Sandeep_Patil - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Consultant at Vincacyber
Consultant
Top 10
Easy to implement and offers good remote desktop features but needs more granular policy control
Pros and Cons
  • "It's largely stable."
  • "We'd like more granular security control of the desktop services."

What is our primary use case?

We use it on the customer side. We use the product as remote desktop services. 

What is most valuable?

We've been satisfied with the product overall. 

The remote desktop features are great. It allows users to work remotely. We can take a remote session on the server.

It's largely stable.

The solution is easy to implement. 

What needs improvement?

We'd like more granular security control of the desktop services. Right now, we have a third-party solution that does this. 

We need to control via group policies. We need to be able to implement these policies in a simpler way in order to control users in a more granular way.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution since 2010. I've used it for over ten years. 

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
768,886 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is mostly stable. I'd rate the stability five out of ten. We are not able to control or protect without group policies. With a better ability to make policies, it will become stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have not attempted to scale the solution. We're using it for on-premises reasons only. All the customers are here. 

How are customer service and support?

We do not contact technical support directly. We simply rely on Google and seek out our own answers if needed.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have used different solutions in the past. We found it was easier to centralize control and maintain better security with it. 

How was the initial setup?

For the most part, it is easy to implement. However, the management is dependent on group policies. 

How many people you need to deploy the solution depends on the size of the environment required. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm not aware of the exact pricing. I work on the implementation side. 

What other advice do I have?

We had been working as a partner for Microsoft.

I'd rate the solution five out of ten.

Microsoft needs one centralized console to manage all of its components. That would make it better. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Abul Fazal - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Delivery Manager at Almoayyed Computers
Real User
Top 10
Highly secure, easy to configure, and straightforward installation
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is its security and simple configuration."
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is its security and simple configuration."

What is our primary use case?

We have many customers that are using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for publishing internal applications through the services. The process involves virtualizing applications for internal and external users and making them accessible through Microsoft Remote Desktop Services and reverse proxy services. By doing so, users can indirectly access the applications without logging into the server directly. The solution is used mostly for external company users.

How has it helped my organization?

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services has helped the security posture of the organization by not exposing its internal applications. instead of giving internal direct access to their internal apps. They give access to only a secondary server with limited access to internal applications.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is its security and simple configuration.

What needs improvement?

The solution can improve the policies of the solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for approximately 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is scalable, we are able to have more licenses or increase the load if needed.

How are customer service and support?

The solution is straightforward and we have not had any problems needing to contact support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have not used a similar solution to Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is simple. It only takes a few clicks of the mouse to complete.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is reasonable. The solution can come for free for some clients with certain agreements.

What other advice do I have?

For customers who already have the Microsoft EA framework, the license for enhancing internal security when publishing web and internal applications to both internal and external users is readily available. By using this feature, customers can ensure that their applications remain secure without compromising access to their users. This eliminates the need for direct access, thereby enhancing the overall security of their systems.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Microsoft Remote Desktop Services an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
768,886 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Manager at Macro Systems Limited
Real User
Top 5
Reliable, simple implementation, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is stable and reliable."
  • "Microsoft Remote Desktop Services could improve by having graphical acceleration."

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services could improve by having graphical acceleration.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is stable and reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is good.

How are customer service and support?

I have not needed to call the support from Microsoft Remote Desktop Services because the solution is easy to use.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have previously used other solutions, such as Citrix and VMware. Citrix is the best choice of the ones I have tried.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is very easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft Remote Desktop Services an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
CEO at Value Assets Management Pvt Ltd
Real User
Easily integrates with other Microsoft products, is stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "I give the stability a nine out of ten."
  • "We encounter challenges with portability, especially for users of iOS devices."

What is our primary use case?

We predominantly use Microsoft Remote Desktop Services to access our server. Our team works remotely and needs to log in to perform tasks such as billing. We had two options: either use our existing internal infrastructure or move to the cloud. However, we also required remote printing services so that team members could print from their local desktops. To achieve this, we implemented terminal printing services, VPN, and remote desktop. The purpose was to enable both on-site and remote team members to perform billing tasks, invoicing, and tracking truck movement.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services meets all our requirements.

