Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager Reviews

We use the solution for a customer that needs pretty high security. They are in the poker machine manufacturing world based out of the US. They've got offices all over, and the Australia/Sydney office actually supports the whole of the Asia Pacific. They use it to to remotely connect into the management of the servers that run the poker machine manager software within a casino. 

The security on offer is the most valuable aspect of the solution. It offers, for example, two-factor authentification.

The remote connection across platforms is great. You can deploy it on anything, including Windows, Mac, iOS, your iPhone, et cetera. It offers multi-platform utility. This makes it great for enterprise.

Users can use it for PAM access as well.

The feature of Devolutions that has improved our customer's efficiency the most is probably the security side. It's gotten a lot tighter. Authentication and secure connections are helpful. They use encryption between them, which is just standard for them. The company has so many regulatory controls that they must ensure their security is very tight. There's a lot of potential cybercrime around casinos, and this solution ensures they are well-protected. Devolutions is a great product that can be safely used between China, Australia, or the Philippines, and it remains a good, safe product.

The console is a little bit clunky. It could be modernized. A tech developer might think it is fine, however, from a reseller's perspective, it could use more design. It is functional. However, it is very plain. It lacks a bit of flare. 

I've used the solution for around 11 or 12 months.

Our customers have never had any issues with stability. 

I'd rate the scalability eight out of ten. It scales well. It's easy to scale into the next license bracket as necessary. You don't need to reinstall it to level up. Most customers I deal with have around 50 seats and up. In Australia, it is rare to have customers with more than 500 or 700 seats. 

I've been selling it to enterprise-level organizations. 

Technical support is awesome. They'll jump on the phone any time. They have a really good technical team, and they work around the clock. 

Once, when I was doing a setup, I couldn't connect to one of our data centers in Brisbane, so I called them. They jumped in immediately and helped me set it up. They just did a quick tweak, and everything was fine. The issue was sorted out in minutes. 

Positive

I'd rate the initial setup ten out of ten. It's very easy to deploy. Even I was able to do it. I didn't face any challenges. The customer does the more technical part of the setup. It takes about half an hour to get it up and running. 

With the security factors built into it, the price point is quite good. They have entry-level and enterprise-level licenses. I don't handle entry-level as it doesn't have enough features in it. 

A basic enterprise license costs around $1000 USD for a year's subscription. There are add-ons you can get as well. Most people do not use the add-ons as they tend to use it as a plain remote desktop. There are three different licenses that can give you varying depths of capabilities. 

I'm a reseller.

Our customer uses the Team Edition for Windows. We keep the customer up to date on the latest version.

It's very unique. There are not a lot of resellers for this product in Australia. There may only be ten in the whole country. We're looking at doing some digital marketing ourselves around the product. It sort of flies in the face of what Citrix used to do; however, it goes beyond that. It's a better, safer product. 

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten. It's a really good product. They could do really well in the Australian market if they just market it more here. 

I'd recommend the product based on its security capabilities. It's a full-blown remote deployment platform that allows IT to securely move around data centers nationally and internationally. I'd recommend it over Windows standard terminal deployments. And you can deploy it on just about anything. 

My company is a consulting practice that connects to client systems using various methods. So, we need credentials, VPN connections, and also operational instructions. RDM provides a single repository for all this and so much more.  You can include PowerShell scripts to accomplish tasks.

We used to store information in our CRM system, but it did not allow linking connections with credentials with VPNs. Now, when a consultant wants to connect to a client server: 

1. They launch the connection
2. It checks for connectivity
3. Opens the VPN
4. Then connects.

All without the consultant needing to look up information, or even if we wanted to restrict it, to have access to the credentials used.

One credential can be used to access VPN, RDS, and more, but instead of looking that up in one system, typing it into a field/box/login, and maybe getting it wrong. it is just automatically fills it in and is done so correctly.  Organizing credentials, connections, and contents by clients makes it so simple for someone to provide support.

One issue, as mentioned, we connect to lots of client VPNs. The RDM client (.NET issue, actually) can stall or lock up while it clears communication threads to the server. If you launch and select "off-line" mode when starting, this is not an issue. Again, more a .NET problem, but it is the one I hear most from my users.

Sometime the underlying OS (Widows) introduces issues that need to be addressed and support sometimes needs a bit of time to respond with an updated release.

Very scalable to large groups or teams of users.  Recently introduced multiple repository option so you can break credential storage into more manageable units.   

Responsive.

Was using ASG Remote Desktop but they changed their licensing model to be a subscription with much higher prices and if you stopped paying product stopped working.

Straightforward but I had been using the product as a single user before so it was more about adapting it to the company.

