IT Central Station’s crowdsourced user review platform helps technology decision makers around the world to better connect with peers and other independent experts who provide advice without vendor bias.

 Our users have ranked the top virtual user session solutions according to their valuable features, and have also discussed which solutions they used previously, and where they see room for improvement in their current tool of choice.

 You can read user reviews for the top 6 virtual user session tools of Q2 2017 here, to help you decide which solution is best for you.

#1 TeamViewer / UltraView ?

TeamViewer is ranked by our users as the number one tool of Q2 2017, but what do users really think of the solution?

Valuable Features

 An Engineering Aide at a government agency with 1,001-5,000 employees shares his organization’s use-case for TeamViewer:

 “I only use TeamViewer for troubleshooting methods when the students or staff members are unable to come to the IT desk.

• The most important aspect of the software is remote access.

• Helps alleviate confusion with directions over the phone

• Security: The user can input their credentials, personal information such as usernames, passwords, and secure payment methods without the risk of the IT personnel using it maliciously.

Other Solutions Considered

 The Director at Morpheus Technologies Ltd describes his company’s decision-making process for why TeamViewer was the right fit:

 “Once we tested it and used it ‘in anger’, there was no need to look elsewhere. We started on the free versions that were available at the time. As we became more and more reliant on the product, with increased collaboration, the need to up the level of the product became apparent. Which product version to buy was the only option under consideration.”

Room for Improvement

 Stephanie Parker, IT Support and Development at a local government with 51-200 employees, suggests how TeamViewer could improve in the future:

 “The only thing I can think of is a quick-deploy / auto-installer for the end users.”

#2 Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is ranked by our users as the number two virtual user session solution of Q2 2017.

Valuable Features

 Brett Tomes, a Client Technologies Manager at a government agency with 1,001-5,000 employees, emphasizes the value in the solution’s “resilience” and “thin provisioning”:

• Resilience: Has allowed 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.

Organizational Improvements

An Enterprise Sales Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees shares how Microsoft Remote Desktop Services has improved his organization: 

“It makes things easier. The app that they provide you works off Mac and Windows.

Even if I have my instance upon Azure or any other cloud platform, I can just use the normal Desktop Services app to give it an IP, the login credentials, and just log in. It is done very easily.

Then it lets you into the VN. It creates sort of this window for you and allows you to interface with the VN. You can treat it as a separate window among your other apps. It actually works as a very good app on the underlying OS.”

Room for Improvement

Prakuti Argawal, a Programmer Analyst at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees, suggests how the tool could improve: 

“The speed should be a little more. When you're pitching from Mac to Windows, it takes a little more time than what is required. It can improve its speed. That's it. Everything else looks fine. I just started using it a year back, so that is what I can point out right now.”

#3 Bomgar Remote Support

IT Central Station users rank Bomgar Remote Support as the number three solution of Q2 2017.

Valuable Features

J.D. Steiger, an ITSM Administrator at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees, discusses Bomgar Remote Support’s “security and flexibility”:

“We love the security, the flexibility and our end users especially enjoy the security and knowledge that when we are finished with their computer they can validate that the software was removed from their system. We like that we can customize the solution and we enjoy the screen sharing even on mobile phones.”

Previously Used Solutions

Michael Ramsdell, Configuration Specialist at a pharma/biotech company with 1,001-5,000 employees, shares why his company switched from LogMeIn to Bomgar: 

“We used LogMeIn. We started using Bomgar for cost reasons and also there is no "man in the middle" like LogMeIn. Customers were more willing to use it because we maintain the servers.”

Room for Improvement

Dallas Baldwin, a Desktop Support Specialist at a K-12 educational company or school with 51-200 employees suggests future improvements to Bomgar:

“I wouldn’t mind seeing this product have the functionality of pushing small software bundles. I think they might be working on this currently but I'm not sure.” 

#4 XenApp

XenApp is ranked by our users as the number four solution of Q2 2017.

Valuable Features

Nicholas Stapley, Technical Architect Consultant, lists several of XenApp’s valuable features:

• Remote access

• BYOD

• High performance

• Feature-rich, full desktop experience

• It has enabled remote working from anyplace, anytime, and anywhere

• It has simplified, secured, and centralized the challenges of O/S deployment across the enterprise.

Organizational Improvements

A System & Network Engineer at a tech company with 1,001-5,000 employees describes the improvements that XenApp brought to his tech company:

• This product can reduce the cost of a user environment, but only if all components are included for a migration to a Citrix environment.

• A Citrix environment can increase the security by centralizing and controlling the user environment.

• The application deployment was also accelerated.

Room for Improvement

Joao Almeida, System Administrator at a comms service provider with 501-1,000 employees suggests how to further improve XenApp:

“Many of the improvements that we have identified for this version already appear in the newer version. For this version, we thought they could improve management access to the applications, organization in the console, and revise server management – these are in newer versions.”

#5 ConnectWise Control

IT Central Station users rank ConnectWise Control as the number five virtual user session solution of Q1 2017.

Valuable Features

Daniel Mullikin, Network Admin at a hospitality company with 1,001-5,000 employees emphasizes the granular security that ConnectWise Control provides: 

“The ability to access our servers behind the firewall with granular security. A new project required a third party consultant to access a pair of our systems and the consultant didn’t have a remote control solution (most have their own).”

Previously Used Solutions

A Principal at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees discusses the solutions his organization used prior to ConnectWise Control: 

“I previously used TeamViewer and Chrome Remote Desktop. ScreenConnect beats out both, as it's easier to use than Windows Remote Desktop (outside of a local network) and it's less expensive than TeamViewer. I don't think I would have stopped using TeamViewer if it was the same price as ScreenConnect.”

Room for Improvement

Chris Briggs, Franchise Operations Specialist at a recreational facilities and services company with 501-1,000 employees describes the difficulties he’s encountered with ConnectWise Control:

“The only issues I’ve dealt with are display issues when the end user has a dual monitor setup. I haven't had to address it at all. It was easier to ask the end user to disconnect the second monitor than to call up customer support. I’m sure they’d have a fix I just never got that far.”

#6 LogMeIn Pro

LogMeIn Pro is ranked by our users as the number six solution of Q2 2017.

Valuable Features

A Director of Information Technology at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees describes the value that LogMeIn Pro adds to his organization: 

“It's one means for the IT team to address issues that our staff might have. That's our primary thing; getting to them. Some of them are on the road all the time, so it's an easy way for us to get to them, and figure out what's going on.”

Room for Improvement

VP of Enterprise IT at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees suggests features that would improve LogMeIn Pro:

“When using LogMeIn, you need a separate chat window. Also, you cannot talk when the other party is able to see your laptop, or vice versa. When you're really trying to communicate, you're better off actually typing, "Hey, don't do that." "Go here." Something like that. Having a nice chat window would be ideal.”