What needs improvement?

We encounter challenges with portability, especially for users of iOS devices. It becomes particularly difficult for us to manage if both ends have iOS devices, whereas having the same infrastructure with Microsoft Windows environments on both ends works seamlessly. The licensing of iOS presents problems for third-party integration and has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for eight months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I give the stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I give the scalability an eight out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. We activated the solution smoothly and completed the deployment within a day. Beforehand, the distributor's tech team came to discuss our network and gain an understanding of everything. It took them a day to configure the solution. Although everything went smoothly thereafter, we encountered some initial challenges. Specifically, we faced issues connecting to the local and remote printers, as printing services were not functioning properly. To address this, we worked on it for a day and met our requirements within two to three days. It's worth noting that the solution isn't entirely plug-and-play, and there are challenges that require mitigation.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house with the help of the distributor techs.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost is fair.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a ten out of ten.

We have around 70 people using the solution within our Accounting, Billing, and Sales departments.

I recommend Microsoft Remote Desktop Services to others.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Head of Infrastructure and Application Support Department at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Straightforward with a good user interface and an easy setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution works well as a remote desktop."
  • "The pricing could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for security purposes. For example, blocking copy-paste.

What is most valuable?

The solution works well as a remote desktop. 

The security is good. It can block copy-paste attempts. 

It's a straightforward product.

The user interface is good. It's just a plain Windows interface. It's easy to understand. 

It is very easy to set up.

What needs improvement?

There isn't any feature missing.

I don't like Windows too much. The whole idea of the remote desktop is nonsense in the Unix world.

The pricing could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for 20 years. I've used it for two decades or so. It's been used by me for a long time. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

While the solution is stable, it is sometimes slow. I'd rate the stability at eight out of ten. It is mostly reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Windows isn't really scalable. I'd rate it six out of ten in terms of scalability.

We use the solution enterprise-wide. We likely have 100 people using it. We do not have plans to increase usage.

How are customer service and support?

I've never used technical support in the past.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Citrix in the past as well. I used it for different use cases. We like Microsoft for its small-scale simplicity. It is not VDI, per se. It's just a remote desktop.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple and straightforward. The product is very simple. 

Its deployment only takes a half-day. The software makes everything very easy. you just buy the license and install it. I'm not very technical and therefore don't know all of the steps. 

One person who is knowledgeable can handle the initial setup. Typically, it doesn't require anyone with high skill levels. 

What about the implementation team?

We can handle the setup ourselves. 

What was our ROI?

The ROI isn't the best as it is a pretty expensive product. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

You do need to pay for a license and it is expensive. We have a perpetual license. The more users you have the more expensive it can be.

What other advice do I have?

We are using the latest version of the solution. We are using the solution that comes with the Windows Server between 2019 and 2022.

I'd recommend the solution to others. 

I would rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Akos Szirmai - PeerSpot reviewer
Application Development Specialist at Field consulting Ltd.
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Easy to use, enables remote work, and establishes a simple funnel to servers
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to use."
  • "The stability could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I needed the solution to connect to a service. I need fixed IPs. When I'm working from home, I have a dynamic IP. One of our clients has opened a server with a fixed IP for us. We connect to the server using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution makes remote work possible. It has made my life easier because I don't have to travel. I can use it from anywhere.

What is most valuable?

I did not face any problems with the product’s performance. It is stable. The solution is easy to use. The application publishing feature is simple. The tool establishes a simple funnel to the server.

What needs improvement?

The stability could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for 1.5 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool’s stability a 9 out of 10.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is not an issue.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. The deployment took 10 minutes. I can do the deployment myself. The deployment was not very hard because the tool is part of Windows. We need to set up some parameters with the remote server. They are quite simple steps. I received credentials from the server operator and used them as parameters during the setup. We can reach all the physical servers using the tool.

What was our ROI?

The tool enables me to work without traveling.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We do not have to pay for the product.

