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reviewer1444884 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT consultant at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Consultant
Easy to use and implement with the ability to scale up
Pros and Cons
  • "It's pretty stable."
  • "We had some instability during the implementation process. This has since been resolved."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is primarily for remote desktop services. It's used to start up a desktop service, and we can use a password and a user name to work remotely on other servers.

What is most valuable?

The product is very easy to use. 

The solution's implementation process is simple. 

It's pretty stable. 

It can scale well.

What needs improvement?

I can't think of an area that is lacking currently.

We had some instability during the implementation process. This has since been resolved. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We've used the product for two years now. It was implemented at the beginning of COVID.

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Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
March 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is okay in most cases. Sometimes, especially in the beginning, we had some problems. However, that was due to the implementation of this solution. At this moment it's very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability, as far as I know, is not an issue. We moved all employees to this solution. We started with a few, and now almost a thousand colleagues are using this solution. Therefore, for us, in our experience, the solution looks very good if you need to scale.

How are customer service and support?

I've never been in contact with Microsoft technical support. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before this solution, we used Citrix.

How was the initial setup?

The solution has a straightforward setup. It's not very complex at all. 

Its deployment took a few weeks. 

The organization, during the start of COVID, had a lot of colleagues started working from home, and it seemed that the Citrix solution was not capable of doing that, so the ICT offices switched to Remote Desktop Services to accommodate people working from home. Our strategy was to have that capability.

The deployment and maintenance are handled by a third party. They aren't necessarily dedicated, however, they are they if something needs to be done. 

What about the implementation team?

We had a third-party integrator that assisted with the implementation. 

What was our ROI?

I haven't witnessed an ROI. 

What other advice do I have?

We use the solution. We're customers.

We're using the latest version of the solution. 

We use Microsoft Authenticator to log on, which is straightforward. 

I would recommend the solution to others. I suggest they just go for it. It's a very good solution. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

PeerSpot user
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    Dennis Oo Jenn Ning - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT Director at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
    Real User
    Top 10
    Provides support and remote access to servers with easy integration
    Pros and Cons
    • "We use cloud remote support because we need to assist our customers. It allows them to connect from the web. I"
    • "The solution is unsuitable for direct external internet connections. You must set up a VPN and password handling to use it."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use the solution for support and remote access to servers.

    How has it helped my organization?

    We use Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for its convenience and remote access capabilities.

    What is most valuable?

    Using our Active Directory policies, we can connect again and then do remote printing and file copying. We use it on our SAP system.

    What needs improvement?

    The solution is unsuitable for direct external internet connections. You must set up a VPN and password handling to use it.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for 10 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The product is stable.

    I rate the solution’s stability a seven or eight out of ten.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    One or two people are using this solution.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is simple.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    We don't need to buy licenses because we are a Microsoft partner.

    What other advice do I have?

    We use cloud remote support because we need to assist our customers. It allows them to connect from the web. It's designed to be faster but unsuitable for direct external internet connections. You must set up a VPN and password handling to effectively use it. We primarily work behind the firewall.

    Integration is straightforward because it integrates well with Windows Server.

    Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner

    PeerSpot user
    Rich text editor
      Buyer's Guide
      Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
      March 2025
      Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
      845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.
      reviewer2092029 - PeerSpot reviewer
      CEO at a recruiting/HR firm with 11-50 employees
      Real User
      Top 20
      Easily integrates with other Microsoft products, is stable, and scalable
      Pros and Cons
      • "I give the stability a nine out of ten."
      • "We encounter challenges with portability, especially for users of iOS devices."

      What is our primary use case?

      We predominantly use Microsoft Remote Desktop Services to access our server. Our team works remotely and needs to log in to perform tasks such as billing. We had two options: either use our existing internal infrastructure or move to the cloud. However, we also required remote printing services so that team members could print from their local desktops. To achieve this, we implemented terminal printing services, VPN, and remote desktop. The purpose was to enable both on-site and remote team members to perform billing tasks, invoicing, and tracking truck movement.

