Amazon WorkSpaces vs Horizon Cloud Service comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Omnissa are both solutions in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category. Additionally, 93% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Omnissa users who would recommend it.

Amazon WorkSpaces

Read 16 Amazon WorkSpaces reviews

93% willing to recommend

Horizon Cloud Service

Read 9 Horizon Cloud Service reviews

1,902 Views
1,605 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Amazon WorkSpaces

Horizon Cloud Service

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Amazon WorkSpaces and Horizon Cloud Service based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon WorkSpaces vs. Horizon Cloud Service Report (Updated: September 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon WorkSpaces vs. Horizon Cloud Service

September 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Amazon WorkSpaces

Ranking in Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Horizon Cloud Service

Ranking in Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

4th

Average Rating

8.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (10th)

Featured Reviews

Laércio De Jesus Silveira

Business Manager at Darede Serviços de TI

Jun 14, 2023

With the simplicity of deployment and good security, the solution also provides stability

We have a lot of cases with Amazon WorkSpaces, including one where we rolled it out for more than 180 users on the cloud in a span of two days, and for this, we used the solution as a remote tool. So, it is a great solution. Also, it is a very secure tool Amazon WorkSpaces is very suitable for…

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reviewer2052039

ICT Specialist System Management at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees

Jan 24, 2023

Overall useful features, secure, and highly scalable

We use VMware Horizon Cloud for virtual machines where everyone can log in and do their work in a safe environment VMware Horizon Cloud has benefited my company because it is centered and secure. The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon Cloud is all of its capabilities together. Logging into…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable features are easy provisioning, an active directory, and mobile access."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"The tool has low latency and multimedia support. For instance, running Zoom calls on Amazon WorkSpaces seamlessly supports local microphones, speakers, and web cameras. This feature is transparent for applications, allowing me to use the Zoom application without requiring exceptional support for remote web cameras or microphones. Amazon WorkSpaces provides this functionality at the operating system level, enabling effortless video conferencing. To my knowledge, Microsoft Remote Desktop does not offer the same support."

"The infrastructure is readily available, with minimal latency, which each user can benefit from."

"Performance and scalability are valuable features."

"It has good speed and connects well with computers."

"The product is easy to access. You can access the solution from anywhere at any time."

"The best feature is that it operates very quickly. It depends on the regional location. If we choose a nearby location, nearby servers, it will be best for users to use."

More Amazon WorkSpaces pros

"The interface is much easier to use compared to Microsoft and other VDI vendors that are well known on the market. I like VMware so much more than the others. With Horizon Cloud, you don't need to spend a lot of money upfront to buy the infrastructure. You can use it the on the cloud, so it lowers the barriers to entry. It's easier to test it and get started. Some clients stay in the cloud, but others prefer to go on-premise. It depends on the nature of the client."

"I honestly liked the application itself because it was just like using a desktop. You could copy and paste, inside and outside, and you could use multiple monitors. You could access it anytime, anywhere, no matter whether you were in the office or out of the office. I could leave the office, go somewhere, go back in, and everything would be there. I could just leave it up and running. I absolutely love this feature in VMware Horizon Cloud."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is easy to use and the full development cloud is very good. The main features of VMware are included. It's a cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure software that allows you to permit the virtual desktops and applications to any device from the single unified management control. These are managed from the dedicated remote session desktop."

"The tool remains pretty stable."

"Its advanced management features are the most valuable, especially power management. One of the really important things was to be able to have power management in a consumption world. This means that unlike a Microsoft environment, you could actually turn off virtual desktops or have them start up and shut down. If you're consuming resources in the public cloud, you want to be able to do that because when you're not using those, such as at the weekend, you want to be able to turn them off. So, the advanced options for managing the BDIs are very important."

"The product’s on-premise version has the ability to create an image of any updates or changes in the system."

"The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon Cloud is the ability to manage a great number of desktops at once and the remote access for users that are working from outside of the office or from different offices in the country."

"The product allows a VPN connection, adding extra value to its features."

More Horizon Cloud Service pros

Cons

"One area that can be improved is the ability to install third-party apps."

"An area that could be improved is it could work better on VPN."

"The product needs to improve its pricing. It should also improve corporate identity management and single sign-on."