What other advice do I have?

I don't know whether setting up a two-factor authentication in the product is possible. It is quite simple to access the remote server if the setup is done properly. Overall, I rate the product a 9 out of 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Paul Robbertze - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Support Manager at It Outsourced
Real User
Top 5
An easy-to-install and easy-to-use solution with a high a capacity of RAM
Pros and Cons
  • "The installation of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services was easy."
  • "The biggest reason we don't use the solution for our company's clients is the solution's prices."

What is our primary use case?

My company uses Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for our company's accounting software, which doesn't have a cloud solution. In our company, we deployed a server with the help of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

What is most valuable?

The solution's most valuable feature is that it's a technology that we are familiar with in our company. Microsoft Remote Desktop Services has been around since Windows NT 4 domain, making it a very familiar solution. It was easy to find a lot of clients familiar with the idea of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services since it was not a new concept to them. In general, the solution tends to work well. It is an easy-to-use solution.

What needs improvement?

The biggest reason we don't use the solution for our company's clients is the solution's prices. In our company, we do our own hosting through a hosting partner since this method offers a much cheaper price. Finding entry-level servers that are limited in the IOPS is frustrating. In our company, we feel quite restricted on the speed that we can get out of the entry-level type of service that we use, making it difficult to sell the solution, especially when clients compare the cloud solution to an on-premises solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for five to six years. I work at an IT support company that resells, implements, and offers support for Microsoft products.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

My company is happy with the stability of the solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I think it's a very scalable product. The product's scalability depends on how big our company's clients are, so it is not an area we need to worry about since you can use its gateway server for different servers.

My company works with small and medium-sized businesses using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support doesn't get covered under Office 365.

My experience with other Microsoft support, apart from Office 365, has not been that fantastic since I remember being quite shocked using the solution.

I haven't used support for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

How was the initial setup?

The installation of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services was easy.

The installation of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services takes around four hours.

The solution is deployed on the cloud and on-premises.

A single technician is involved with the deployment part of the product in our company.

What was our ROI?

In our company, we consider Microsoft Remote Desktop Services as more of an added service than something that generates income for us. We do make a little bit of income with the help of the solution, but most of all, it's just a value-added service that the product provides for our company. Our company won't get rich by selling Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is expensive. My company pays toward the monthly licensing costs of the solution, though we also have the option to opt for perpetual licensing offered by Microsoft. Microsoft licensing models are quite complex, so we tend to use a monthly subscription-based model in our company.

The additional cost, apart from the solution's licensing cost, is related to the technical support a user wants.

What other advice do I have?

Though not a lot, some maintenance is required for the solution. One person can do the maintenance of the solution.

I would tell those planning to use the solution not to underspec the server, especially with IOPS, while keeping in mind that the amount of RAM can be more than expected. I would say that the need for a VPN, owing to security reasons, is important.

I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Head, Technical Operation at mynic
Real User
Good features, fair pricing, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the way it can assess our system."
  • "We'd like them to continue to improve on security."

What is our primary use case?

The product helps assess our system.

What is most valuable?

I like the way it can assess our system. 

The features it has already serves or needs.

The initial setup is very simple. 

It is quite stable. 

The product offers good pricing.

Technical support has been helpful. 

What needs improvement?

I don't need any other new features. It works well as it is. 

We'd like them to continue to improve on security. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for quite some time. It's been around ten years or so.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable. 

I'd rate the stability seven out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Our system is on Windows, and we need to scale very little. As far as we're concerned, it scales enough for us. We have about 20 users on the solution currently.

How are customer service and support?

We use Microsoft 365, and if we have any issues, we contact support that covers that. We've been satisfied overall with the level of support we get. I have no complaints. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We are also using TeamViewer. It targets different areas from Remote Desktop. For example, it allows others to access your system - not you. They each serve different purposes. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is great it's very simple and straightforward. I do not find it to be complex at all. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is good. I'd rate it five out of five in terms of affordability.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and end-user. 

I seldom use the product; however, for me, it works exactly as I need it to. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.