Parallels Remote Application Server - it just works.
Updated August 30, 2023
Parallels Remote Application Server - it just works.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS)
We have been using Parallels Remote Application Server on a small scale for a number of years to allow partner organizations securely access resources. With Covid-19, we had dozen of requests per day for remote work and since we had Parallels already, all we had to do was to expand Parallels Remote Application Server capacity and everything worked smoothly.
Pros
- Force specific browser
- VDI management
- supports a variety of Operating systems
Cons
- Shadow of remote sessions
- Health Check on client OS - allow only supported OS if above certain patch level
- Flexibility in publishing intranet resources to remote workers without VPN
- VDI solution in a BOX
- Reasonably priced
Parallels can be deployed in as little as 1 hour or less and is very easy to expand as need arises. Because of the modular design, roles can run from a single server or distributed and easily expanded to dozens or even hundreds of hosts with very little effort. During Covid, we were able to add nodes and grow the cluster with very little effort and in matter of hours with no downtime or negative impact on users.
Printing in Citrix is never easy - with Parallels Remote Application Server we never have issues with any type of device or driver. Guacamole with is now part of the Apache foundation was considered because it was free but does not stack up. VMware Horizon was also evaluated and skipped because of higher cost and complexity.
It simplifies the delivery of applications to local and remote users alike. No matter the device or location. It eliminates the need for a separate VDI solution such as VMware horizon because it does it all. VDI deployments have historically been complex and expensive. Parallels is capable of spinning up VDI images on a fly right out of the box.
Users with no administrative rights to their devices can easily use HTML5 option to gain access this is a critical solution for user with restricted access. The Parallels client has evolved and improved greatly and over the years and provide a smooth and uniform experience regardless of the underlying operating system.
The flexibility to choose between VMware, Hyper-V, and hyper-converged solutions such as Nutanix makes planning for Parallels Remote Application Server effortless. This is especially important when VDI is required. Parallels RAS Application Server, can effortlessly communicate with the underlying hypervisor and request new images be created and spun up on demand which makes it flexible.
The ability to tie into third-party MFA providers such as Google Authenticator and OKTA provides the flexibility we needed to move forward. Recently features such as the ability to choose multiple MFA providers have been added. SAML integration with 3rd party MFA providers has been easy to implement and very well documented; deployments take minutes not weeks.
Do you think Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS)'s feature set?
Yes
Did Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) again?
Yes
Parallels RAS Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
No; didn't feel like we needed it.
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