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RobertThompson 1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Security Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 5
Aug 25, 2024
Offers familiarity, provides virtual desktops and ease of use
Pros and Cons
  • "It allows employees to log on to corporate resources remotely."
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

We use it primarily to provide virtual desktops to our end users, which allow them to access email, word processing, and other essential applications.

What is most valuable?

I like its familiarity. If you grew up Office environment, we use Outlook and software and everything, it's just familiar. Other than the initial login through the thin client, you don't even realize that you're on the virtual desktop. So it's just familiarity and ease of use.

It allows employees to log on to corporate resources remotely. But, we don't actually use the application publishing feature.

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

Probably about five years in its current form.

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Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
February 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate it a nine out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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.

How are customer service and support?

The quality of the customer service and support depends upon what day of the week it is. They're very up and down with their support. Some days, I get really great support, and some days, it's not so great. So, on a scale of one to ten, I'd put them at a five.

It also depends upon what you're licensed for... I mean, if you're licensed for the top-level tier, which I was at my last job, the support was really great. But at this current job, we're not leveled at that level. So, I kind of know what's out there, and I'm left like the kid looking in the candy store with my nose against the window. And that's all because of budgeting and pricing. And I understand that.

Again, depending on who you get and what day you get them, you get great support. Or sometimes, if you get the summer intern, not so great support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

I would rate my experience with the initial setup an eight out of ten, with ten being the easiest. You do have to have knowledge. You have to know how to apply your licenses, allocate your resources, set up your drives, and everything.

We've built around it, so it integrates very well.

What about the implementation team?

Currently, it's just me, but in my past life, I had a team.

What was our ROI?

In my particular environment, dealing with classified networks, my biggest return on investment is being able to create a single image and deploy it multiple times rapidly. 

When the updates come in, I only have to deploy them once instead of having to walk around to each machine because we're using them as virtual desktops. To me, that's really valuable because if I had to walk around to everybody's machine to apply a patch, that would be extremely inefficient.

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

I've never had an issue with it. I've always thought the pricing for RDS was reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it, but depending on the scale of your operation and what you have.

So, like, if you're a small shop, one to two administrators, maybe ten to fifteen users, I would absolutely recommend it. If you start getting outside of that, you might want to start looking at other things because there's just some... well, actually, with the new PowerShell tools and everything, you could probably support up to more than that. But, again, it depends upon your needs and what your environment is going to be. 

If you're going to be supporting thousands of people, I don't think I'd recommend it. But if you're just up to a hundred, I would recommend it.

Overall, I would rate it an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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SAP manager at Pakistan Telecommunication Limited
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Apr 30, 2024
Offers ease of use and deployment to users
Pros and Cons
  • "The product's initial setup phase was easy."
  • "In the past, my company had faced some issues related to the stability of the product. The product's stability can be improved."

What is our primary use case?

My company uses the capabilities of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services to connect with Windows from home.

What is most valuable?

I have never faced any issues working with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. You can say that the tool has remote access functionalities that every system or network admin uses. In some case scenarios, we also get the end user to use Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. The tool is simple to use and simple to deploy.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft improves its UI experience in every upgrade.

In the past, my company had faced some issues related to the stability of the product. The product's stability can be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for more than 10 years. I am an end-user of the tool.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution an 8 out of 10.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an 8 out of 10.

How was the initial setup?

The product's initial setup phase was easy.

I haven't done the product setup process for a long time.

For those who use Microsoft Azure service, the solution is deployed on the cloud model. If someone uses Windows Server, the solution can be deployed on an on-premises or a local cloud model.

What was our ROI?

Actually, there are many many other products that provide remote access capabilities. If we compare Microsoft Remote Desktop Services with the other products, I would recommend the virtual network console and maybe a communication application that can be used with Linux OS. If you start with Microsoft, Remote Desktop Services is a very good tool.

What other advice do I have?

