we are able to simply use a local virtual machine on macOS machines to simple and easily cover that intermittent need. This requirement covers several hundred endpoints and thus results in a fairly substantial savings of capital expenditures.
Pros
- Immediate access to needed Windows apps
- On demand Windows instance without needing to spin up a remote VM
- Integrates access to both platforms in one unit
- Easy to install and maintain
- Central vendor console for licensing
- Easily managed with existing enterprise tools
Cons
- Configuration dialogs could use some embedded help
- ARM incompatibility is sometimes a problem (this is more a Windows issue than Parallels)
- USB passthrough is sometimes quirky
Return on Investment
- Capital budget savings due to not having to buy multiple machines or pay for a VM bank
- Quick and easy in and out use.
- Can be left running in more or less idle state in the background with minimal resource impact.
- Locally portable.
- Works without a high speed network connection
Usability
Alternatives Considered
VMware Fusion, CrossOver and UTM
Other Software Used
1Password, BBEdit, CoPilot AI, FileZilla, Google Drive, Grammarly, macOS, Jamf Pro, Jamf Connect, Apple Keynote, ThreatDown, powered by Malwarebytes, Microsoft 365, Okta, OneDrive







