5 Ways Parallels RAS Enables WFH Faster Than Citrix

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way we think about the workplace. The initial scramble to craft remote work situations has evolved into a long-term strategic challenge to deploy work from home (WFH) solutions.

According to a recent study,  34% of companies believe that 40% or more of their employees will remain remote up to a year after the end of the pandemic.

Organizations without remote work options had to adapt quickly in 2020—a painful, problematic process if they did not have the correct infrastructure in place. If hybrid and remote work models become the new normal, companies must enable WFH solutions quickly and efficiently.

Now is the time to plan ahead for long-term remote work options. The right virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution can allow your company to provide employees with consistent, unobstructed access to internal resources and applications on any device, from any location.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is one of the biggest names in the VDI space, used by organizations of all sizes. But many companies may not realize that there’s an easier, quicker WFH solution out there: Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS). In this article, we’ll explain five ways that Parallels RAS can enable faster, more effective WFH environments than Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (formerly XenDesktop).

1. Parallels RAS Can Be Up and Running in a Few Hours—Not Weeks or Months

A Citrix setup requires the installation and maintenance of multiple components. In addition, each product requires a separate configuration. The time it takes to set up and configure interrelated Citrix products increases management efforts and can hinder deployment time. A Citrix installation and deployment can take weeks or even months—time most organizations can’t afford to waste.

The complexity of installing, deploying, and managing a Citrix infrastructure may also require specialized training for your IT administration team. The other alternative is hiring third-party Citrix specialists. Both options increase the total cost of ownership (TCO) for a Citrix environment.

Parallels RAS streamlines the deployment of your application and desktop delivery solution with an easy, wizard-driven installation process. A complete Parallels RAS setup can be installed and configured in no more than a few hours. There’s no need to pay for expensive administrator training or hire costly specialists.

Centralized management from a single console simplifies the deployment of all components. Administrators can manage and scale the complete IT infrastructure needed for your virtual applications and desktop delivery from the Parallels RAS Console. This makes it easy to monitor resources, manage connected devices, define security policies and publish applications and desktops with VDI, Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH), and integration with Azure Virtual Desktop and Remote PC.

Parallels RAS simplifies and enhances Azure Virtual Desktop capabilities by configuring all virtual workloads and resources from a single, centralized console. With task automation, configuration wizards, and customizable tools, IT teams spend less time managing deployments and have more time to focus on other business-critical projects.

2. Parallels RAS Can Scale from Dozens to Thousands of Users Overnight

Scaling up or down as resources and demands grow or diminish is a critical factor in business growth and success. With Parallels RAS, you can scale IT infrastructure on demand without increasing your costs or decreasing your performance.

The COVID-19 pandemic taught businesses the importance of having the right technology in place to plan for potentially massive disruptions at a moment’s notice. If disruptions occur, Parallels RAS helps maintain business continuity and productivity.

The Parallels RAS infrastructure is deployed centrally and configured from the Parallels RAS Console. It provides auto-scaling and auto-provisioning of resources based on predefined Parallels RAS Templates to maintain consistent application performance. With over 130 image optimizations available, administrators can build a virtualization solution that is cost-effective and simple to scale.

These features allow you to scale resources easily to meet the demands of WFH and in-office environments, from dozens to thousands of users in a single day. This includes adding servers and desktops to your resource pool when demand increases.

When you add new servers or gateways to the Parallels RAS setup, its auto-scaling functionality means you don’t have to reconfigure components manually. As a result, you’ll reduce management tasks while optimizing performance and improving user experience (UX). The auto-scaling feature can add or remove virtual desktops depending on your predefined workload thresholds.

3. Parallels RAS Is Built on a Simplified yet Robust Infrastructure

A Citrix infrastructure includes many interdependent components, and an issue with one component can negatively impact other elements in the infrastructure. Even seemingly simple problems, such as log-in issues, can come from one of many components, including the delivery controller, XML broker, session host or active directory.

Virtualization technology should be a means to simplify business operations rather than introducing new, complex software. The simplified, centralized infrastructure of Parallels RAS accelerates the debugging of issues should they occur. Like Citrix, Parallels also offers 24/7 support, ensuring that your needs are covered even during off-hours.