The remote work concept came into the picture after COVID-19. Before COVID-19, I was a network admin. Many people were using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for remote access. In my company, if we are at home and want to check if all the backups are taken care of by automated operations and other related activities, we use Microsoft Remote Desktop Services to connect to the Windows Server.

My company uses many Microsoft products, like Office 365, Microsoft teams, MS Office, Excel and SharePoint. Every company uses Microsoft products. All the four companies I have worked at in the past use Microsoft.

I rate the tool an 8 out of 10.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
February 2026
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Consultant at NatWest Group
Real User
Top 5
Apr 24, 2024
The graphical user interface enables users to connect to servers easily
Pros and Cons
  • "Since the tool has a graphical user interface, it's easier for us to access the server."
  • "We face frequent disconnections."

What is our primary use case?

We have a lot of Microsoft services configured for different applications. We use the solution to access them.

What is most valuable?

Since the tool has a graphical user interface, it's easier for us to access the server. It's easier to connect to someone and explain it to them. It is easy to share and explain the features of the solution.

What needs improvement?

We face frequent disconnections.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for the past 4 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable enough. I rate the stability an 8 out of 10.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are quite a large organization with 14,000 employees. Almost everyone uses the product on a daily basis.

How are customer service and support?

The support team takes a long time to get back to us. The team takes almost 2 days to respond to us. The wait time is longer than that of Azure and AWS’s support teams.

What other advice do I have?

The tool is the only way for us to connect to the servers. I will recommend the tool to others. If an organization has a Microsoft ecosystem, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is the only out-of-the-box solution available. Installing anything else would be a hassle. Overall, I rate the solution an 8 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Executive Director/ Head of Innovation at Universidade Federal de Campina Grande
Real User
Top 10
Apr 24, 2024
People can work from home and easily share information and effective core features
Pros and Cons
  • "It's scalable enough for our needs and very reliable."
  • "Teams component can be a bit cumbersome to use. It takes some time to get it working as expected."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for file repositories, project sharing with Teams, and most of our business intelligence work. We manage around 30 to 40 projects using these resources, mainly on SharePoint.

We use SharePoint here since we're a public university. We have access to all Microsoft platforms. Also, we use Google for email, but they're restricting access for public universities, so we're mostly migrating to Microsoft.

How has it helped my organization?

It works well and supports remote work. People can work from home and easily share information. The platform is robust enough for our needs.

What is most valuable?

We have research projects where students can connect to computers and remotely monitor long experiments, such as charging and recharging cycles of batteries. They don't need to be physically in the lab, which is a good benefit.

It integrates well with existing security and compliance measures

What needs improvement?

Teams component can be a bit cumbersome to use. It takes some time to get it working as expected, but it's fine once you get used to it.

For how long have I used the solution?

It is used daily in my university. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable enough for our needs and very reliable.

How are customer service and support?

Customer service and support were available whenever we needed them. It was always there. We didn't had any issue. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. It was easy to set up. 

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it. The core features are very effective, especially for running an organization with geographically distributed people.

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

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Akos Szirmai - PeerSpot reviewer
Application Development Specialist at Field consulting Ltd.
Real User
Top 20
Apr 25, 2024
Easy to use, enables remote work, and establishes a simple funnel to servers
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to use."
  • "The stability could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I needed the solution to connect to a service. I need fixed IPs. When I'm working from home, I have a dynamic IP. One of our clients has opened a server with a fixed IP for us. We connect to the server using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution makes remote work possible. It has made my life easier because I don't have to travel. I can use it from anywhere.

What is most valuable?

I did not face any problems with the product’s performance. It is stable. The solution is easy to use. The application publishing feature is simple. The tool establishes a simple funnel to the server.

What needs improvement?

The stability could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for 1.5 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool’s stability a 9 out of 10.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is not an issue.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. The deployment took 10 minutes. I can do the deployment myself. The deployment was not very hard because the tool is part of Windows. We need to set up some parameters with the remote server. They are quite simple steps. I received credentials from the server operator and used them as parameters during the setup. We can reach all the physical servers using the tool.

