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Parallels RAS

Parallels RAS

Overview

What is Parallels RAS?

Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS, formerly 2X RAS), is application virtualization technology, billed as a solution to extend the life of legacy OS (like Windows XP) with its virtual desktop for any device. Maltese company 2X Software developed the technology,…

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Recent Reviews
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.parallels.com/products/ras/…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Starting price (does not include set up fee)

  • $120 per year per user
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Product Details

What is Parallels RAS?

Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS) is a remote work solution that provides secure virtual access to business applications and desktops on any device or OS—from anywhere. The platform offers an agile, cloud-ready foundation and end-to-end security fueled by a centralized management console with granular policies. Companies can leverage on-premises, hybrid, or public cloud deployments and integrate with existing technology like Microsoft Azure and AWS. Parallels RAS aims to give organizations the flexibility, scalability, and IT agility to adapt to changing business needs. Parallels RAS offers a single, full-featured licensing model that includes 24/7 support and access to product training. The vendor states its key benefits include:

  • User experience—work from anywhere, on any device.
  • Enhanced data security and compliance—centralized management console with granular policies.
  • IT agility and business readiness—flexible hosting solutions to scale and adapt.
  • Total cost of ownership—supports BYOD and includes a simple licensing model.
  • Always-on support—access to 24/7 support and training at no additional cost.

Parallels RAS Features

  • Supported: Advanced access controls: Secures corporate data with a client group policy in the Parallels RAS Console. Centrally manages and controls access by user, group, or device.
  • Supported: Multifactor authentication: Requires users to authentication access via two-factor or smart card authentication. Parallels RAS also integrates with third-party security solutions.
  • Supported: Encryption protocols: Parallels RAS Secure Gateway supports SSL and FIPS 140-2 encryption, helping organizations adhere to data compliance policies such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR.
  • Supported: Centralized monitoring: Transforms raw data into custom visual reports to show traffic and resource usage from network infrastructure. Centrally monitors day-to-day user activities.

Parallels RAS Screenshots

Screenshot of Parallels RAS supports on-premises, private and public cloud providers, including Azure and AWS, from a single console.Screenshot of The Parallels Web Client is accessible from any HTML5 browser or choose one of the many local clients.Screenshot of Parallels RAS integrates MSIX app attach for modern, dynamic app delivery.Screenshot of Parallels RAS supports multiple MFAs for security and flexibility.Screenshot of Integrated Let's Encrypt security certificates, to issue and manage certificates in Parallels RAS.Screenshot of Expression-based filtering makes it easier to set policies in the Parallels RAS.Screenshot of Visual reporting in the Parallels RAS Management Console is used to monitor and troubleshoot issues.

Parallels RAS Videos

This video shows how to deploy virtual apps and desktops via Parallels RAS in Azure by using Parallels RAS in the Azure Marketplace. This is a fast way to create a proof of concept (POC) or test environment.
This video demonstrates the steps an administrator takes within the Parallels RAS Console to successfully deliver services to end users via Amazon EC2.
Parallels RAS themes allow an organization to transform what the user sees when they access resources delivered via Parallels RAS. For example, custom branding (white labeling) can be applied, a custom URL can be set for the end user, and access can be locked down to specific ...
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MSIX app attach is an Azure Virtual Desktop feature. It provides application modernization, improves application lifecycle management, and reduces hardware footprint and IT management overhead by using fewer templates. Parallels RAS brings MSIX app attach technology to RDSH,...
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Automated certificate management with Let's Encrypt integration.
Parallels RAS includes cloud cost-reduction capabilities, including autoscaling, power management, and automated image optimization. Parallels RAS adds more cost-reduction measures by extending cost-saving capabilities to storage. When the virtual machine (VM) is not running...
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Parallels RAS Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsWindows, Linux, Mac, Windows Server 2008R2, 2012/R2, 2016, 2022, Windows 7, 8/8.1, 10, 11
Mobile ApplicationAndroid, Mobile Web, iPadOS
Supported LanguagesEnglish, German, Japanese, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean

Frequently Asked Questions

Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS, formerly 2X RAS), is application virtualization technology, billed as a solution to extend the life of legacy OS (like Windows XP) with its virtual desktop for any device. Maltese company 2X Software developed the technology, but was acquired by Parallels (in Seattle, WA) in February, 2015 to extend their cross-platform support solutions.

Parallels RAS starts at $120.

Citrix DaaS, VMware Horizon, and VMware Horizon Cloud Service on Microsoft Azure are common alternatives for Parallels RAS.

Reviewers rate Availability highest, with a score of 9.6.

