it_user879249 - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Administrator at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Easy to install agent, publish apps, but doesn't enable me to see what app a user is using
Pros and Cons
  • "Ease of use in publishing apps and installing the agent. The Interface is fairly intuitive after some tinkering. Although I inherited the app only two-thirds deployed, I was able to complete the deployment and service it over the last year without referring to any documentation."
  • "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."
  • "Opening a ticket should be available from the actual RAS console. It is cumbersome to go to a portal, hunt around for five minutes for a link to open a ticket, answer questions meant to direct you towards FAQs instead of live support, then fill out information (license #, version #, etc.) which could more easily be supplied by sending a ticket straight from the console with all of that information automatically specified."
  • "Currently in the RD Session Hosts – Sessions section, I can see what server a user is logged into but not what app he is using. Being able to do so would be immensely helpful when a non-technical user is complaining of issues, but I can’t tell which app he is using, and he is actually logged into multiple servers since they serve multiple apps."

What is our primary use case?

Remote app.

How has it helped my organization?

Enables deployment of remote apps from a central location.

What is most valuable?

Ease of use in publishing apps and installing the agent. The Interface is fairly intuitive after some tinkering. Although I inherited the app only two-thirds deployed, I was able to complete the deployment and service it over the last year without referring to any documentation.

Other valuable features include the ability to set up security groups for accessing certain apps, the ability to add apps easily and centrally without touching the servers they’re hosted on. There are other features which we have not taken advantage of yet, but I’m sure will prove useful.

What needs improvement?

  • Customer support
  • Ease of end-user use

Opening a ticket should be available from the actual RAS console. It is cumbersome to go to a portal, hunt around for five minutes for a link to open a ticket, answer questions meant to direct you towards FAQs instead of live support, then fill out information (license #, version #, etc.) which could more easily be supplied by sending a ticket straight from the console with all of that information automatically specified.

Currently in the RD Session Hosts – Sessions section, I can see what server a user is logged into but not what app he is using. Being able to do so would be immensely helpful when a non-technical user is complaining of issues, but I can’t tell which app he is using, and he is actually logged into multiple servers since they serve multiple apps.

Buyer's Guide
Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
770,141 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues with stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues with scalability.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate my experience with tech support as "middling" - difficult to open a ticket, and support is located on the opposite side of the world, so schedules don't mesh.

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

Work with the vendor, as this is a fairly new product and they want use cases. Deals can be made.

What other advice do I have?

Test extensively, especially with custom-built apps, as these can have issues, though overall the experience is smooth.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
it_user881112 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator
Real User
Robust, provides multiple users with access to multiple programs without lag
Pros and Cons
  • "It is robust. We have some 75 users using it and it doesn't lag. It's very speedy."
  • "Since I've been here less than a year, I have had to upgrade the system three times. The first time was the major upgrade but they have upgraded twice since, and I think that's too many times in that time span."

What is our primary use case?

We needed to access multiple programs, for multiple users, and it's like a virtual session that does that.

How has it helped my organization?

We would not be able to function without it.

What is most valuable?

It is robust. We have some 75 users using it and it doesn't lag. It's very speedy.

What needs improvement?

One area which I would say needs a lot of improvement: Since I've been here less than a year, I have had to upgrade the system three times. The first time was the major upgrade but they have upgraded twice since, and I think that's too many times in that time span. I'm the only one doing IT, so I have over 75 users that I actually have to touch every time they upgrade, which is a lot of work.

I would roll up the updates in a group, rather than as they come out.

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I encountered an issue with stability once, with licensing. For some odd reason, after I upgraded to the current version, the 15.2, it lost its license, so I had to get a temporary license to get my users up and running. They had to figure out why I couldn't hold on to my current license that I had just bought.

When it's stable, it's stable. I would say 90 to close to 100 percent of the time it's stable, it's right on the mark. When it goes down, since my whole user community uses it, every user in my company is down. When it's working, it's working great and I don't get any phone calls. When it's down, everyone in the company, as I said, is down, they only have email. Every other software package goes through the Parallel, so it's a big impact.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is pretty good. There's a small delay, but that could be the server, the amount that we're pushing through it. But it's pretty good in scalability.

How is customer service and technical support?

Tech support seems good, and they seem very accommodating in time. Whatever time I want to work on it, they are there.

How was the initial setup?

Tech support helped me upgrade it to the current version. It was pretty much straightforward.

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

Pricing is a little steep, but I really couldn't go to anyone else because it is so integrated into our system.

What other advice do I have?

Do your homework. Call, see if you can speak to three customers who use it and get their opinion. Also get three different quotes, or three similar products, and see how they work.

I would rate it an eight out of 10. As I said, when it's stable it's stable, it's very good. I find in the last year there were just too many upgrades. I still have an upgrade facing me now, and I haven't upgraded the main server because that means I have to go around to all the workstations.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
770,141 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Manager at a recruiting/HR firm with 51-200 employees
Real User
Facilitates publishing applications to groups of users by integrating with Active Directory
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the ease with which you can publish applications to different groups of users, by integrating with Windows Active Directory."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use it for remote application installation in Terminal Servers.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Maintenance of software versions has been greatly simplified, ensuring that all users are using the same version of applications.

    What is most valuable?

    The ease with which you can publish applications to different groups of users, by integrating with Windows Active Directory.

    What needs improvement?

