"The licensing model is very transparent and easy, especially when compared to other solutions like Citrix or VMware, where you need a consultant just to explain the model to you. Parallels Secure Workspace offers competing licenses, so the only choice you must make is whether to buy or rent the licenses."
IT Manager
Evere is a Belgian municipality with 43,000 inhabitants, in the Brussels-Capital Region with 1,220,000 inhabitants. In the municipal administration, there are about 300 computer users working in different departments, each with their own needs and work requirements. At the end of 2019, the IT team was looking for a simple and secure solution to enable teleworking for their employees.
The challenge
Long before working with Parallels Secure Workspace, the municipal administration of Evere had implemented the Citrix solution for all users within the municipal administration, allowing employees to work remotely on an occasional basis. Over time, limitations encountered with certain specific business applications resulted in a mixed fleet of classic computers and Citrix workstations.
In 2019, before the pandemic the situation at Evere was divided. There were two different solutions for workstations, one of which (Citrix) was slowly being upgraded or replaced by another solution.
As per Philippe Fournier, IT Manager, "managing two different technologies, especially the complexity of the Citrix configuration, means more complex management and a higher level of skill for the IT team and higher support costs when faced with more advanced technical issues."
To continue to make remote working possible within their government organization and in anticipation of the implementation of structural teleworking, the IT team had already begun looking for a replacement solution before the start of the pandemic.
When the need for remote working exploded in 2020 due to COVID, the team was pleased to have identified and begun implementing Parallels Secure Workspace.
The solution
Working with Parallels Secure Workspace only brings advantages, both for the IT department and for the end users of the municipal administration of Evere.
In addition, Fournier is very pleased that he can purchase Parallels Secure Workspace through CIBG’s central purchasing office. In their catalog, you can find Parallels Secure Workspace licenses.
All Brussels administrations that have joined the central purchasing office can buy Parallels Secure Workspace licenses in compliance with public procurement legislation but without the administrative burden.
When Philippe heard about this possibility from a colleague in Sint-Agatha-Berchem, a long-time Parallels Secure Workspace customer (as well as 80 other local authorities in Belgium), he immediately saw the great advantage.
In addition, the IT team explained to him that it was relatively easy to install, set up and configure.
"Just go to the web, enter a predefined custom url, provide your username and password and you're in. Then you can easily work with any application (legacy, web, SaaS) or file needed, all in a secure environment. If necessary, you can even mandate that some or all of the integrated MFA solutions be used at no additional cost."
IT Manager
For now, they are only using Parallels Secure Workspace to facilitate teleworking in a seamless and consistent manner. Other goals are to enable secure remote access for external contractors via Parallels Secure Workspace as well.
The result
- Simple Citrix alternative: Previously, they used Citrix for all its users within the administration, as well as to allow employees to work remotely on an occasional basis. However, over time, they enountered limitations with certain specific business applications, which resulted in a mixed fleet of classic computers and Citrix workstations. With Parallels Secure Workspace, they can simply access every application on any device.
- Transparent licensing model: They find the licensing model transparent and very easy, “especially when compared to other solutions like Citrix or VMware, where you need a consultant just to explain the model to you. Parallels Secure Workspace offers competing licenses, so the only choice you must make is between a subscription or perpetual license model.”
- Buying via CIBG: The municipality was very pleased that they could purchase Parallels Secure Workspace through the CIBG’s central purchasing office. This means you can buy licenses in compliance with public procurement legislation but without the administrative burden. They heard about this possibility via a colleague from Parallels Secure Workspace customer Sint-Agatha-Berchem and they immediately saw the great advantage.