The most common users of Parallels RAS are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(240)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(76-100 of 139)
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Clint Rankin | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Our organization uses Parallels Remote Application Server across our whole organization. Instead of installing certain programs on each person's computer, we direct our employees to a website where they can just log in and all their business applications are right there. This simplifies things. For one, our I.T. Dept doesn't have to ensure our programs are installed on each person's computer. Furthermore, they don't have to worry each application has the latest updates. Security is greatly enhanced. The greatest business problem it addresses is that it allows us to control our employee experience from a single place reducing time, effort and expense.
Tom Robertson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
I am using Parallels Remote Application Server for several clients to provide remote web-based access to older client server healthcare platforms like Greenway Primesuite EHR and Zeiss Forum Viewer.
Jason Chafin | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Parallels is being used by doctors to work remotely using our local systems and servers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are also using Parallels RAS during our telehealth appointments as a tool for telemedicine. Parallels is mainly used to give doctors remote access to read echos and dictate using a mic and Dragon server.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We are a Cloud SAAS provider and are currently in the process of converting from using Microsoft RDS to Parallels RAS. We were looking for something that was more flexible across multiple OS and operating environments, that was more robust and faster then RDS and decided on Parallels over Citrix. It's currently in use for our internal users of the software and one client test company.
Jorge Acopa Galera | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We come from using XenApp Citrix for more than 13 years, then I started testing Parallels RAS to see if we could seamlessly migrate the app delivery service from one product to another with minimum effort and impact on end users. All our tests were successful from Parallels farm setup, published resources, servers configurations to user experience.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We spent 10 years using publishing desktops on the virtualized Citrix XenApp environment. Times changed and a lot of our stuff became web-based. We moved our offices to Mac OSX desktops and needed to stream a couple of legacy windows only applications. I found the Parallels Remote Application Server a lot simpler to setup. No longer needing domain controllers and levels of servers, I was able to get Parallels set up on a single Azure server to stream the applications straight to the Mac desktops.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
Parallels RAS is used across the whole organization. Our employees use MacOS to access Windows applications. With Parallels RAS our employees also can easily work in home office. It is also a security optimisation for our company. Easy to work with. Our employees learned fast how to use the Parallels client to access their published software.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We are using Parallels Remote Application Server within our company to deliver our software product our to our customers in a SaaS solution. It allows us to deploy windows desktop applications to over 800 end users, using a wide variety of devices to access our system.
Andreas Hermann | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized

We provide our own BMD Software to our customers with Parallels Remote Application Server.

With BMD Cloud Services our goal is to offer more flexibility and mobility using BMD software. BMD offers the possibility to access the entire software package via the Internet directly on a server, secured and maintained by our BMD tech department.

Enable clients to do bookkeeping on your tax office’s IT infrastructure. The need not to exchange data constantly with clients leads to higher customer loyalty and up-to-date data.

With Parallels it is very easy for our costumers to connect to our cloud system.

Martinho Galante | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
We use Parallels Remote Application Server to provide remote sessions for our clients who want remote desktops. And where applicable we re-sell Parallels Remote Application Server to clients who want remote access capabilities in-house on their own infrastructure. It solved remote access issues and remote printing issues.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We provide application access over the HTML5 client for users at remote sites, home, etc. We specifically publish the Microsoft Office Suite, Information Technology Administration and Management Tools, and several legacy applications that would otherwise only be available on the corporate LAN or would have significant performance issues over traditional VPN technologies.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have clients that wanted to use the QuickBooks Desktop product, not online. Trading files back and forth can cause issues with the data not being current on one side or another and we couldn't use it at the same time. So we used Parallels to address this issue.
Udo Janssen | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
We started using Parallels RAS first in our company because we were dissatisfied with our Citrix installations in ours and customers' sites. We were looking for a stable remote desktop environment that was easy to manage, good value for the money, and had a pay-per-use license model for managed service providers to expand our AaaS / IaaS offering. (It is not only since COVID-19 that we know that switching to Parallels RAS was the right decision for us and for our customers.)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Parallels RAS is being used by remote workers to easily access corporate systems. These users do not have a PC on site that they can remote into, so a system was needed that could provide them with the necessary applications.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have 10 to 15 remote offices for sales staff and construction staff. We predominantly use Claris Filemaker and Microsoft Outlook at the remote offices. Filemaker is making moves to the cloud but our layouts pull so much data that they require an ethernet connection. We need to use a terminal server until we redesign our Filemaker database to be more efficient. Filemaker uses Outlook to send information from the database to potential clients and to trade partners. We need to use a terminal server to allow the two applications to talk to each other.


Stefan Zuban | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Parallels RAS for application and desktop virtualization. Connection through a heavy client and an HTML client allows us to serve specific user profiles personalizing user experience and accessibility. The RAS GW feature allows us to cope with IT security issues concerning applications confined in special virtual networks, while the VDI feature allows us to prepare desktops on the shelf for developers.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have implemented several implementations of Parallels Remote Application Server [RAS], and it is in widespread use internally and amongst several of our customers.

Our introduction to RAS came when a total system failure of a legacy Citrix system left a client searching for a replacement system that offered similar functionality but which was easier to manage by their internal IT Staff. We selected and implemented RAS on the basis of our experience with other Parallels products, namely Parallels for Mac, and Plesk, however despite this somewhat ad-hoc selection process we were immediately impressed by the ease at which our proof of concept system was up and running and then further impressed by time to production for the live system.

We used RAS to provide access to a thick client ERP package to Sales Representatives on the road across the EMEA, and the implementation was an unmitigated success. In particular remote UX has been improved greatly, especially in zones of marginal network coverage. We were also impressed with the breadth of platform coverage, from the old standards, Windows, MacOS, to other platforms like IOS and Android.

The initial success led to us standardising on RAS for our SaaS offering when offering thick client applications, and I would have no hesitation in recommending the softward.

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Parallels RAS is mostly used within our company by our remote sales team and a few telecommuters. Additionally, our Graphic Arts Supervisor uses it to access our LOB application from her MAC Pro. RAS has allowed the company to easily and cost effectively enable the users to access all applications which our internal users utilize on a daily basis. The previous software we used for this purpose was a nightmare and moving to RAS has been virtually problem free.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Student Health and Counseling Services, a department of Student Affairs at UC Davis, uses Parallels RAS to deliver a wide range of windows applications both to remote users and local users on other platforms. This software seamlessly allows us to provide applications to macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows users with native clients that add functionality.
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