Microsoft Virtual Server vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Virtual Server and Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Application Virtualization solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Virtual Server vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"I appreciate the ease and speed with which I can set up and manage virtual machines using Microsoft Virtual Server.""The standout features are its seamless network integration, robust data restoration capabilities, and versatile computing functions.""The most valuable feature is the ability to share folders and run Active Directory.""The most valuable features are monitoring, and the self-service that they have for a customized environment.""It has proven to be most effective for workloads associated with running web portals.""Microsoft Virtual Server is user-friendly.""The product provides flexibility.""Microsoft Virtual Server is a stable and easy-to-use solution."

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"Allows us to publish applications accessible by current-generation HTML5 browser or OS-specific client (Windows, Android, iOS), and it supports popular single sign-on and multi-factor authentication protocols.""Simplicity of the interface is a valuable feature.""We can publish apps and desktops on Terminal Servers and seamlessly share printers. We also combine Parallels with Deepnet Security to get two-factor authentication.""It has allowed us to centralize the software location so we don't have to update the software client on 70 computers.""It is a stable solution.""Its price and ease of use are the most valuable. It is simple and has good performance.""Valuable features include the ability to set up security groups for accessing certain apps, and the ability to add apps easily and centrally without touching the servers they’re hosted on.""It permits us to control the applications that our users are able to get to, in a seamless manner. We're able to distribute applications to users' desktops, just like those applications are on each user's computer, but they're not."

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Cons
"The solution should be more user-friendly and cheaper.""The platform’s dashboard features could be better.""The interface should be improved.""Support could always be a bit better.""The product must provide easier rollouts.""Microsoft Virtual Server's cost was an area of concern...I feel Microsoft Virtual Server will be stopped in a couple of months or a couple of years, and it will be completely replaced with SQL Server data warehouse and Microsoft Fabric.""It would be good if the tool's integration improved.""The main thing that could be improved is the licensing cost."

