Parallels RAS 20 technical preview: designed to elevate your entire experience
The latest release of Parallels RAS, version 20, introduces exciting new features and enhancements that elevate the admin and end-user experience with increased flexibility, security, and more.
Read on for a high-level overview of the updates and discover how Parallels RAS 20 is the smoothest, most enjoyable version yet!
Flexibility updates
Local App Launch
This feature enables local applications to be launched alongside published apps via the Parallels Client. This allows users to access and launch both local and remote applications seamlessly, providing a unified and streamlined experience.
With Local App Launch, users can start local applications without first establishing a connection to a remote session. The process is nearly instantaneous, making it feel like all applications— local or remote—are part of the same environment.
This capability is like our existing RemoteExec feature but with a key improvement—there’s no need to set up a remote session before launching an application.
This enhancement reduces overhead and complexity while increasing productivity. It allows for a more responsive and fluid user experience, enabling users to work more efficiently with quick access to all necessary tools directly from the Parallels Client.
Furthermore, administrators can configure alternate access to a local application by specifying a URL. If the configured local application in Parallels RAS is not installed on the local device or if the local application is accessed from a non-Windows device, the configured URL is opened as a fallback scenario.
This feature also prevents the user from having to switch contexts, since all local or remote applications are accessible from the same place with Parallels RAS acting as the central workplace.
It also allows admins to manage the user application shortcuts in their local start menus.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) Availability Zones
Admins can now deploy virtual machines (VMs) from the same template version and within the same host pool across different AWS Availability Zones (AZ) within a single region.
This support is crucial for high-availability deployments, ensuring that VMs are distributed across multiple physically separate locations within the same AWS region.
By leveraging multiple availability zones, you can significantly reduce the risk of downtime and improve the fault tolerance of your infrastructure. In the event of an outage in one zone, your services can continue to run smoothly in another, minimizing disruption and maintaining business continuity.
This feature promises the highest levels of reliability and performance in your AWS-hosted environments.
Azure Marketplace SaaS offering for pre-paid subscription
In addition to Bring Your Own License (BYOL) and Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) offers, customers can now buy a pre-paid Parallels subscription directly from the Azure Marketplace.
This offering simplifies the procurement process, allowing businesses to easily purchase Parallels RAS licenses using their Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) and Parallels partners to create private offers for their customers.
Together with the existing Azure Marketplace offers, this approach enhances deployment ease and aligns with modern cloud-based purchasing strategies, offering a more convenient and cost-effective solution for managing remote access and virtualization needs.
Security and system updates
Easily distinguish between farms in My Account
This feature securely transmits and displays the IP address of the RAS server (Primary Connection Broker of the License Site) to Parallels My Account. This enhancement helps administrators distinguish between different farms based on their assigned IP addresses, facilitating better support and security management.
Read-only drive redirection
Read-only drive redirection allows drives to be redirected from client to server but restricts them to read-only access, thereby mitigating data leaks. This feature extends the existing drive redirection capabilities, providing more granularity when working with drive redirection.
Updated system requirements
The Parallels RAS team has updated the system requirements for Parallels RAS to phase out support for operating systems. Support for Windows Server 2008 R2 will be discontinued, along with Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 as session hosts.
This change is being implemented to prioritize security, as these older systems no longer receive critical updates, making them more vulnerable to security risks.
It aligns with customer requests for up-to-date environments that meet modern compliance standards and security expectations. By focusing on newer, supported operating systems, we can ensure enhanced protection and a better overall user experience.
Additionally, all infrastructure roles within Parallels RAS deployments will transition to Windows Server 2016-2022 due to the phasing out of support for Windows Server 2012 R2. This update reflects our commitment to providing a secure and optimized environment by focusing on more current, robust operating systems.
New operating system support
Parallels Client for Android now offers full support for Android 15, while Parallels Client for macOS is compatible with macOS 15 (macOS Sequoia). Additionally, Parallels Client for iOS/iPadOS now supports iOS/iPadOS 18.
Further information will be provided regarding the upcoming changes, including guidance on transitioning to supported operating systems and the implications for existing deployments.
