Parallels RAS

Score7.1 out of 10

263 Reviews and Ratings

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Parallels RAS

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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, but was acquired by Parallels (in Seattle, WA) in February, 2015 to extend their cross-platform support solutions.

Categories & Use Cases

Media

Screenshot of the console interface, showing Parallels RAS' support for on-premises, private and public cloud providers, including Azure and AWS.

Screenshot of the Parallels Web Client, which is accessible from any HTML5 browser or choose one of the many local clients.

Screenshot of Parallels RAS' integration with MSIX app attach for modern, dynamic app delivery.

Screenshot of Parallels RAS' support for multiple MFAs for security and flexibility.

Screenshot of the integrated Let's Encrypt security certificates, to issue and manage certificates in Parallels RAS.

Screenshot of expression-based filtering which makes it easier to set policies in the Parallels RAS.

Screenshot of the visual reporting in the Parallels RAS Management Console which is used to monitor and troubleshoot issues.

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Screenshot of the console interface, showing Parallels RAS' support for on-premises, private and public cloud providers, including Azure and AWS.

Freddy Garcia View profile

Desktop Analyst in Engineering at Secure Management Inf Service (201-500 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) has been something we have used for at least 5 years, but I think probably more than that. Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) allows for us to publish Windows desktop applications as if they are web applications without many of our users knowing this.The simplicity of setup and the speed at which the system runs for the end user.

Pros

Printer integration makes easy
Solid connection that does not drop unexpectedly like other
Easy to publish appls
Easy to troubleshoot issues

Cons

Configuration
Set it up
Troubleshooting

Return on Investment

Upgrades interface change to much
Make easy to updates

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Parallels Desktop for Mac

Dennis Peabody

Senior Network and Systems Engineer in Information Technology at PAC Worldwide (1001-5000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Parallels Remote Application Server to allow organizational access to traditional and legacy Win32 style applications. This would include legacy ERP software, older Microsoft Access front ends, and more. Generally, as Remote Desktop Services environment, with significant quality of life enhancements over Microsoft's basic implementation, such as web-based administration and easier delegation of administrative tasks.

Pros

High Visibility of Users, Sessions and Performance
Client is Easy to Install and Configure
Good HA Options, or Active Standy-by HA Option
Functionally Equivalent Web Interface for Management

Cons

Support beyond email is hard to get - typically it's sending log after log when a remote session would have solved it much faster
Need to perform a full Version Update every 18 months
iOS app does not support kerberos

Return on Investment

Easier to Monitor and Administer than RDS, reducing admin time
Does require periodic maintenance windows to upgrade the farm
User/Device policies for client control allow for granular experience administration
We actually can get support, which can be very challenging for Microsoft Native RDS.

Usability

andrew knechel

Director of Technology in Information Technology at Franklin Township Board of Education (501-1000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Remote access to legacy server based applications is a real challenge that we were able to securely address using Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS). The performance was great and our user base appreciates the ease of use. For the investment, Parallels has completely met our needs and we would enthusiastically recommend Parallels for any organization who needs to securely provide remote access to applications. We have also used Parallels Remote Applications Server (Parrallels RAS) to run Windows based apps on Apple laptops.

Pros

allows remote access to legacy applications
allows access to applications built for one operating system from a different operating system
Increases performance for applications which struggle to perform properly over network hops

Cons

Parallels Remote Application Servers (Parallels RAS) does what we need in the way we need it so we see no need for improvement.

Return on Investment

Addressed the need to remotely access legacy systems without having to migrate to new systems
allowed or organization to access Windows based applications on Apple laptops removing the need to migrate to a new application
One of our internal applications experiences slow performance when the application had to traverse several network hops. We used Parallels to run the application directly on the sever, which addressed the issue and removed the need to migrate to a new application.

Usability

Other Software Used

Microsoft 365

Verified User

Administrator in Information Technology (51-200 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) replaced Citrix in our organization as our primary application delivery and RDS service. We use the platform to provide line of business apps and desktops to our users both remote an in office. Using the product we are able to dynamically deploy applications to our users based on their user role. It has simplified endpoint imaging, and patching by centralizing our application management.

Pros

Ease of Setup
Good application performance
Easy to support
Flexible operating system support

Cons

Passkeys Support for Published apps is not supported

Return on Investment

Less time spent supporting our RDS and application infrastructure
Significantly lower licensing costs
No hardware investment required for load balancers

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Citrix Virtual Apps Essentials (discontinued)

Other Software Used

BlackBerry Protect (CylancePROTECT), DNSFilter, Rubrik

Verified User

Manager in Information Technology (201-500 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) for the team to be able to connect from their work laptops to our network remotely, no matter where they are in the world. It allows them to connect to our fileserver at all times and means that we can share documentation easily between multiple computers and operating systems. We have around 300 users setup to use the service.

Pros

It does a great job of allowing us to easily connect remotely to our servers from anywhere in the world
It's very easy to use and understand
It saves our login details so we don't have to input them each time

Cons

It would be great if it was easier to be able to access folders within the Parallels environment without logging into Parallels
Occasionally drops connections
More Windows support articles would be great

Return on Investment

It has allowed our team to be more mobile allowing us to increase our productivity by being able to visit multiple sites in one day.
It has decreased the amount of training required for new starters which has helped our business save on time and money as it's so easy to use.
It has increased our team satisfaction through allowing them to work from home and thus increased our overall productivity and team morale.