      What is most valuable?

      Microsoft Remote Desktop Services meets all our requirements.

      What needs improvement?

      We encounter challenges with portability, especially for users of iOS devices. It becomes particularly difficult for us to manage if both ends have iOS devices, whereas having the same infrastructure with Microsoft Windows environments on both ends works seamlessly. The licensing of iOS presents problems for third-party integration and has room for improvement.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have been using the solution for eight months.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      I give the stability a nine out of ten.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      I give the scalability an eight out of ten.

      How was the initial setup?

      The initial setup is straightforward. We activated the solution smoothly and completed the deployment within a day. Beforehand, the distributor's tech team came to discuss our network and gain an understanding of everything. It took them a day to configure the solution. Although everything went smoothly thereafter, we encountered some initial challenges. Specifically, we faced issues connecting to the local and remote printers, as printing services were not functioning properly. To address this, we worked on it for a day and met our requirements within two to three days. It's worth noting that the solution isn't entirely plug-and-play, and there are challenges that require mitigation.

      What about the implementation team?

      The implementation was completed in-house with the help of the distributor techs.

      What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

      The cost is fair.

      What other advice do I have?

      I give the solution a ten out of ten.

      We have around 70 people using the solution within our Accounting, Billing, and Sales departments.

      I recommend Microsoft Remote Desktop Services to others.

      Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

      On-premises
      Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

      PeerSpot user
      Rich text editor
        CEO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
        Real User
        Good capabilities with lots of features and helpful support
        Pros and Cons
        • "The solution offers good value for money."
        • "For Microsoft, maybe bandwidth optimization is one of the areas that need improvement."

        What is our primary use case?

        We primarily use the solution as a remote desktop.

        What is most valuable?

        The solution's capabilities are great. I like the remote capabilities.

        It has a lot of features. We have everything we would need in a remote desktop.

        The solution is stable.

        It is scalable.  

        Technical support is helpful.

        The solution offers good value for money.

        What needs improvement?

        For Microsoft, maybe bandwidth optimization is one of the areas that need improvement. They also need better support for video applications, like Teams.

        For how long have I used the solution?

        I've been using the solution from the beginning. 

        What do I think about the stability of the solution?

        The stability is fine. If we have the right bandwidth, I would rate it nine or ten out of ten in terms of reliability. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.

        What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

        If you have enough bandwidth, yes, it's scalable. However, if the bandwidth is limited, there is a problem. There should be better optimization for bandwidth utilization.

        About 50% to 60% of the company uses the solution. 

        How are customer service and support?

        I've occasionally reached out to technical support. They are helpful and responsive. 

        How would you rate customer service and support?

        Positive

        Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

        We used Splashtop solutions, not TeamViewer, and this is also quite a good solution and offers good quality. However, Microsoft's solution offers better support and a more convenient way to optimize support from one administrator to many users. Microsoft's processes are much smoother.

        How was the initial setup?

        The initial setup's level of difficulty depends. For the administrator, it is simple. For the VDI solutions, it's quite complex.

        What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

        While the solution is more expensive, it is worth the cost. I'd rate the value you get out of the solution a four or five out of five. 

        Which other solutions did I evaluate?

        Usually, at the moment, in Poland, the customers are implementing a hybrid solution. We are looking at this approach as well for our customers. The solution can be implemented on-premise and in the cloud. Certainly, most vendors try to position it as a cloud solution. However, sometimes it's quite challenging to convince the customer that the cloud isn't possible. That's why we are looking at vendors who offer broader implementation options.

        What other advice do I have?

        We are an end-user and also a Microsoft partner. 

        We have the solution on-premise; however, for the VDI solution, which is not a technical remote desktop. We can see the Remote Desktop for administrators or for end users. For the administrator, it certainly is on-premise; for the end user, the VDI solutions, in Poland, we have on-premise and also pure cloud solutions.

        I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. I'd recommend the product to others. 

        Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

        Hybrid Cloud
        Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner

        PeerSpot user
        Rich text editor
          Leonardo Marouvo - PeerSpot reviewer
          Southern Europe Customer Success Manager at Nexthink
          Real User
          Reliable, simple to set up and easy to deploy
          Pros and Cons
          • "It's simple to set up."
          • "The solution isn't as good as the Citrix option."

          What is our primary use case?

          The first use case was related to the development and testing environment. Before COVID, it was also for remote connections for work from home, to have access to a protected environment.

          What is most valuable?

          The solution has improved a lot.

          It's simple to set up. 

          It is stable. 

          The solution can scale according to the hardware available. 

          What needs improvement?

          The solution isn't as good as the Citrix option.

          For how long have I used the solution?

          I used the solution for ten years. 

          What do I think about the stability of the solution?

          It's a stable, reliable product. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

          What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

          There are some limitations in terms of the the ability to expand. It's scalable according to the hardware limitation or the virtual environment limitation.

          Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

          I've also used Citrix. I prefer Citrix to Remote Desktop connections. The management and flow are better.

          Hyper-V is also challenging Citrix. However, Citrix has a strong reputation still.

          How was the initial setup?

          The initial setup was not complex at all. It was very straightforward. 

          The connection for the client is embedded in the system. You just need to configure the servers and credentials. 

          What was our ROI?

          We did not calculate an ROI, however, it does offer more features than we needed and therefore offers great value for money. 

          What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

          I'm not sure about the licensing. The licensing policies are changing in the Microsoft environment, so I'm not sure how it's licensed at this time. 

          My understanding is that it is expensive. Even if we negotiate, it depends on the business you have and the volumes you run an issue for.

          With the rules changing, the licensing can be complex. 

          What other advice do I have?

          I was a reseller and partner. 

          I'm not sure which version of the solution I used. 

          We started using the solution on-premises and then deployed it to the Azure cloud. 

          I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. It's simple to deploy. Users just need to negotiate a price and handle tasks around their server license. 

          Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

          Public Cloud

          If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

          Microsoft Azure
          Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner and reseller

          PeerSpot user
          Rich text editor
            Senior Manager at Macro Systems Limited
            Real User
            Reliable, simple implementation, and scalable
            Pros and Cons
            • "Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is stable and reliable."
            • "Microsoft Remote Desktop Services could improve by having graphical acceleration."

            What needs improvement?

            Microsoft Remote Desktop Services could improve by having graphical acceleration.

            For how long have I used the solution?

            I have been using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for approximately two years.

            What do I think about the stability of the solution?

            Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is stable and reliable.

            What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

            The scalability of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is good.

            How are customer service and support?

            I have not needed to call the support from Microsoft Remote Desktop Services because the solution is easy to use.

            Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

            I have previously used other solutions, such as Citrix and VMware. Citrix is the best choice of the ones I have tried.

            How was the initial setup?

            The initial setup of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is very easy.

            What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

            The price of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is reasonable.

            What other advice do I have?

            I rate Microsoft Remote Desktop Services an eight out of ten.

            Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner

            PeerSpot user
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              it_user125988 - PeerSpot reviewer
              Client Technologies Manager at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
              Real User
              The most valuable features are resilience and thin provisioning.

              What is most valuable?

              • Resilience: Has alllowed our 24/7 acute hospital to run electronic prescribing on the wards with limited downtime or post-setup configuration.
              • Thin provisioning: Our core applications mean that our WiFi connected devices can drop-off the network without causing patient record locks.

              How has it helped my organization?

              It has enabled our clinical staff to get real-time medicine prescribing information at the patients' bedside with a near 100% service uptime.

              What needs improvement?

              I think that the Single Sign-On (SSO) could be improved.

              At release time, there was not a lot of information around. We invested some long hours researching. The documentation from Microsoft was difficult to find. Now there are plenty of step-by-step guides around.

              For how long have I used the solution?

              I have used it for four years.

              What do I think about the stability of the solution?

              Initially, the configuration I setup used DNS round-robin. This was changed to a NLB setup on our session hosts.