What was our ROI?

The tool enables me to work without traveling.

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

We do not have to pay for the product.

What other advice do I have?

I don't know whether setting up a two-factor authentication in the product is possible. It is quite simple to access the remote server if the setup is done properly. Overall, I rate the product a 9 out of 10.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1564452 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of IT at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Mar 1, 2023
Scales well but reliability could improve
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is that it scales well."
  • "The reliability of the solution could improve."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is a remote desktop service to connect outside our company.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is that it scales well.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The reliability of the solution could improve.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 60 to 400 people using the solution.

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

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

We previously used VMware and switched to Microsoft Remote Desktop Services because the price was lower.

What about the implementation team?

The initial setup of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services was done by our company.

What other advice do I have?

We are going to discontinue the use of this solution within a few months.

The newer versions of the solutions work better than the older ones.

I rate Microsoft Remote Desktop Services a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2084424 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Infrastructure and Application Support Department at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Mar 10, 2023
Straightforward with a good user interface and an easy setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution works well as a remote desktop."
  • "The pricing could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for security purposes. For example, blocking copy-paste.

What is most valuable?

The solution works well as a remote desktop. 

The security is good. It can block copy-paste attempts. 

It's a straightforward product.

The user interface is good. It's just a plain Windows interface. It's easy to understand. 

It is very easy to set up.

What needs improvement?

There isn't any feature missing.

I don't like Windows too much. The whole idea of the remote desktop is nonsense in the Unix world.

The pricing could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for 20 years. I've used it for two decades or so. It's been used by me for a long time. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

While the solution is stable, it is sometimes slow. I'd rate the stability at eight out of ten. It is mostly reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Windows isn't really scalable. I'd rate it six out of ten in terms of scalability.

We use the solution enterprise-wide. We likely have 100 people using it. We do not have plans to increase usage.

How are customer service and support?

I've never used technical support in the past.

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

I have used Citrix in the past as well. I used it for different use cases. We like Microsoft for its small-scale simplicity. It is not VDI, per se. It's just a remote desktop.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple and straightforward. The product is very simple. 

Its deployment only takes a half-day. The software makes everything very easy. you just buy the license and install it. I'm not very technical and therefore don't know all of the steps. 

One person who is knowledgeable can handle the initial setup. Typically, it doesn't require anyone with high skill levels. 

What about the implementation team?

We can handle the setup ourselves. 

What was our ROI?

The ROI isn't the best as it is a pretty expensive product. 

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

You do need to pay for a license and it is expensive. We have a perpetual license. The more users you have the more expensive it can be.

What other advice do I have?

We are using the latest version of the solution. We are using the solution that comes with the Windows Server between 2019 and 2022.

I'd recommend the solution to others. 

I would rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
OğuzKalaycı - PeerSpot reviewer
system engineer at Yaşar Holding
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Apr 24, 2024
Shares computer resources perfectly and provides the necessary security options
Pros and Cons
  • "The tool shares computer resources perfectly."
  • "Sometimes, the updates break the system."

What is our primary use case?

The users connect to a central server and share the physical or visual server resources. They use the remote desktop environment for office documents, operations, and company-specific programs.

What is most valuable?

The solution works perfectly. The tool shares computer resources perfectly. It provides the necessary security options.

What needs improvement?

When we update the environment, we face problems sometimes, and the users cannot use the system.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for about 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The tool is stable. Sometimes, the updates break the system.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool is very scalable. We can add and delete objects from the environment easily. We have approximately 500 users.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is straightforward. It is easy to deploy. Microsoft provides the necessary documentation, including detailed steps to install and configure the servers. The deployment process can be improved. It can be made more easier.

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

The tool must be cheaper. It should provide an option to pay the license fee once in a year or once in two years.

What other advice do I have?

We don't use any support because we can easily find online documents to solve our issues. I recommend that everybody use the product. If any company wants to share one computer’s resources with many users, they can choose Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: February 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.