BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access vs. Remote Desktop Services

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access enables security professionals to control, monitor, and manage access to critical systems by privileged users and third-party vendors (e.g. authorized employees, contractors, etc). BeyondTrust's approach is designed to allow companies to quickly gain control of system access and protect themselves against cyberattacks without requiring time-consuming process changes. Features for secure access, vault credentials, and audit…N/A
Remote Desktop Services
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Remote Desktop Services from Microsoft is virtual desktop and remote user session technology.N/A
Pricing
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote AccessRemote Desktop Services
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote AccessRemote Desktop Services
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote AccessRemote Desktop Services
Considered Both Products
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
Chose BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
The main factor is the ease of implementation and also its use in everyday life.
Chose BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
We did not research any other PRA Applications.
Chose BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
  • More secure
  • Firewall compatible
  • Privacy screen
Remote Desktop Services
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Because it is a built-in, free solution for a small set of managed computers. No extra licenses required. No budget. Setup and configuration is instanteneous.
Chose Remote Desktop Services
TeamViewer and Splashtop
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Same functionality but RDP is already installed on Windows so no client to install and it's cheaper.
Chose Remote Desktop Services
All remote desktop or desktop virtualization services are quite costly and very complicated to set up. Microsoft's Remote Desktop Services has the advantage of being very available for many years, meaning practically any device can be used as a workstation. Tablets, …
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop is great for onsite or point-to-point connections without having to have a mediator type server.
Chose Remote Desktop Services
We used RDS on-site primarily because of how easy it is for users to transition from their own desktop to a remote desktop. However, from off-site, there are VPN and other security considerations to take into account, and the process gets a little more complex. In this …
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Solutions can be expensive and often offer more options than you need/want. Paying those extra dollars is tough when you have a budget. RDS in many cases works well and is cost effective.
Chose Remote Desktop Services
I use Remote Desktop Services only and have never used other services to replace it.
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Since Remote Desktop Services comes with the Windows OS, there's no need to install any additional software or agent for it to function. Even on the Mac, there's a client that can be installed for this to run properly. Unfortunately, unlike TeamViewer or Ultra VNC, Remote …
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Among all the reasons I've previously listed the main reason for choosing RDS is for the reliability and fast connection.
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop Services is an initiation from Microsoft in my view. The rest all are adapters for this and have a considerably inovated feature base.
Chose Remote Desktop Services
We have reviewed Citrix Xen Desktop and VMware's VDI solutions. For the cost, when compared to what Remote Desktop Services can provide us there was no contest. Remote Desktop Services can provide us all the features we require with little to no cost since we are an EA customer …
Chose Remote Desktop Services
I also used 2x Client and Citrix in the past. Both worked nice. Citrix is a little more complex and once with Windows updates damaged a Citrix installation causing all ICA traffic to not accept connections. 2x Client was simple and free for 3 connections (or used to be). Both …
Chose Remote Desktop Services
We selected Remote Desktop Services based upon price alone. Other solutions on the market are significantly more expensive, but if your company can foot the bill you should seriously consider products that have been on the market for longer. The lack of an ability to easily …
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Mainly licensing optimization, as Remote Desktop Services CALs are needed anyway for other products.
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop Services is close to free, it is native and performs far better from a user experience point of view with almost no lag and excellent integration to the normal desktop environment. Even if another product is used Remote Desktop Services still forms part of the …
Features
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote AccessRemote Desktop Services
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
9.7
Ratings
18% above category average
Remote Desktop Services
8.9
Ratings
9% above category average
Screen sharing9.00 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Instant message9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session10.00 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile9.00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations10.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management10.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard10.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Session record10.00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
File transfer00 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
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BeyondTrust Privileged Remote AccessRemote Desktop Services
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User Ratings
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote AccessRemote Desktop Services
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.3
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
6.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
6.6
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
3.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote AccessRemote Desktop Services
Likelihood to Recommend
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access is well suited to grand monitored privileged access to resources. It works in a proxy mode so end-users don't have direct access to servers. This can help prevent attacks on servers from users' machines since all the traffic to the servers goes through the Privileged Remote Access server which performs auth according to the policies. In cases where direct access to the servers/service from the end-user's machine is required, it is a little bit complicated to set up that kind of connection using protocol tunneling.
