Remote Desktop Connection Manager Alternative – RDCMan Versus Leostream
Since you’re on this page, you’re probably familiar with the Remote Desktop Connection Manager (or “RDCMan” for short), the Microsoft tool for organizing, grouping, and managing Microsoft remote desktop connections. It’s been a beloved piece of software for IT administrators in Microsoft shops, but it has gone many years without major upgrades and can leave much to be desired for organizations that are not solely reliant on Windows. RDCMan can also miss the mark for enterprises with a high volume of remote workers or for those with any sort of complex use cases where an advanced level of security, control, or nimbleness is necessary. And, don’t even think about using RDCMan as your VDI connection management layer for end users…that’s not where it shines.
New demands placed on organizations to deliver remote access and support hybrid workforces, while streamlining IT and reducing costs, has many people rethinking their IT environments. By managing remote desktop connections for all users centrally rather than individually on IT user’s devices or through different end-user tools, organizations can make corporate resources available in a more unified fashion.
RDCMan has always been a basic tool and really isn’t meant for sophisticated environments or end-user workflows. This begs the question of whether there is an alternative when it comes to connection managers that can do it all? The answer? There sure is!
We would like to introduce you to Leostream. Leostream lets you roll your RDCMan and VDI needs into one platform, so that you can easily expand functionality to all personnel. Leostream offers a host of features that go above and beyond RDCMan to simplify IT tasks related to managing remote desktop connections and end users’ remote access.
Introducing Leostream – the #1 Remote Desktop Connection Manager Alternative (and then some!)
Coined the, “Swiss Army Knife” of connection managers and the remote desktop broker to, “Rule them all”, the Leostream Platform is a go-to-choice for those wanting to deploy a flexible remote desktop environment while overcoming the limitations of RDCMan.
As the industry’s most widely leveraged vendor-independent connection management platform, Leostream can help support on-site workers, work-from-home initiatives, or a hybrid workforce by providing what is needed to connect end users to their desktops and effectively manage those connections.
Organizations across every major vertical have turned to Leostream over RDCMan to satisfy a number of workflows. Below are a few common reasons that make Leostream the premier connection manager (one or more of these scenarios may describe your company’s situation!)
You want to move beyond RDP: If all of your end-users are utilizing Windows RDP, then sticking with a Microsoft connection manager may make the most sense — but what if other remote display protocols are a better fit? There are countless other display protocols, many of which may be necessary for high-performance remote desktops, like those used by designers and engineers. With Leostream you can mix and match display protocols and manage everything from within a single console. (Tip: check out our post on choosing display protocols).
It’s time to scale: Even by Microsoft’s admission, RDCMan isn’t meant to handle the complexity of large-scale environments most efficiently. Without the proper tools for automating and facilitating desktop connections, things can get out of hand. It’s a complete drain on IT staff when you have hundreds, never mind thousands of users to keep tabs on. Leostream comes fully equipped with propriety technology for pooling desktops and creating plans and policies that significantly cuts IT time and optimizes corporate resources. In addition, the Leostream API gives developers the ability to customize the platform even further.
Your IT environment is diverse: Speaking of large-scale environments, most have been built and added to over time. This can result in a hodge-podge of technologies and ever-evolving initiatives. Customers often come to us saying they feel shoe horned by their current connection manager into workflows that aren’t optimal. Leostream lets you creatively implement a solution that is on-premises, in the cloud, or hybrid, while incorporating the array of technology that you have in place such as virtualization platforms, hardware, devices, operating systems and display protocols. Our goal is for you to take advantage of what you already have in place today and future proof your environment for tomorrow’s IT needs.
Support is needed for Linux or MacOS: With RDCMan, Linux and MacOS users often get short-changed. Although with some workarounds you can utilize Linux and MacOS with RDCMan, the experience is not totally seamless. If your environment calls for Linux, MacOS, or a mix of everything, then RDCMan may not be ideal. Leostream, on the other hand, supports all of these operating systems equally and from the same management platform.
More security is needed: RDCMan came under the scrutiny recently for a major security flaw. Although that bug has been patched, the tool still lacks advanced security features. Leostream is trusted by some of the most data sensitive and compliant sectors such as healthcare and government/defense by enabling a variety of authentication measures – MFA, audit trails, role-based access control, just to name a few!
Whether you’ve been a loyal RDCMan but feel restricted by missing functionality, or you’re starting a new initiative from scratch and are in search of a connection manager, we invite you to learn about the capabilities of the Leostream Platform. Contact our helpful sales team at [email protected] to discuss your use case or get started by requesting a free 30-day trial.