I encourage all customers to review this update and make the necessary adjustments to their systems to align with the new requirements, ensuring continued support and optimal performance.
This knowledge base article contains detailed information on Parallels RAS 20 System Requirements.
Admin improvements
New cost dashboard – coming soon
The new dashboard allows IT administrators to comprehensively view current and future cost utilization when using Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). Accessible via the Parallels RAS Console and Management Portal, this feature is an independent component that can be utilized in both cloud and hybrid environments.
It provides real-time insights into resource usage and expenses, helping organizations optimize their Azure allocations, manage budgets effectively, and prevent unexpected costs.
Furthermore, the dashboard enhances visibility into cloud spending, enabling more efficient financial planning and supporting strategic decision-making for virtualized IT environments.
New admin console feature: Last used Secure Gateway
To enhance the usability and efficiency of the Parallels RAS administration console, a new, dedicated window that displays the “Last Used Secure Gateway” has been introduced.
This window will clearly indicate the specific Secure Gateway utilization for tunnelling each user session, making it easier for administrators to see which users have used which gateways.
It empowers administrators to filter and sort user groups based on the Secure Gateway value shown in the new window.
This capability streamlines the process of managing user sessions and troubleshooting network-related issues, allowing quicker identification of patterns or problems related to specific Secure Gateways.
Run Parallels Client on Windows 365 Cloud PC
Cloud PCs are great for providing the full desktop experience. The Parallels Client on a Cloud PC delivers seamless apps from Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), on-premises through RDSH, VDI, MSIX app attach apps, and Remote PC apps, all through a consistent interface.
Please see the introductory video illustrating the end-user experience using Windows 365 Cloud PC and Parallels RAS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvHS0gySzUs.
This solution unblocks customers from moving to Cloud PC, especially if application data backends still reside outside of Azure today or if applications require the client app to remain as close as possible to, for example, a backend database to mitigate latency.
It also accelerates user onboarding to Cloud PCs since apps are now “following” the user onto their Cloud PC, decoupled from the OS.
Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) apps and/or MSIX app attach apps can be provided seamlessly and dynamically through dedicated application and session management with Parallels RAS.
User Experience
High DPI session in Web Client (HTML5)
Introducing new support for high pixel density (high DPI) displays in the Parallels web client, enabling users to experience resolutions up to 8K.
This enhancement allows for sharper, more detailed visuals, making it ideal for tasks that demand high-definition clarity and precision.
Continue session across multiple devices automatically
This feature in the Parallels RAS client is designed to enhance user productivity and session continuity across multiple devices from a single session.
It allows applications to automatically launch when a user logs into their Parallels RAS session, regardless of the different devices from which they are accessed.
Users can then begin working immediately upon logging in without needing to restart applications they were previously using manually. It particularly beneficial for users who frequently switch between devices, such as shared workspaces, hot-desking setups, or when working remotely from different locations.
Previously, this functionality was available when logging on to an installed Parallels Client — this release extends it to the User Portal.
It’s particularly useful for ISVs or organizations publishing one specific app to a group of users who log on via the User Portal. As soon as authentication occurs, the specified application is launched without further user interaction.
New French and Belgium keyboard layouts
The keyboard layout settings have been updated to include French and Belgium options when using the Parallels Client for the web, enhancing the user experience for those familiar with these layouts.
Administrators can centrally manage keyboard layouts through Parallels RAS Policies, ensuring streamlined control and consistency across the environment.
Try Parallels RAS 20!
The latest release of Parallels RAS 20 offers a comprehensive set of features and improvements designed to enhance both the administrative and end-user experience.
These updates demonstrate our commitment to evolving the Parallels RAS platform to meet modern business needs, enabling organizations to provide a secure, efficient, and user-friendly environment for remote work and virtualization.
We are happy to invite you to participate in the Technical Preview by going to https://my.parallels.com/ras/beta to access the mentioned new capabilities and much more. Stay tuned for more updates as we gear up for the general availability of Parallels RAS 20 this fall!