In house

Not measured.

You can run a full featured trial of the products with support to make sure it will fit you needs.

Microsoft RD Man, Keepass, and TeamViewer

Try it and you will be impressed.

I use RDM to manage 99% of my remote connections, such as RDP, SSH, SCP File Transfer, iDRAC, iLO, VMware vSphere Web Client, VMware vSphere Client, URLs, etc.

RDM has enabled me to do most of my work in one place. This helps me be able to have an RDP session open to a server in one tab and an SSH session open to a VMware host in another.

Also, being able to store my credentials makes connecting a breeze.  And being able to search the over 500 entries via the status bar at the bottom makes connecting EVEN FASTER! :) 

• Credential storage, Keep Tab on Disconnect, Password Generator are just a few that I use on a regular basis. 
• Also, Working with cloud services (AWS, Azure, etc) and being able to import from connection/password managers and other connection tools. 


• I also use the "Keep tab on disconnect" feature a lot when rebooting a server when I need to reconnect after the reboot! 

The only complaint I have heard is there are too many updates. Each time there is an update (the app prompts to upgrade), it can be time consuming, especially when sometimes there are multiple updates per week. 

The application is very stable. I never have issues with it crashing. 

Being able to use a SQL database for the data source means multiple people can share one data source. 

Devolutions's team is constantly making improvements to their products. If you submit a feature request, they are usually quick to implement it!  

Their support is amazing as well. When I have had to contact support, they have been very friendly and helpful.

I have used their support forum a few times posting questions and receiving answers in a quick and timely manner. 

Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager. I was looking for something that allowed me to use more than just RDP.

I use Remote Desktop Manager Enterprise. Setup and installation was simple.

I installed it on my own with no outside assistance.

While it is hard to place a dollar amount on ROI for a piece of software that my company didn't pay for (I'm a VMware vExpert), I feel it helps me do my job more efficiently, which allows me to work on more than I would work on if I did not use it.

If you are a Microsoft MVP, VMware vExpert, Cisco Champion, etc., Devolutions offers a free 1-year Enterprise Evaluation License.

I evaluated Royal TS as well. I found RDM to have more features and functionality, especially the features the Enterprise version gives you.  

I've been using RDM for almost 10 years now, starting with the free version and eventually moving to the Enterprise version. There is not a day that goes by that I do not use the tool. 

We use this to control all of our virtual servers within the organization. We needed to switch to something other than vCenter since VMware went to a web-based client and it actually slowed down the support we could offer.

It sped up our response rate to anything that happened in the network. With vCenter it was starting to slow down and the web-based client just took forever to load. Since we have been using this it only takes two to three seconds to remote into one of our servers and be able to make changes and control it.

I find that the snap tool is the most valuable. This way I can monitor four servers at the same time within the network and be able to apply multiple patches and changes in a short amount of time.

I am still new to this program so I have not tested all of the capabilities. I think it would be great to have some inside knowledge, which is why I joined the VIP section, about the new releases and patches. Other than that I think they are doing a great job!

I use Remote Desktop Manager to centralize all my different connection types, like Linux servers via SSH, Windows servers via RDP, VMware hosts, and for all the devices that I manage.

The ability to have all the connection information in one location saves so much time from trying to manage the same information across different applications.

By integrating all our connections previously spread across multiple locations, a lot of time has been saved. 

The interface is great to work with as it allows multiple connections in a tabbed interface. It also has the option to automatically start a VPN or an SSH tunnel, if required.

I love the tabbed interface. It has credential information saved in the connection settings and the ability to include notes for each entry.

I find the feature to "Connect When Available" extremely helpful. When rebooting a device, this feature will ping and port scan the remote device, then once it is responding, it will initiate a connection automatically. No guessing as to when a server will be backed up from a remote reboot. 

No big cons that I can think of. 

Sometimes when updating, the install window is on top of the prompt to close the application.

Yes, a folder with several .rdp connection files and PuTTY. 

I switched to have everything in one location with the cloud sync option to save everything across all my work devices.

My primary use case is the remote server connections for multiple protocols.

I also use it for managing multiple website login credentials and for application connections via available plugins.

I was able to maintain connections to over 400 different servers and services using password best practices. This allowed me to resolve the issue rather than waste time looking up passwords to the various servers. In addition, once I upgraded to the Enterprise version, I was able to manage some advanced connections (such as SQL Server .NET only connections) with the same interface and not have to remember the (relatively) convoluted steps taken each time to initiate the connection. Again, making me instantly more focused on resolving the issue rather than getting to the issue.

The multiple protocols: Being able to aggregate all connections (RDP, FTP, SSH, VPN, etc.) in the same interface and make each server readily available in the same way, which lets me focus on the problem regardless of where it is.

