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Microsoft Remote Desktop Services vs VMware vSphere comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Intune
Sponsored
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
234
Ranking in other categories
Configuration Management (2nd), Remote Access (1st), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
Microsoft Remote Desktop Se...
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
77
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (2nd), Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (5th)
VMware vSphere
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
452
Ranking in other categories
Server Virtualization Software (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

Remote Access
Server Virtualization Software
 

Featured Reviews

Pratik Dave - PeerSpot reviewer
A user-friendly UI, comprehensive visibility, and a seamless experience
We package Win32 applications and import existing packages using solutions like SCCM or third-party tools. While Intune doesn't currently offer third-party application patching, we rely on third-party solutions for that functionality. A new Intune feature - Enterprise App management allows to deploy Microsoft and Third party apps and keep them up to date but it incurs additional licensing costs. Ideally, this feature should be included in the base license. Similarly, the privilege endpoint management feature also requires additional licensing. Intune would benefit from offering some core features at no extra cost. The most valuable improvement, in my experience, would be the ability to identify inactive devices through reports. Customizable reporting capabilities within Intune would simplify overall management and allow us to track device activity and inactivity more effectively.
RobertThompson 1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers familiarity, provides virtual desktops and ease of use
I've found it to be very scalable as long as took into consideration the number of users. If there is a sudden surge or drop of users, it might not scale as you like. If you plan for your expected user base, it is not a problem. I tend to over-engineer my servers, so I've never run into problems like resource limitations. It's been both scalable and reliable for me. I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. My current setup is, again, about 10 to 15, but in my past life, I've deployed it for over 150 people.
Vikas Dhumale - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good performance and is useful for banking systems
Speaking about the application deployment process, I work at the L1 level in my company. In my company, the L3 is a different department that manages the application deployment process, and most of them go for tools apart from the ones under VMware to manage the VMs. I am only creating new VMs and assigning RAM space, and if something comes up, then I create new RHEL-based systems. When it comes to the application deployment process, my company manually deploys the applications. For automation purposes, our company uses Jenkins to collect the logs and provide a GUI with the help of a username and password to the end user, after which they can collect the logs from Jenkins. I work at an L1 level in my company. The integrations and infrastructure-related areas of the product are managed by another team in my company. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. Nowadays, people don't prefer to go for cloud-based solutions. Most of the companies prefer VMware as they want some level of security in the environment. VMware allows users to have in-house products. Most companies or banks are not moving over to cloud-based tools. VMware is used in banking systems. I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The best part of Intune is device control. If we need to block a user from opening something in their organization's system, we can do it from Intune. If we want to restrict the movement of an organization's data to prevent users from copying the data into Outlook, WhatsApp, or their personal Gmail, we can limit that via Intune. It secures all corporate data."
"One of the most valuable aspects of Microsoft Intune is its seamless integration with Azure Active Directory, offering capabilities akin to Group Policy Objects."
"Conditional access helps me control uncontrolled access."
"Microsoft Intune simplifies device management by replacing the traditional method of installing OS, joining a domain, and configuring everything manually."
"It's really easy to access."
"It is very easy for me to configure all the things. Once I create policies and applications in Intune, it is very easy for us to enroll users."
"Our configuration profiles used to be all over the place. For example, there's a lot of legacy stuff in Active Directory. Going through Intune has helped us enforce settings, which has improved device security and functionality. When you apply something through Intune, you know it works. You don't have to worry about a legacy setting from Active Directory that was uploaded by somebody seven years ago. With Intune, you can see that a device has a setting, and you can be confident that the device is configured how you want."
"The ability to manage devices with different sets of policies is most valuable."
"The most valuable features are availability and security."
"It's almost an out of the box function once you have installed the other components."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is stable and reliable."
"Installing Microsoft Desktop Services is straightforward."
"The solution works well as a remote desktop."
"I've had good experiences with Microsoft customer support."
"Things can be made easier if someone is not with us or at a long distance since we can connect easily with those people. So, it's easy for us to use such features."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"The most valuable features for us are HA, DRS, and SDRS."
"One of the most valuable features of this solution is the ease of deployment. It's also user-friendly and has been on the market for more than a decade, so it's a leading technology in hypervisor solutions."
"Reduces downtime."
"We've found the High Availability and flexibility to be important."
"It is the number one virtualization-layer platform available, and a lot of people trust it."
"Gathering all of the hosts together to create one single pool across the enterprise is a terrific feature."
"We find the solution simple and efficient to manage."
"Its scalability potential is good."
 

