Deploy Windows Applications to Macs Without a Full Windows Desktop

A Mac user needs Power BI Desktop, Microsoft Visio, or another Windows application for their job. Traditionally, giving them access has meant deploying a Windows virtual machine, even when they have little reason to use Windows itself.

Parallels Desktop for Mac Enterprise Edition now gives IT and end users another option. With our new app-delivery feature, IT can deploy a supported Windows application through existing Mac management workflows. Parallels Desktop sets up the Windows environment the application needs on the user's Mac. Employees launch only the application from their device, while the Windows desktop and virtual machine stay hidden in the background.

Start with the Windows application

A traditional virtual machine deployment often begins with a Windows image. IT prepares the operating system, adds applications and configuration, then deploys the VM. That still makes sense when someone needs Windows as a working environment, but it can be unnecessary when the actual requirement is access to just one Windows application.

For app-focused deployments, IT chooses the application in the Parallels Management Portal, downloads the application package and MDM configuration profile, then deploys both. Parallels Desktop handles the supporting Windows environment on the Mac, including the setup needed to run the application.

On first launch, the employee sees a native macOS progress indicator while Parallels Desktop prepares the environment and installs the application. They don't have to work through Windows installation or configure a virtual machine themselves. Once setup is complete, they can open the application from macOS and work with it alongside their Mac apps.

There is no traditional golden image for IT to build for this workflow.

Keep Windows in the background

The Windows environment is still there. The difference is the role it plays.

For an employee who only needs an approved application, there may be no reason to provide access to a general-purpose Windows desktop, settings, or system tools. Parallels Desktop for Enterprise includes controls that allow IT to restrict that underlying environment while making assigned applications available to the user.

Employees spend their time in the software they need rather than navigating another operating system to reach it. This also keeps the Mac at the center of the user's work. Windows applications can run alongside Mac applications instead of requiring employees to switch into a separate Windows workspace.

Keep the Windows environment restricted

In the new app delivery mode, Parallels Desktop for Enterprise restricts access to the underlying Windows environment. IT admins can control which applications are allowed to run, camera and microphone access for individual Windows applications, and the level of integration between macOS and Windows.

Parallels Desktop for Enterprise includes more than 100 lockdown measures designed to limit Windows functionality to what's needed for app delivery. Users can work with their assigned applications without interacting with a full Windows desktop.

Learn more in our Windows Lockdown ebook.

Use the Mac management tools already in place

App Delivery is designed to fit into existing Mac management processes.

Parallels Desktop must be installed and activated on the Mac. From there, IT can use its Mac mobile device management (MDM) to deliver the required configuration and application package to the users or devices that need it. That matters for teams already managing a large Mac fleet. A Windows application doesn't have to introduce a separate user-facing Windows provisioning process just because the software happens to require Windows.

IT continues to manage the Mac as the endpoint. Parallels Desktop manages the Windows environment required by the application.

App delivery or a full virtual machine?

App delivery isn't intended to replace the full VM. Developers and testers may need access to a complete Windows, Linux, or macOS virtual environment. Parallels Desktop for Enterprise continues to support those requirements through managed virtual machine deployment.

App-centric deployment addresses a different case: the employee needs software that runs on Windows, but Windows isn't their workspace. IT can choose the approach based on what that employee actually needs.

Start with supported Windows applications

At launch, customers can choose from a collection of preconfigured Windows applications, including:

Support isn't limited to the initial collection. Customers can request additional applications through the Parallels Desktop Management Portal, including custom apps made available exclusively to their organizations. This makes the model useful for more than widely used commercial software. Organizations that depend on Windows-only, legacy, proprietary, or internal applications can work with Parallels on the applications their users need.

Give users the application, not an extra desktop

Sometimes a full Windows environment is exactly what the job requires. Sometimes it isn't.

App delivery gives Parallels Desktop for Enterprise customers a way to make that distinction. IT can deliver supported Windows applications through existing Mac management processes while retaining control of the environment running them. Employees can stay in macOS and open the software they need.

Explore Parallels Desktop for Enterprise and the supported application options, or request a free trial to see how app delivery could work in your Mac environment.

Have questions? Contact our team to learn more.

For software vendors

Software vendors that want their Windows application available through the Parallels Desktop for Enterprise application catalog can contact Parallels through the Technology Partner Program.