              This has improved the stability of the clients' Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connectivity. It has given us granular control over stopping connections for downtime/maintenance windows.

              What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

              We did not encounter any scalability issues.

              How are customer service and technical support?

              We actioned this with a limited budget. We completed it all in-house with no external technical support other than searching on the internet and testing.

              Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

              We run Citrix alongside this solution for our internet connected clients. Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) was used primarily over our LAN/WAN.

              How was the initial setup?

              The initial setup was a little complex. Like any thin client setup, some applications are trickier than others.

              What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

              I could not see the benefits of using Citrix as you require RDS CALs regardless. We see this solution as a very good value.

              Which other solutions did I evaluate?

              We evaluated Citrix.

              What other advice do I have?

              • We have found this to be very stable with a quite straightforward setup. However, Single Sign-On (SSO) certificates are a little fiddly.
              • Ensure that the underlying infrastructure is fully tested, robust, and scalable.
              • Our early problems stemmed from our hypervisor issues. Because clients only heard it was the RDS farm, I took a lot of heat on issues that were out of my control.
              Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

              PeerSpot user
              Rich text editor
                IT consultant at Secoptrial
                Real User
                Stable, easy to set up, and lets you control your computer
                Pros and Cons
                • "What I found most valuable in Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is accessibility because the solution lets you take control of your computer remotely."
                • "I want to connect easily from an external network even when I'm not in my enterprise or company. It should be easy to connect or integrate Microsoft Teams, for example, with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services."

                What is our primary use case?

                I was exploring a different feature, particularly trying to deploy active directory domain services. Hence, as an IT administrator, I needed to enable a Remote Desktop Service feature that allows me to connect remotely to the server in just a matter of seconds, so that was my use case for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

                I was trying to install Microsoft Office on the computer remotely, which means connecting to the server through Microsoft Remote Desktop Services to see if the server has access to the internet or whenever an update needs to be installed.

                What is most valuable?

                What I found most valuable in Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is accessibility because the solution lets you take control of your computer remotely, and that's a good feature.

                What needs improvement?

                What needs improvement in Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is the connection when I'm outside the network. It should be more accessible. For example, if I use a public network, I want to connect remotely more effortlessly, from my internal network, without much requirement.

                I want to connect easily from an external network even when I'm not in my enterprise or company. It should be easy to connect or integrate Microsoft Teams, for example, with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

                For how long have I used the solution?

                I've used Microsoft Remote Desktop Services twice, and if it's an emergency, I can use it immediately. From time to time, I use the solution.

                What do I think about the stability of the solution?

                I found Microsoft Remote Desktop Services stable.

                What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

                For me, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services doesn't require scaling compared to other services. It works fine, so you won't need to scale it.

                How are customer service and support?

                I have yet to contact Microsoft Remote Desktop Services technical support.

                How was the initial setup?

                I found it easy to set up Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. It takes a few seconds to enable your options on your computer, particularly for on-premise deployment. However, it takes about two minutes to deploy if you'd like to deploy the solution for a managed server in the cloud.

                What about the implementation team?

                I deployed Microsoft Remote Desktop Services with the help of a consultant because when I was trying to deploy on the cloud, there was a pop-up telling me to wait ten minutes to complete the setup. Then I could get assistance if I had a question, which I did.

                What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

                I recall that you don't need to pay for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services because that's included in Windows.

                What other advice do I have?

                The version of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services that I use depends on the environment I'm in. For example, if it's Windows 10, I'll have a different version than Windows Server 2022 or Windows 11. It depends on the system version I want to run the solution on.

                Most of the time, the deployment model for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is on-premises. Still, you can also do a hybrid deployment if you want to connect to a server in another region.

                The IT team uses Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

                I recommend the service to others.

                My rating for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is eight out of ten.

                Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

                Hybrid Cloud
                Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

                PeerSpot user
                Rich text editor
                  Buyer's Guide
                  Download our free Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
                  Updated: March 2025
                  Buyer's Guide
                  Download our free Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.