Free online training and certification courses are also available through the Parallels Partner Program. They provide the necessary knowledge, skills and tools so third-party providers can provide advanced support themselves to effectively address customer needs.

4. Parallels RAS Makes It Easier for Employees to Get Work Done

Virtual applications and desktops are only useful if they provide a great UX. Issues such as slow log-in times, application and desktop launch failures, and session disconnects result in a lot of downtime and can make end users hesitant to embrace your WFH solution.

For example, whenever a user must wait for a log-in to process, a session to unfreeze, or an application to launch, it creates downtime in which the user can’t get work done. In a large organization with numerous users, downtime caused by issues can add up quickly, creating a domino effect of lost productivity. When users can’t complete their tasks, it delays all succeeding processes—including the delivery of your products and services.

Parallels RAS makes it easy for employees to access internal applications and resources using their preferred OS and device and provides an excellent UX on mobile devices. There’s no need to download applications and customize settings on every device they might use for work. This makes it easy to switch between in-office and remote work without sacrificing security or productivity.

With many organizations planning to implement a hybrid work environment in the future, Parallels RAS helps employees have access to everything they need to do their jobs, whether they’re working from home or at the office. There’s no need to invest in multiple devices so that users have one for work and one for home—employees can use their preferred device and toggle between available devices effortlessly.

Wherever your employees work, secure access to resources is key to a consistent UX. Parallels RAS provides fast, reliable and straightforward access to applications and desktops from any device, anywhere. This includes mobile devices, allowing users to stay productive while on the go.

In addition to providing full desktop functionality, Parallels RAS supports native touch gestures such as swipe, drag, pinch-to-zoom and tap-to-click. The UX is intuitive and consistent across any device, transforming any desktop application into a mobile app. This means users will spend less time trying to navigate a new system, which maximizes your time and resources.

5. Parallels RAS Is an All-in-One Solution with a Simple Pricing Model

When it comes to enabling WFH, analyzing and comparing different product editions and licensing models is a complicated, time-consuming process. With Citrix, you’ll have to sort through a range of products and product editions. This requires you to carefully review complicated feature matrixes to find one that best meets your requirements. If you select an edition that provides more than you need, you risk overpaying for unused features, but selecting an edition that doesn’t meet all your requirements can hinder business operations.

Citrix subscription models differ for on-premises and cloud services. If your organization is looking to offer a hybrid work environment, the most expensive edition is required. There’s no all-in-one license option with Citrix. The total number of acquired licenses impacts the monthly price-per-user average. In addition, not all available features are part of the base package, which can require you to spend more to get the features you need.

Parallels RAS is an all-in-one solution that offers a single, full-featured edition with concurrent user licensing. Concurrent user licensing allows companies to operate using a pay-as-you-go licensing model. There’s no need to analyze multiple editions to determine which one meets your needs. In fact, a recent use case demonstrates how companies can save up to 60% in subscription costs when choosing Parallels RAS over Citrix.

The single product edition of Parallels RAS includes all enterprise-level features. You get everything you need in a VDI solution—such as load balancing, reporting, user-session management, and more—without costly add-ons or hidden fees.

Parallels RAS Provides an Unparalleled VDI Solution

Organizations must invest in the right technology and tools for a successful workforce mobility strategy. Unlike many VDI solutions, Parallels RAS can be easily deployed and administered in-house without the need for expensive third-party support. It can be up and running in hours—not weeks or months—enabling WFH quickly so your organization can be productive right away.

With Parallels RAS, users can access secure virtual workspaces from anywhere, at any time, on any device. Thanks to its centralized IT infrastructure management, Parallels RAS provides remote workspaces that are secure, easy to deploy, and contain all the resources and applications that end users need. All of this is offered through an affordable, scalable, all-in-one solution, with no hidden fees or expensive third-party add-ons.

Experience the difference for yourself. Download a free, 30-day, fully-functional Parallels RAS trial to see how it enables WFH capabilities quickly and easily.