"You cannot install external applications without doing some additional configurations inside the solution as opposed to your normal desktop or laptop."

"Configuration was a bit complicated at first but manageable."

"The initial setup was somewhat difficult."

"Making it more self-service friendly would be the implement I'd be looking for. When we have to add new applications, we have to go through the IT to do that, and they need to do some configuration changes. I believe they have to reevaluate the computation and storage and the memory. So this is this is something that as an unrequired and should be changed. Also, the initial start time takes couple of minutes and it is easy for get distracted during the time. So if it can reduce the start time to a reasonable start of time to a reasonable time of five to ten seconds. That will be great."

"The speed and performance are not always the greatest. It can be improved."

More Amazon WorkSpaces cons

"The product has a lot of bugs."

"It can be very expensive to scale up because each part of scaling up requires you to have new components of the infrastructure."

"There should be more emphasis on the Workspace One access part of the solution. This is essentially identity management provided with Horizon. There needs to be some kind of integration because you are able to have all of these desktops on any device, but you have to have this other component to make it easier from a single sign-on perspective. That's why there should be an emphasis on Workspace One access. It actually comes free with the product, but people don't really know how powerful it can be."

"Logging into VMware Horizon Cloud could be made easier. Additionally, the VMs could be better in their performance."

"It is very expensive. Its price needs to be improved. They can do a better job with external resources such as a USB or a hard drive. When I tried to connect using these external resources, it failed a lot of times. I had to do a shared connection with a local laptop and then connect from a network standpoint, rather than through VMware Horizon point. They definitely have weaknesses with external connections. A lot of companies probably don't let people use external connections because it defeats the purpose of having a cloud solution and keeping the data in a secure area. You can copy to an external device, and you can lose the data. A lot of companies may not focus on this feature, but if you are providing it, you should make it work."

"The application remoting features have some room for improvement."

"In the design phase, sometimes the tools for designing Horizon solutions have issues when they're calculating the number of nodes and platforms needed to support the VDI systems."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We need to spend some amount for the support. Without money, they won't respond."

"Price-wise Amazon Workspaces is cheaper than most services available."

"The tool's pricing depends on company turnover and the organization's relationship with Amazon. I rate it a six out of ten."

"The pricing is based on consumption. You pay for each process based on the transactions you make."

"It is very expensive."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is low and ten is a high price, I rate the pricing a two."

"The bundle works out to be approximately $20.00 per month."

"I think that the price can be lower. We have cases where the customer needs to have lower costs. So since we don't have options, like, shadow mode, they need to decrease pricing or have other models for reduced pricing."

More Amazon WorkSpaces pricing and cost advice

"I rate VMware Horizon Cloud pricing a ten out of ten."

"Initially, the product is cheap, but it starts to get expensive when users try to scale out."

"It is too expensive as compared to other solutions because of which we don't use it that much. We tend to go more for Hyper-V or Azure just because VMware licensing is quite up there. We sway people away from VMware Horizon Cloud. We have some clients who already have it. They stay on it for a little while, and then most of them end up moving off when we provide them a better solution that isn't as license heavy cost-wise."

"There is a license required for the use of this solution and there are different tier levels available."

"For what you get, it is very compelling. You've got to look at the total cost of ownership of this type of piece of software in terms of being able to utilize it as a cloud service. I don't have to run everything on-premises. When you look at the total cost of just being able to use it and then being able to point it to any public or private cloud, it is very compelling. You have one less thing to manage."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is an expensive solution. This solution is approximately 30 percent more than Microsoft Azure Cloud. There can be extra costs."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is a low-cost solution. The model that they have is consumption-based. However, some features are expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

14%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon WorkSpaces?

Performance and scalability are valuable features.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon WorkSpaces?

The pricing is based on consumption. You pay for each process based on the transactions you make. The investment is almost the same as having your own on-premises solution, with the added costs of ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Amazon WorkSpaces?

There is always scope of improvement in the stability.

See all answers

What do you like most about VMware Horizon Cloud?

The tool remains pretty stable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Horizon Cloud?

Initially, the product is cheap, but it starts to get expensive when users try to scale out. Though I find Citrix to be an expensive product compared to VMware Horizon Cloud because of all the feat...

