"The immediate benefits and positive feedback from our IT team and end users made the decision to switch to Parallels Secure Workspace an easy one. Now, our technology stack boasts enhanced security, increased flexibility, and reduced complexity, empowering our global workforce to thrive in a modern remote work landscape."
IT Manager
Kiwa is a Top 20 leader in testing, inspection and certification (TIC) for the construction, energy supply, drinking water, healthcare, food, and feed and farming industries. The organization’s area of expertise includes management systems, corporate social responsibility, lab testing, among many others.
Kiwa employs over 10,000 people in over 40 countries spanning Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania; this includes the Bologna-based Kiwa Italy group of companies.
With such a diverse and geographically varied workforce, data security and compliance become paramount concerns since sensitive information must be safeguarded across multiple regions and jurisdictions.
Overcoming these challenges requires a comprehensive approach integrating robust network infrastructure with stringent security measures, taking advantage of the full potential of VDI for a global workforce.
The Challenge Offer employees a smarter but safer way to work remotely.
Kiwa Italy was looking for:
- Increased security.
- Greater flexibility.
- Less complexity.
Kiwa Italy’s main business challenge, especially post-Covid, was to offer their employees a smarter but safer way to work outside the company boundaries. With the Citrix solution they had in place prior to engaging with Parallels, they were unable to provide an adequate level of security, mainly due to the lack of native MFA capabilities.
Kiwa Italy was looking for an alternative which would be easier to manage and more secure.
Their IT partner suggested exploring Parallels Secure Workspace as a potential solution.
The Test Will Parallels Secure Workspace offer employees seamless and secure remote access to desktops and apps from any device and from anywhere?
Parallels Secure Workspace was initially deployed with one virtual machine and two RDS hosts with a limited number of users and top used applications to test the solution and its capabilities. Initially, Kiwa Italy’s IT department (about 20 individuals) tested the main features, then after a few months, the full solution was extended to a quarter of the current employees.
The test yielded successful results as Kiwa Italy experienced the following advantages:
- Safe and secure environment.
- Reduced hardware footprint by more than 50%.
- Simplified learning curve, especially from an IT management perspective.
- Easy to understand and use, even from the user's point of view.
Before launching the Parallels Secure Workspace pilot, Kiwa Italy used Citrix so their users were familiar with desktop environments.
Much to their surprise, the adjustment to Parallels Secure Workspace was seamless and the ability to run individual apps instead of desktops and browse file servers within the browser tab was an attractive capability.
The pilot ran for a few weeks. Throughout this period, Kiwa Italy enlisted the support of their trusted partner IFI Consulting as they tested how the solution addressed remote work and security challenges. This partnership, in conjunction with the capabilities of Parallels Secure Workspace, resulted in significant benefits that they couldn’t achieve with Citrix.
Kiwa Italy made a straightforward decision to switch to Parallels Secure Workspace.
"The pilot project showcased a safe environment, cost savings through infrastructure simplification, and a user-friendly experience for both IT and end-users."
IT Manager
The Result Additional security, flexibility, ease of use, and a more than 30% decrease in support tickets.
The IT team was particularly thrilled with these benefits of Parallels Secure Workspace:
- A simpler and more manageable infrastructure.
- Reduction of their hardware footprint by more than 50%.
- 30% less support tickets.
- A significantly more secure environment, primarily attributed to the implementation of the MFA application and its zero trust concepts.
Furthermore, the end users also provided positive feedback on the solution’s:
- User-friendliness and intuitiveness.
- Improved streamlining and performance.
Kiwa Italy encountered some initial limitations with Parallels Secure Workspace. However, they were pleased to find that Parallel’s team was highly responsive, allowing them to submit feature requests to address their specific needs.
The swift and efficient technical support, especially in ticket management, played a crucial role in their overall product evaluation. As Kiwa Italy continues to work with Parallels, they recognize it as a flexible and modern platform backed by a capable team.
"Enhanced security, increased flexibility, and reduced complexity were the driving forces behind our decision to incorporate Parallels Secure Workspace into our technology stack."
IT Manager
