“Parallels RAS delivers the functionality we relied on with Citrix, but through a simpler management experience and at roughly half the licensing cost.”

Transdev Netherlands IT Team

The challenge

Transdev Netherlands operates bus, taxi, and ambulance services across the country. Employees working from offices, workshops, and remote locations depend on secure access to business-critical systems every day. Those systems include Microsoft Office, internally developed applications built with Delphi, C#, .NET, C, and VB.NET, SaaS applications, and legacy Citrix-published applications. Supporting this diverse application portfolio without disrupting users was a key requirement for the migration.

Its Citrix deployment had reached the point where another major upgrade had become difficult to justify. Rather than reinvesting in an increasingly expensive platform, the IT team looked for an alternative that could deliver the same core capabilities while reducing ongoing administration and licensing costs.

Keeping existing infrastructure was just as important as choosing the right software. Hundreds of Wyse thin clients were already deployed across the business, and some teams still relied on legacy Windows systems. Replacing the hardware would introduce unnecessary cost and management overhead.

Transdev set out to find a platform that could:

  • Replace its aging Citrix environment while preserving familiar functionality
  • Continue using existing Wyse thin clients
  • Manage applications, desktops, gateways, and session hosts from one console
  • Improve application launch times and user login times
  • Support both Remote Desktop Services and VDI workloads
  • Grow alongside future user migrations

The solution

Evaluating alternatives before choosing Parallels RAS

Several options were considered, including a newer Citrix deployment, Liquit, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, and Azure Virtual Desktop.

Parallels RAS stood out because it met the technical requirements without forcing major infrastructure changes.

The team completed a proof of concept in about one week, supporting around 30 users running published applications and desktops. After a successful two-month evaluation, Transdev moved the platform into production. During the migration, Parallels RAS also allowed Transdev to continue delivering legacy Citrix-published applications alongside new Parallels-published resources, making it easier to transition users gradually rather than requiring a single cutover.

Today, employees across offices, workshops, development teams, and remote locations use Parallels RAS to access the applications they need. Depending on their role, users either launch a single streamed application from a Wyse thin client, work in a full Remote Desktop session, or access multiple published applications within the same session.

The deployment integrates with VMware, AWS, Windows Server Remote Desktop Session Hosts, Wyse thin clients, and FSLogix. Users access Microsoft Office, internally developed business applications, SaaS applications, published Windows applications, and full remote desktops through the same environment. Administrators manage applications before publishing, virtual desktops, session hosts, templates, scaling, and licensing from a single console instead of switching between multiple tools.

Around 250 production users currently rely on the platform, with approximately 150 concurrent sessions. That number continues to grow as additional departments move away from Citrix. Once the migration is complete, Transdev expects to support between 650 and 700 concurrent sessions.

The results

Lower costs, less administration, and a platform ready to grow

Replacing Citrix gave Transdev a licensing advantage while also reducing day-to-day administration while allowing the company to keep infrastructure that was already working well.

Licensing costs reduced by about 50%

Compared to its previous Citrix deployment, Transdev estimates licensing costs are roughly half what they were before.

One place to manage the environment

Applications, desktops, gateways, connection brokers, session hosts, templates, and licensing are all administered through a single management console. Routine administration now requires fewer moving parts.

Existing hardware continues to deliver value

Wyse thin clients remain in service across the organization, avoiding unnecessary hardware replacement and protecting previous investments.

Remote access for every work location

Office staff, developers, and workshop employees securely connect to the applications or full remote desktops they need, whether they're on-site or working remotely.

Easier growth as demand increases

VMware template integration and automated Remote Desktop Session Host deployment make it easier to add capacity as more users migrate from Citrix.

Simpler licensing administration

Parallels RAS uses an all-in-one licensing model that’s easier for IT to manage than the company’s previous approach.

The migration continues as additional users move from Citrix to Parallels RAS. With the platform already supporting Remote Desktop Services, VDI workloads, published Windows applications, SaaS access, and legacy application delivery throughout the migration, Transdev has the flexibility to expand without redesigning its application delivery strategy.

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