


Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) and BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access (PRA) compete in the remote access solutions category. Microsoft RDS generally has an advantage in cost-effectiveness, while BeyondTrust PRA stands out due to its advanced security features.
Features: Microsoft RDS integrates well with Windows environments, offers simplicity, and supports existing Microsoft infrastructure. BeyondTrust PRA provides robust security features, advanced access controls, and extensive options for securing privileged access.
Room for Improvement: Microsoft RDS could enhance performance in high-latency situations, improve security measures, and bolster its features for non-Microsoft environments. BeyondTrust PRA may benefit from a more intuitive setup process, better scalability options, and enhanced user-friendliness.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft RDS is noted for straightforward deployment in Microsoft-centric setups but may require skilled IT support for some issues. BeyondTrust PRA has a steeper learning curve but offers very responsive and efficient customer service.
Pricing and ROI: Microsoft RDS is appreciated for lower setup costs, making it cost-effective for organizations using Microsoft products. BeyondTrust PRA is more expensive but offers significant value due to its superior security features, enhancing the protection of sensitive data.
Everything we've gained from it makes my job easier day after day, and I see value in it as an engineer.
Microsoft Intune not only saves costs by reducing the number of personnel needed but also offers a comprehensive solution for managing laptops, applications, security, individual access, and enrollment.
With Microsoft Intune, tasks such as device provisioning, policy deployment, application delivery, and compliance enforcement require less manual effort than in more traditional management models.
By unlocking a locked situation, I mean we couldn't connect to a server in any other way, so we had to use RDP.
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services has helped us to be efficient; we are a team of five serving the entire region of Africa and the Middle East, and it has truly improved our overall efficiency as a team.
When a support ticket is submitted, it directly reaches someone with Intune support expertise.
When I contacted Microsoft, they had the same expertise, if not more, which is phenomenal because I felt heard and my problem was solved.
Sometimes, the support provided is excellent, and the representative is knowledgeable, while other times, the service needs improvement.
Support now requires opening a ServiceNow ticket, which can be time-consuming.
I would rate the customer support of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services a 10.
Interacting with Amazon's customer support seems to route the request to the correct team almost immediately, resulting in quicker responses.
The scalability of Microsoft Intune is ten out of ten.
Ideally, we want to automatically segregate devices based on user properties like primary use, but currently, dynamic groups seem limited to device properties.
It supports organizations with 200 endpoints and those with more than 15,000 endpoints.
I would give it an eight or nine out of ten for scalability, possibly even a ten, as I do not see a limitation in scaling.
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access is a scalable solution based on user requirements.
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services scales very well; I could scale it to however many users I would want.
My impression is that most of the solutions, especially today, make sense for large corporations with 2000 seats or more.
We have not experienced downtime, bugs, or glitches.
It appears Microsoft Intune undergoes changes without informing customers.
In my experience, Microsoft Intune is a stable platform as it is a cloud-based service, and updates are regularly delivered by Microsoft.
Updates sometimes introduce bugs or issues, especially with non-English versions.
Features like unlocking devices sometimes fail, and the support offered for other operating systems is insufficient.
There are communication issues, so you might start working with a feature without knowing if it will be deprecated six months from now.
Many third-party companies offer single-pane-of-glass reporting that shows you what your update environment looks like, how your patch is doing, application status, etc., but Intune's reporting is not intuitive.
BeyondTrust should focus on automating the update process to reduce unnecessary ticket creation.
We are looking for a feature where if someone is doing something risky during their session, it should alert and possibly disable their credentials.
I also understand that this tool is in an end-of-life state now, with Microsoft actively pushing people towards Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365.
On macOS, we sometimes experience keyboard connectivity issues.
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services can be improved by better integrating it within Teams or providing a Teams integration to connect to customer support teams or other systems' accesses using Remote Desktop internally, rather than as a separate individual tool.
Introductory professional services, like a fast-track service, were included with our E5 membership, and there have been no additional costs.
The Intune suite and add-ons, such as batch management and remote help, are costly.
It costs approximately forty euros per user per month.
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that it is expensive, yet not the most expensive in the market, so the price can be considered justifiable.
These licenses are not cheap, as they add up in cost.
I understand it can get quite expensive and also complex to manage these different licenses.
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services was that the licensing was acceptable, but I think the cost was fair.
Intune excels in configuration and compliance management for Windows 10, ensuring devices receive timely updates and adhere to organizational standards.
Dynamic groups allow us to set conditions for automatic membership, eliminating the need for user intervention or manual review and ensuring a seamless workflow.
