"The upgrade to Parallels RAS was quick and easy with a very fast migration, allowing our office to focus on supporting our customers, not our IT."

Martijn Lafeber
Operations Manager

The ChallengeImplement a solution that enhances Microsoft RDS allowing for ease of use and minimal management.

Aragorn had previously implemented remote desktop and application delivery through Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) as a standalone solution. Although Microsoft RDS delivered solid performance, it struggled in scalability, load balancing, printing redirection and web and mobile access.

Even with Easy Print, Microsoft RDS was cumbersome and unable to provide a seamless printing experience to users. Recurring tasks such as re-configuring the client group policy, adding missing printer drivers and updating client software increased the workload of the company’s IT staff.

Aragorn found that when the RDS server reached full capacity, no further users could log in. To increase capacity, a new server had to be spooled, configured and patched, which was very time consuming. While network load balancing (NLB) was used to balance network traffic, it did not track the health of the gateway service, reducing the reliability of access to published applications and desktops.

Microsoft RDS enabled web and mobile access to published applications and desktops, but the performance was still not at the standard the organization required to provide a seamless experience to its users.

The TestWhat all-in-one solution could enhance RDS performance without being too expensive?

As a leader in the ICT field, Aragorn needed customers and employees to securely access their applications and desktops without limits on location or device.

To address these limitations, the organization needed an all-in-one solution that could enhance Microsoft RDS performance at an affordable price.

Aragorn teamed up with Parallels, a global leader in cross-platform solutions, to test out Parallels RAS. By using Microsoft RDS and Parallels RAS in tandem, Aragorn reduced expenses and provided proper support for users across all devices.

The SolutionParallels RAS chosen for cost-savings, reduced hardware investment, and elimination of expensive consultations.

Parallels RAS was chosen by Aragorn after a thorough research of industry- leading options for virtual application and remote desktop delivery. Compared to more costly, complex virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) options such as Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Parallels RAS lowered costs and enabled Aragorn to reduce hardware investment. Aragorn also eliminated the need for expensive consultations and third-party add-ons.

Parallels RAS offers a brilliant, all-in-one VDI solution that includes simple patching and updates to clones, load balancing, automatic configuration of clients and ready-to go shadowing features that make technical support easy for administrators as well as end users.

As a full-featured virtual desktop and applications delivery solution, Parallels RAS offered an outstanding experience for remote desktop delivery and application virtualization on web and mobile devices. The out-of-the-box technical features of Parallels RAS, along with choose-your-own device (CYOD) support, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) support, and cost-effective licensing made it a simple and practical solution for Aragorn.

The ResultsReduced total cost of ownership (TCO) and the need for support and external consulting.

After improving Microsoft RDS with Parallels RAS capabilities, Aragorn was immediately impressed by the pace of the delivery of applications and desktops. Their IT team was very happy about the quick and simple setup, with lightning-fast performance improvements—all without complex configuration, third party add-ons or expensive professional services.

Parallels RAS is straightforward to deploy, configure and maintain, enabling users to migrate to and access applications quicker and more efficiently than expected. After upgrading to Parallels RAS, Aragorn reduced the total cost of ownership (TCO) with straightforward licensing, increases in load balancing efficiency and a reduced need for support and external consulting. Their clients welcome the full mobile functionality and improved assistance options.

The Parallels RAS comprehensive remote application environment provided Aragorn with a level of performance and efficiency previously unattainable. This alone would have been a significant improvement, but combined with reductions in TCO, Aragorn is very pleased with their decision to enhance Microsoft RDS with Parallels RAS. Reduced user-support demand has enabled Aragorn to focus efforts on further expanding its market leadership position in providing innovative IT solutions.

See more Customer Stories