In the modern workplace, employees want to be able to work from anywhere, not just an office. This has created a demand for products and services that can help them get their job done from home, on the road, or even in a local cafe or co-working space. If you’re involved with planning your company’s remote access capabilities and aren’t sure what protocol to use for your Remote Desktop Services (RDS), this article is for you. In it, we’ll explain exactly what RDS is, how it works, and why it’s such an important part of any organization’s IT infrastructure.
What Is RDS?
Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is a feature included in most modern commercial versions of Windows Server. RDS allows IT admins to host Windows desktops and applications on their remote servers and make them available to employees over the Internet and company networks. RDS is more than just remote desktop access; it’s a comprehensive, feature-rich product that includes single sign-on, centralized management, client device support, and more. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the protocol used for transmitting data over the Internet. RDP is the same protocol used for Remote Desktop Services (RDS), so the two terms are often used interchangeably.
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
Let’s start with RDP. As we discussed above, RDP is the name of the protocol used to transmit data over the Internet. RDP is a default component of Windows. It is built into every version of Windows since Windows 2000, so it comes pre-installed with every computer. RDP is the protocol that carries the data between the remote user’s computer (i.e., their laptop, desktop, or tablet) and the remote server. It also carries the data between the remote server and the local user’s computer. In other words, RDP is a bi-directional protocol that enables a remote user to log into their computer as if they were sitting in front of it. As an IT admin, you can make RDP available to remote users in a variety of ways. If your organization uses a public cloud service like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, or Google Cloud Platform, you can enable Remote Desktop Services on those platforms. Remote Desktop Services on Azure Remote Desktop Services on AWS Remote Desktop Services on Google Cloud Remote Desktop Services on IBM Cloud Otherwise, you can install Windows Server and enable Remote Desktop Services on your own servers.
Benefits of using RDS
The benefits of using Remote Desktop Services are numerous. Let’s take a look at just a few of them: - Increased Security - Since RDS operates in a closed network environment, it is much more secure than traditional remote desktop software that uses the same RDP protocol. - Central Management - With RDS, you can centrally manage access, security, and other settings for all of your remote users from a single location. - Wide Support - RDS supports a variety of client devices, including MacOS, Chromebooks, Linux, Android devices, iPhones, iPads, and Windows devices. - Cross-Platform Support - You can use the same RDS host server to provide remote access to both Windows devices and non-Windows devices. - Device Independence - With RDS, your employees’ devices aren’t as important as they used to be. You can provide access to remote applications and desktops on any device, regardless of the underlying operating system.
How does RDS work?
As we discussed above, RDS is a collection of related technologies that operate together to provide remote desktop access. Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) - This is the server component of RDS. The RDSH server is what your end users connect to when they log into the remote desktop. Remote Desktop Virtualization Host (RDVH) - The RDVH is a virtual machine that hosts the Remote Desktop Virtualization Host. This is the server that hosts the Remote Desktop Virtualization Host infrastructure components. Remote Desktop Virtualization Host Infrastructure - This includes the Remote Desktop Gateway, the Remote Desktop licensing service, and the Remote Desktop Web Access server.
Limitations of RDS/RDP
Like any technology, RDS/RDP has its limitations. Some of the most notable are: - Security - RDP was designed for essentially one purpose: remote access to a Windows-based desktop or server. As such, it is not as robust or secure as many other modern communication protocols, and it can be exploited. - Bandwidth issues - The RDP protocol was designed for use on a LAN, where most computers are connected to the same switch or router. As such, it isn’t as efficient at transporting data over WANs. - Latency - Since RDP was designed for LANs, it isn’t optimized for WANs. RDP inherently adds latency, which can cause issues for employees if the latency is too high.
Bottom line
Remote Desktop Services is a massively important technology. It has many advantages over remote desktop access, and it’s available in all commercial versions of Windows Server. If you’re looking to provide remote access to your applications and desktops, RDS is the way to go.
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