There are always bugs to squash, beyond that, it is really kind of difficult for new users to discover and use many of the features due to the bewildering array of choices and ways to do things. I do not have a good idea on how to solve the issue, but this is one area that could be improved. Maybe a specialized 'how-to' search (or something).

No issues. I have been through several generations of both the free and enterprise versions of this tool, and it has never had stability issues.

It is designed for the desktop, so scalability is never an issue. 

The Devolutions Server is available, but outside the scope of this review.

Support is through the company forum, however they have several people constantly monitoring the forum and are very responsive. This support can be from anyone able to help; up to and including the president of the company (he has responded more than once to some forum posts I have made). I have never gone for more than an hour during normal business hours without a response.

Previously, I used RDPMan for the RDP connections, PuTTY for SSH connections, and a variety of different applications for various activities, such as VMware Client for vSphere Server administration, WinSCP for FTP/SFTP/SCP connections, SQL Server Management Studio for database connections, and Cisco VPN for VPN connections. While many applications still require installation, RDM can broker and manage the connections to individual machines, systems, or locations.

Straightforward for simple connections, but they can get very complex. On complex setups, I actually needed to reach out to support to get it working correctly.

I installed it myself.

Instantly, for the Free Version.  

For the Enterprise Version, it probably would have been realized in about two to three months. This is estimated because my company never bought it for me. I bought it for myself, so I did not have to mess with the alternatives.

Setup costs for most people is negligible. You install the software, then you import the files from what you are using now. If there is no support, creating new entries is fairly trivial, especially for websites, where the application will actually prompt you to store them (similar to the browser would without it installed).

• Terminals
• PuTTY
• mRemote
• Dashlane
• LastPass
• RoboForm
• Password Safe
• KeePass

Use the built-in Password Generation tool.

1. You can store password policies as templates and just call the template to generate a bunch of different passwords that follow the policy and password security best practices.
2. Press the button, and it is stored in your credential store.
3. Copy it into the new password fields, and all of a sudden, you are using best practices on your passwords, effortlessly.

It actually takes more effort to do less than the best practices while using this tool!

Using RDM for my daily work, it helps me manage Remote Desktop Connection with different sets of credentials. Integration with third-party credential storages (like KeePass) allows for managing all credentials in a single place.

Remote Desktop Manager is integrated with KeePass, which was used for a long time. By doing this, I am able to use familiar credential storage without moving my credentials to newer system.

Integration with a third party credential storage, web login, and VPN are the most usable and useful functions at the moment.

Maybe some clipboard functions could be added along with integration of different software. 

Currently, it is perfect for my needs.

No issues. The product is stable.

No issues.

No.

Initial setup was very straightforward.

In-house team.

I tried mRemoteNG.

• Centralize all our customer and in-house credentials and remote connections.
• Configure limited access to resources with the security-based role feature (for trainees and new employees).
• Daily usage of some of the numerous integrated VPN solutions for connecting to our customers, when we are remote.
• Keep the credentials up to date with version and Change History.

With the integrated VPN providers you are able to link the VPN entry directly to the session or entire folders, so you no longer have to configure the VPN manually on the machine.

More security with granular security features.

• Integrated VPN providers - As I mentioned, no need to manually configure clients.
• "Inherited" function for credentials - Configure the desired credential at one (top) location, and use the Inherited function on all sub-connections that should use this credential.
• Web browser extension for auto-login on websites.
• Documentation per entry - Used for device configs or important/special instructions.
• GPO extension for restricting features.
• Inventory reports from servers and clients, including warranty dates and reminders.

Sometimes the manual inventory of some entries hangs, and RDM must be closed via task manager.

Security roles could be improved, especially by enabling renaming of a role.

Very fast, nice, and always available. Sometimes you get a response within minutes.

We started with Excel.

Very easy and straightforward, but if you encounter issues the competent support team helps you out.

Also, online help like a wiki, is available. You can find your answers quickly and easily.

The Free Edition is completely free. You can try also the Enterprise Edition for 30 days for free.

ASG-Remote Desktop.

We use this software to have all of our RDP and other connections in one place, which is primarily used for our server access.

It saves a lot of time for all of our IT staff from having to just use the RDP Windows client and reenter each server every time we access a different system. 

It also allows us to connect to our VNC clients and Lab PC.

The most valuable piece is the RDP, because some of our servers are virtual machines, so access to them requires us to use RDP. It helps to have all the data already pre-entered and all I have to do is enter the password.

The filing system of connections is a little clunky, but is completely functional. If there was a way to streamline the process, it would make it nice.