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Remote Desktop Services provides access to work environments from any device. This allows us to ensure business continuity in case of disaster. It provides admins more control over access and security. Remote Desktop Services simplifies software updates and compliance management by reducing the need to act on end users devices.
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Pros
  • It's comprehensive, intelligent and easy to use.
  • It has lots of features i.e. it allows special commands to be used whereas the other programs don't allow them.
  • This tool is effective in allowing you to access all your applications through a single sign-on page.
  • Actively manage the ongoing operational use of network devices, hardware, and application access via Secure App.
  • Bomgar Privileged Access deploys on-premises via a hardened physical or virtual appliance, or through the Bomgar Secure Cloud.
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  • Relative ease of setup: in comparison to some of the other solutions on the market (Citrix, etc.), Remote Desktop Services is rather easy to set up and get configured in your environment.
  • Feature set: Microsoft offers a good deal of the same features many competitors offer in the same space including a mobile app and the ability to have a "native" app feel for a remote application.
  • Inexpensive Licensing: in comparison to other solutions on the market Remote Desktop Services is inexpensive.
  • Move LOB applications closer to their server counterparts: this goes for all remote solutions, but if you have a line of business application that makes a great deal of calls across the network to your data center, your remote office users will likely benefit from the performance and stability side by moving those client side applications into the data center.
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Cons
  • questionnaire from technician for installation was difficult to follow
  • after purchase of a product, an initial audio discussion with an Engineer would be great for better understanding the installation phase
  • provide plans for on-premise and cloud strategies in different documents
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  • Advanced configuration is required.
  • Off-site access from a different network is very insecure unless a VPN can be used.
  • It's complicated and relatively costly for multi-user environments, as each user or device requires a CAL on top of the server licensing.
  • Incredibly complicated licensing strategy from Microsoft.
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Likelihood to Renew
This review was originally written partially in Portuguese and those parts have been translated into English using a third-party translation tool. While we strive for accuracy, some nuances or meanings may not be perfectly captured.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
It accomplishes all of our remote access needs, our users require little to no training when being setup for remote access for the first time.
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Once set up it works well and is extremely easy for users. Getting it right can be difficult, it is easy to setup insecurely. Maintenance can be difficult with only a single broker and with manual switchover required for redundant gateways. Troubleshooting access issues can also be difficult
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Performance
No answers on this topic
There are some third party tools available that allow you to manage multiple connections.
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Support Rating
No answers on this topic
As with any Microsoft Server product, support for Remote Desktop Services requires a paid support package. These are license-based and very costly, on top of the already costly product licensing. Microsoft's licensing is complicated to begin with, so setting up licensing alone essentially requires a licensing expert's counsel. There is community documentation and support available on Microsoft websites, as well as community websites.
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Alternatives Considered
The main factor is the ease of implementation and also its use in everyday life.
Read full review
We used RDS on-site primarily because of how easy it is for users to transition from their own desktop to a remote desktop. However, from off-site, there are VPN and other security considerations to take into account, and the process gets a little more complex. In this situation, especially if you're trying to support a user who is outside the local network, it can be easier to use something like Chrome Remote Desktop or TeamViewer. However, the Windows functionality of RDS is totally unmatched.
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Return on Investment
  • Allows our users to work remotely or from home
  • Increase productivity by enabling users to work from anywhere
  • Satisfies IT Security requirements for a secure remote access solution
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  • Remote Desktop Services has had a major positive ROI impact at our firm. There were a number of times when our staff was traveling abroad to business meetings with a laptop that had missing presentations. But once they had internet access, a Remote Desktop Services connection is established, and presentation data can now be shown directly from their laptops as if theyr'e sitting in our office.
  • Remote Desktop Services has made it possible for Mac staff users to use their computing devices to access our network system to run Windows applications and access all our network data.
  • Remote Desktop Services has made it possible for our staff to successfully work remotely from outside the office. There were many occasions when emergencies came up which prevented staff from coming into the office to work. But as long as they have a computer with an internet connection, they used Remote Desktop Services to connect to our terminal server and successfully ran the programs to modify data files on the network without losing a beat.
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ScreenShots