    All areas of the product could be improved especially for the IT department, facilitating the deployment of applications and their maintenance. They also need to offer more options, flexibility, and to keep the price as low as possible.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    More than five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    We have encountered stability issues at times, but they have been resolved with updates.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    No issues with scalability.

    How is customer service and technical support?

    Technical support is quite good. I would rate it at eight out of 10.

    How was the initial setup?

    Straightforward. Our vendor did it.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We evaluated Microsoft RemoteApp, but it was more expensive and more difficult to configure.

    What other advice do I have?

    Make sure the initial installation is done by a vendor.

    Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
    PeerSpot user
    PeerSpot user
    Manager of System Security at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
    Consultant
    I have been using 2X for a while...

    It almost two years that I have been familiar with 2X ApplicationServer XG.
    2X ApplicationServer XG is one the best and easiest software to implement a Private Cloud organization.
    Your users will simply get use to it and work with it.
    You can reduce your network support costs up to 80 percent.
    2X is quick and easy to install.
    With a variety of devices compatibility such as smart phones, tablets, Facebook apps, thin clients & ... users can make use of it.
    It is the best tool for teleworking.
    R&D Group of 2X is ever expanding and enhancing its facilities.
    Cost and feature comparison of 2X Application Server vs Citrix XenApp 6:
    http://lukenbaugh.com/archives/271
    Unfortunately 2x prices in the Middle East region is 25 percent higher than world prices, and it is incomprehensible for me!

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Solution consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
    Consultant
    Good price, good performance, and easy to use
    Pros and Cons
    • "Its price and ease of use are the most valuable. It is simple and has good performance."
    • "Generally, it is a very good solution. The main thing that I would improve is their presence here in Mexico. They don't have strong local support here in Mexico. They should have a worldwide presence so that we don't have to do everything through the people in the US. The initial setup was a little bit complex because we were migrating from Citrix. For customers who are migrating from another platform like VMware or Citrix, it would be great if they can provide an automated migration solution."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are using it through the ProLiant ERP solution.

    What is most valuable?

    Its price and ease of use are the most valuable. It is simple and has good performance.

    What needs improvement?

    Generally, it is a very good solution. The main thing that I would improve is their presence here in Mexico. They don't have strong local support here in Mexico. They should have a worldwide presence so that we don't have to do everything through the people in the US. 

    The initial setup was a little bit complex because we were migrating from Citrix. For customers who are migrating from another platform, such as VMware or Citrix, it would be great if they can provide an automated migration solution.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution for two months.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Its stability is very good.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Its scalability is good. We have around 30 users.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Their technical support is very good. I would rate them a ten out of ten.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup was a little bit complex because we were migrating from Citrix, but we got help from them all the time. The deployment took about two days.

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

    It is very affordable.

    What other advice do I have?

    To use it, it is important that you have a requirement to deploy on the cloud. It is not the right solution for on-premises deployments. It is the right solution for cloud deployments. It has a very affordable price and the highest capabilities. It is really good.

    I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    it_user4266 - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT Administrator at a local government with 501-1,000 employees
    Vendor
    Great Product - does anybody run Terminal Server without 2X (-:

    Valuable Features:

    very good value for money easy administration sehr stabile Product painless Application deployment

    Room for Improvement:

    delegation in 2X Console currently accepts User Accounts only, please Add delegation for AD Groups.We started with 2X App Server Version 6. The development of the 2X App Server made many Great steps (eg. Universal Printing, Universal Scanning, VDI and so on). In our current environment, we use 2X to bring the different Apps from our TS Farm (6 Terminalservers - 2 Gateways) to our Users. Our users distributet over about 15 Sites and all Applications are hosted in our Main-Site. I never had any big Problems with 2X. It does what it should, it works! Support Team at 2X does a realy good Job. The Documentation is o.k. but in the Blog there are really good tips. Updates on the 2X Server are painless at all. Thank you 2X for such a great Product that makes my work much easier!

    Other Advice:

    If you have Terminalservers (or Remote Desktop Session Host) and you haven't 2X, then go buy it.
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Managing Director at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
    Real User
    Great HTML5 Client makes it easy to work outside the office
    Pros and Cons
    • "The stability is ok - once I finished the setup, the system was quite stable."
    • "Sometimes you need to understand how to use load balancing and the gateway in order to scale, which means the team may need some additional technical knowledge."

    What is our primary use case?

    My main use is for remote control for enterprise applications. 

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable feature is the HTML 5 Client, which makes it convenient to work from outside the office.

    What needs improvement?

    In the next release, I would like to have two-factor authentication with Microsoft.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been working with this solution for six to seven years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability is ok - once I finished the setup, the system was quite stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It is scalable, but sometimes you need to understand how to use load balancing and the gateway in order to scale, which means the team may need some additional technical knowledge.

    How was the initial setup?

    The setup is simple and took a few days. 

    What about the implementation team?

    I implemented using an in-house team. 

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

    I don't like the subscription model because it feels like I have to pay every month. If Parallels could go back to the professional license, it would be much better.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate this solution as nine 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
    it_user4314 - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT Administrator at a government with 501-1,000 employees
    Vendor
    Very fast, easy to setup and manage.

    Valuable Features:

    Very fast, easy to setup and manage. Works great on Android and IOS. Amazing.

    Room for Improvement:

    None that I can find. So far this product is working great.
    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 Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: April 2024
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.