Cons

"In terms of what can be improved, I am looking for better enhancements regarding Apple management, not only on the mobile device, but also on the laptop."
"We haven't really gone through all the features of Intune. We are just discovering them. Every day, we see a new feature that we want to apply, but what will be great for Intune is to be able to deploy apps in a simple fashion. We should be able to easily install various apps on the Windows platform, iOS, and Android. Currently, we have to write some scripts. It's not as straightforward as we would like it to be. It should be simplified so that we can do it just with three clicks—next, next, finish—without needing to write a script."
"Intune could be improved by organizing different solutions, like Defender and Sentinel, into a single package. This would allow us to focus on security while Microsoft manages other areas. Having a unified solution would drive better management of various sectors. Although the Intune user experience is good, we should continue enhancing it."
"It would be great if Intune offered better data protection controls for BYOD Windows PCs."
"More integration with monitoring tools is needed."
"Intune doesn't provide much control over Windows servers. It's something we struggle with."
"The interface is not as modern as some competitors in terms of single pane of glass visibility across the entire landscape. It has a very Azure vibe and may not be as graphically appealing as other products."
"A new Intune feature allows application packaging, but it incurs additional licensing costs for a significant number of applications."
"Security in the connection between us and our clients' servers is something that can be improved."
"I would like to see the hard drives work without locking up and integrate the local drives in the next release."
"The initial setup of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is not the easiest. You need to have a certain understanding of how Microsoft is provisioning the solution to be able to set it up and use it."
"We encounter challenges with portability, especially for users of iOS devices."
"The performance depends on connectivity."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is its security and simple configuration."
"The current process I have to go through to get a Windows 11 VM up and running is difficult. Windows 10 worked a whole lot better than Windows 11."
"The user interface needs improvement."
"Its price could be better. It is expensive, and its price is a big concern."
"The solution is quite expensive."
"The only way for it to be a complete product is if you integrate all the functionalities. Then you don't need any backup solution anymore and you can do it by yourself. Integration needs improvement. They should improve a lot of the functionality because normally it's half of a product. You're only protecting yourself against technical failures but not against any cyber threats or any other stuff."
"The solution could improve by having more integration."
"Here in Egypt, we would like everything free. So if you give us the license for free, we would be thrilled."
"I would like to see support for endpoint virtualization."
"The initial setup could be better. It manages all the setups, but it's not very straightforward, and it takes time."
"It would be great if the free version included a management tool that was a scaled-down vCenter Manager."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"While Microsoft charges for actual usage, it lacks discount options."
"If you're subscribing to Premium or E3, there are no additional costs for Intune, it's included."
"Intune's pricing is reasonable considering its benefits and the high costs it helps avoid."
"This cost is approximately $30 USD per user per month."
"We spend a lot of money on Intune licensing, and some of our users have to be double licensed just because of how our dev and corporate environments are segmented."
"Microsoft Intune has been incorporated into our Microsoft E5 licenses."
"Microsoft offers some licensing where it's included at no extra cost when customers are already using the licenses. In such a case, it's a really good value. If you have to buy the licensing for it, it's probably on par with other solutions. It isn't substantially more or less expensive. The great thing is that it is included in some of Microsoft's licensed packages. So, some customers don't have to spend additional money for it. Typically, most providers that support Intune do charge a management fee of some sort or some fee. Certainly, we're no exception."
"Most of our clients come to us with licensing already in place. On average, it costs $6 per device per month to add Intune to an Office 365 subscription, but I am not sure."
"Although not an expensive product, pricing is always something that can be improved."
"I am aware that for Azure we do have an extra license because we are leveraging on different tenants."
"The price of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is reasonable."
"The solution has a pretty comparable pricing."
"The solution has a perpetual license and it is purchased upfront."
"The tool's pricing is high in the Slovenian market. I rate it a nine out of ten."
"It will probably cost about $500 USD to get the resources set up in the cloud."
"There is a licensing cost."
"VMware is consistently expensive and their pricing arrogance is what will drive us and other customers away."
"We don't have an active subscription. We have a prepaid or permanent license."
"Pricing is a little bit on the higher side, compared to other products."
"The pricing is more expensive than Microsoft."
"It is expensive. Other solutions on the market are free. We had to plan with VMware how many hosts that we needed in order to determine the price."
"I find it highly expensive."
"Container support is the last great addition for VMware and it is worth the money you spend on it."
"The capital investment is high, but it is efficient."
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Comparison Review

it_user234735 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 10, 2015
Hyper-V 2012 R2 vs. VMware vSphere 5.5
I was won with Hyper-V 2012R2 recently and the table below based on customer RFP (edited). This articles all about technical, there is not related with TCO/ROI, licensing cost, “political”, etc. Another to noted is the Windows Server 2012 licenses is based on 2 socket CPU, meanwhile…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
26%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
30%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...
What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...
How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?
I've never had an issue with it. I've always thought the pricing for RDS was reasonable.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?
The current process I have to go through to get a Windows 11 VM up and running is difficult. Windows 10 worked a whol...
What is IOMMU?
DEEPEN DHULLA did explain well IOMMU. IOMMU has to be activated at the bios level. It exists on Intel and AMD platfor...
Why KVM??? Help please!
We use VMware and KVM. We find that KVM is a lot simpler to use and it provides the virtualization we need for Linux...
What is the biggest difference between Nutanix Acropolis and VMware vSphere?
We found the reduced power consumption with Nutanix Acropolis AOS a very attractive feature. We also like the interfa...
 

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
Remote Desktop Services, MS Remote Desktop Services
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Bank Alfalah Ltd.
Abu Dhabi Ports Company, ACS, AIA New Zealand, Consona, Corporate Express, CS Energy, and Digiweb.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Omnissa, TeamViewer and others in Remote Access. Updated: December 2024.
830,726 professionals have used our research since 2012.