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"It needs Windows scaling on Android/iOS devices. At present, the concept of delivering apps to Android and iOS devices is appealing, but the reality is the screen size on these devices is so small that, unless there is some scaling option, it is not really usable.""The solution's application virtualization feature needs improvement.""We would like the ability to provide a popup message, such as a maintenance notification. That same notification on the Parallels client would be awesome.""The customization of the web interface could possibly use some improvement. Little things, like being able to place a background image instead of just choosing from a palette of colors, would be nice.""Improvement is needed in performance monitoring of the client's endpoint, and automatic re-connection of the client in the event of circuit disruptions (this works well generally but can present challenges).""We have had significant, ongoing issues with printing. It would be great to have a best practice for dealing with printing that we can offer to our customers.""If the solution crashes, then all the customers connected through that agent, lose their session.""HALB is not stable in our environment. When running two HALBs we have stability problems, so we use an active one and a passive for backup. Also, it would be nice to implement an upgrade of the environment without having to stop the servers. As it is, this must be done during off-hours."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The price of this product could be better."
  • "It is an expensive product."
  • "The solution has a yearly license. If we switch to a yearly subscription plan for Microsoft Virtual Server, it would be cheaper in the long run. The price per month would be higher, but the overall cost for the year would be lower."
  • "The solution is very expensive."
  • "The pricing must be improved."
  • "There is no need for me to pay anything towards the solution's licensing costs."
  • "Some of the licensing costs are monthly, and others are yearly."
  • "The cost can also be optimized by changing the size of the implementation."
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  • "The pricing has always been competitive, and the new SPLA licensing model works great for our business and clients."
  • "I think the new pricing is a little bit high. If the price was lower, we could use it for many more customers. If there was one improvement to be made to this product, it would be a small-business version, at a much lower price point."
  • "Work with the vendor, as this is a fairly new product and they want use cases. Deals can be made."
  • "Comparable performance to Citrix for our use case at a significantly lower cost. Pricing is clear and there are relatively few options or other pricing considerations when compared to similar products. Just be sure not to forget the Microsoft licensing that goes along with a Parallels deployment."
  • "Just compare it to Citrix and you will see the value in it."
  • "Pricing is a little steep."
  • "It justifies the price. In terms of licensing, initially when we got the product it was an unlimited licensing strategy. We knew would grow in the coming years. So initially, we took a plan which had no limit. After a year or so the strategy changed and we were being limited to 105 licenses, that was the minimum... If there was flexibility for increasing the number of licenses that would be great because you never know how much you are going to grow in the next year."
  • "We currently use Parallels side-by-side with an Azure cloud-hosted solution. This may be from a lack of product knowledge on my part, but we still need to work out the most effective way to shut down servers outside of hours, thereby reduce hosting costs. I am not entirely convinced Parallels does this well yet."
  • More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Security, integration, and interface are the best features of Microsoft Virtual Server.
    Top Answer:Compared to the other products in the market, I believe that the prices of Microsoft Virtual Server are on the higher side.
    Top Answer:Microsoft Virtual Server has a lot of features like recording manager or failover, which need to be developed since such areas have shortcomings where improvements are required. The pricing and… more »
    Top Answer:The solution is powerful, and it has good speed and performance.
    Top Answer:The product is not expensive. I rate its pricing a three or four out of ten.
    Top Answer:Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is an expensive solution, and its pricing could be improved.
    Ranking
    Views
    228
    Comparisons
    51
    Reviews
    24
    Average Words per Review
    262
    Rating
    8.3
    Views
    822
    Comparisons
    544
    Reviews
    3
    Average Words per Review
    283
    Rating
    8.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Virtual Server, MS Virtual Server
    Parallels RAS
    Learn More
    Parallels
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    Overview
    The most cost-effective server virtualization technology is now available as a free download. Virtual Server is a key component of any server consolidation strategy. Increase hardware utilization and cut power costs while enabling your organization to rapidly configure and deploy new servers.
    ApplicationServer delivers applications, data and virtual desktops from a central location, providing continuous availability, resource-based load-balancing and complete network transparency.
    Sample Customers
    Paylocity, ASELSAN, Sochi Organizing Committee, Supervisor of Elections, Orange County, Florida, Netgem, Nav Canada, The British & Irish Lions
    Arsari Group _ PT Netmarks Indonesia, Izhevsk Elektromekhanicheskiy Zavod (IEMZ) _ Kupol, Abilene Diagnostic Clinic, Fylde Borough Council, YARSTROYREZE LLC, VSK Insurance House, Melenkovsky District of Vladimirskaya Oblast, Sofrigam SA, Antenna International, KingsGate Community Church, Norwegian American Hospital, Island Hotels Group, Medway Council, Medway Council, Voices of September 11th, MacDonald Training Center, Kansas Childrenês Service League, Scope,Next Generation Clubs, WTC Communications, Opera Australia, HSE Integrated, Danier, Bridgwater College, Kern County Mental Health, Tony Tiendas, Spears Manufacturing, Managed Insurance Services Inc., Intuitive Medical Software, M.J. Soffe, Mazda Motors, Israel Military Industries (IMI), Telfair, Upic Solutions, Teleflora, Fisher & Company
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Energy/Utilities Company14%
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Insurance Company9%
    REVIEWERS
    Government15%
    Construction Company15%
    University15%
    Local Government8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Comms Service Provider10%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Government8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business53%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise29%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business52%
    Midsize Enterprise8%
    Large Enterprise40%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise56%
    Buyer's Guide
    Microsoft Virtual Server vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Virtual Server vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Microsoft Virtual Server is ranked 3rd in Application Virtualization with 31 reviews while Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is ranked 5th in Application Virtualization with 24 reviews. Microsoft Virtual Server is rated 8.2, while Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is rated 8.8. The top reviewer of Microsoft Virtual Server writes "Has a good interface but needs to improve in areas like pricing and scalability". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) writes "Provides good scalability and a secure environment". Microsoft Virtual Server is most compared with , whereas Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is most compared with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service), Citrix Workspace, VMware Workstation and NVIDIA GRID. See our Microsoft Virtual Server vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) report.

    See our list of best Application Virtualization vendors.

    We monitor all Application Virtualization reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.