See all answers

What needs improvement with VMware Horizon Cloud?

VMware Horizon Cloud's VDI stacks are being sold off. Considering VMware Horizon Cloud's VDI stacks complexity, even before its sell out, I feel Citrix can do a couple of pieces of infrastructure t...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 47% of the time

Amazon Appstream vs Amazon WorkSpaces

Compared 31% of the time

Teradici PCoIP Zero Clients vs Amazon WorkSpaces

Compared 11% of the time

Nutanix Frame vs Amazon WorkSpaces

Compared 7% of the time

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Microsoft Remote Desktop Services vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 26% of the time

Horizon 8 vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 21% of the time

Amazon Appstream vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 17% of the time

Oracle VDI vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 8% of the time

More Horizon Cloud Service Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon WorkSpaces

September 2024

Download Amazon WorkSpaces product report

Buyer's Guide

Horizon Cloud Service

September 2024

Download Horizon Cloud Service product report

Also Known As

WorkSpaces

VMware Horizon Cloud, VMware Horizon DaaS

Learn More

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Omnissa

Overview

Amazon WorkSpaces is a fully managed desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) solution provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It allows users to access a virtual desktop environment in the cloud from various devices, including laptops, tablets, and thin clients.

With Amazon WorkSpaces, users can have a complete desktop experience with their familiar applications and data, while the underlying infrastructure and management tasks are handled by AWS. The virtual desktops provided by Amazon WorkSpaces are persistent, meaning that user data and settings are retained even when disconnected from the virtual desktop.

Amazon WorkSpaces Features:

Desktop Experience: Provides a complete Windows or Linux desktop experience for users.
Device Flexibility: Accessible from various devices such as computers, tablets, and thin clients.
Managed Service: AWS manages infrastructure, updates, patches, and backups.
Flexible Scaling: Easily scale the number of virtual desktops based on needs.
Security and Compliance: Built-in security features and compliance capabilities.
Cost-Effective: Pay-as-you-go pricing model for optimized cost management.
Integration with AWS Services: Seamlessly integrates with other AWS services.
User Profile Management: Supports saving and applying user-specific settings.
Application Compatibility: Supports a wide range of applications.

Amazon WorkSpaces Benefits:

Flexible Accessibility: Users can access their virtual desktops from various devices, providing flexibility and mobility.
Simplified Management: AWS manages the underlying infrastructure, reducing the burden of desktop management for organizations.
Scalability: Easily scale the number of virtual desktops up or down based on business needs, accommodating workforce changes.
Enhanced Security: Built-in security features and compliance capabilities ensure data protection and regulatory compliance.
Cost Savings: Pay-as-you-go pricing eliminates upfront infrastructure costs, allowing organizations to optimize their desktop infrastructure expenses.
Integration with AWS Services: Seamlessly integrate with other AWS services for enhanced functionality and capabilities.
User-Friendly Experience: Offers a familiar desktop environment with customizable settings and application compatibility.

Reviews from Real Users

Sachin Narvekar, IT-IS LEAD at Tata Consultancy, writes that "Amazon WorkSpaces is a virtual desktop platform. So, instead of having your laptops, and desktops, you can have your data on the cloud.”, he also adds, "Security, streaming, faster performance, scalability, and the fact that it is very much cost-effective, are some of the solution's valuable features."

Ravi-Bhardwaj, Manager at Ravi RITS Enterprice, states that “The solution has improved the organization because now any user who doesn't have a corporate laptop can connect to the system, security is still high, and it uses very low bandwidth.”

The VMware Horizon Cloud Service delivers feature-rich virtual desktops and applications using a purpose-built cloud platform that is scalable across multiple deployment options, including fully managed infrastructure from VMware, public cloud infrastructure from Microsoft Azure, or on-premises hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI). The service supports a cloud-scale architecture that makes it easy to deliver virtualized Windows desktops and applications to any device, anytime. And, with a flexible subscription model and turnkey solutions, organizations can easily get up and running and scale quickly.

Sample Customers

GrubHub, Endemol Shine Nederland, CMC Property Services

Marriott, Sprint

Buyer's Guide

Amazon WorkSpaces vs. Horizon Cloud Service

September 2024

Free Report: Amazon WorkSpaces vs. Horizon Cloud Service

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