Windows Autopatch is the most valuable because it removes the burden of patch management.
The secure access must be audited live, ensuring patient data protection.
The session monitoring and recording feature definitely helps security and audit with BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access.
The main benefits that Microsoft Remote Desktop Services provide to me include streamlining my working process, ensuring security, and offering flexibility to connect to virtual desktops and apps from multiple devices.
Using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services has helped my team save time and improve productivity because we had Microsoft servers that were impossible to connect from our MacBook Pro laptops, and once we started using RDP, we could connect and move forward to deliver the project.
The best features Microsoft Remote Desktop Services offers include providing me administrator access, certain inbuilt client tools, and the ability to remotely access enterprise applications, as well as helping me validate whether certificates exist or are missing, or near to expiry.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Intune | 8.9% |
| Microsoft Remote Desktop Services | 7.9% |
| BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access | 2.3% |
| Other | 80.9% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 124 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 53 |
| Large Enterprise | 168 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 12 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 4 |
| Large Enterprise | 7 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 41 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 16 |
| Large Enterprise | 34 |
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service designed for device management, security, and compliance. It supports automation and facilitates endpoint management for Windows, iOS, and Android devices, ensuring data protection and efficient policy enforcement.
Microsoft Intune offers seamless integration with tools like Windows Autopilot to automate device setup and deployment. Integrated with Azure Active Directory, it enhances policy management while providing robust reporting and analytics tools for compliance tracking. Despite its intuitive interface aimed at simplifying navigation and device security management, there are challenges such as compatibility issues with Linux and Mac, limited policy support for Android, and demands for better third-party integration. It's widely used for both corporate-owned devices and BYOD scenarios in dynamic IT environments.
What are the key features of Microsoft Intune?In industries such as finance and healthcare, Microsoft Intune is implemented to ensure data protection and compliance with regulatory standards. Manufacturing sectors utilize Intune for managing a distributed workforce across global locations, while educational institutions employ it to secure and manage devices in learning environments supporting both students and faculty.
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access (formerly Bomgar Privileged Access) lets you secure, manage, and audit vendor and internal remote privileged access without a VPN.
Privileged Remote Access provides visibility and control over third-party vendor access, as well as internal remote access, enabling your organization to extend access to important assets, but without compromising security.
Features include:
- Privileged Access Control: Enforce least privilege by giving users the right level of access.
- Monitor Sessions: Control and monitor sessions using standard protocols for RDP, VNC, HTTP/S, and SSH connections.
- Reduce the Attack Surface: Reduce attacks by consolidating the tracking, approval, and auditing of privileged accounts in one place and by creating a single access pathway.
- Integrate with Password Management: Inject credentials directly into servers and systems with just one click, so users never need to know or see plain text credentials.
- Mobile & Web Consoles: Use mobile apps or web-based consoles anytime, anywhere.
- Audit & Compliance: Create audit trails, session forensics, and other reporting features by capturing detailed session data in real-time or post- session review, and provide attestation reports to prove compliance.
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is a highly regarded remote access tool in addition to being a top-ranked Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution in the marketplace today.
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is a suite of valuable elements of the Windows operating system (OS) that serve specific desired objectives. Microsoft RDS integrates various features that allow approved users to gain access to graphical desktops and Windows applications remotely. Approved users are able to deploy applications or even a complete desktop without having to install anything on their devices. Everything remains in the cloud. This ensures that there are never any compatibility issues and keeps the organization's original network secure at all times. Administrators are also able to ensure that data cannot be stored in any unapproved location, such as the local device, unapproved drives, or any other location.
Microsoft RDS makes it easy for business organizations to access Windows Desktops and other Windows applications remotely to ensure today’s busy enterprise organizations are able to maintain the highest levels of productivity at all times. There are two basic ways organizations can effectively utilize RDS.
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Benefits
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services has many benefits. Some of its most valuable benefits include:
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services makes it easy for busy enterprise organizations to stay productive and remain competitive in today’s aggressive marketplace. An organization's end-users can be given access to their own specific desktops from any location, anytime, using any approved device. Additionally, users can access Microsoft applications without having an effect on their device's resource capacity or performance.
Reviews from Real Users
“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.” Pascal B., IT consultant at Secoptrial
“The most valuable features of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services are unification, central management, and accessibility.” Jan S. Solution Architect at a tech services company
“The most valuable features are that it is fast and cost-effective. I am not aware of a replacement currently on the market.” Ramon H. Director at Empaco
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