2X Software

2X Software was a Malta-based software company associated with remote access, application delivery, and desktop virtualization technologies. Its products were designed to let organizations publish Windows applications and desktops to users across personal computers, thin clients, mobile devices, and other endpoints. The company operated in the enterprise information-technology market, particularly in areas that later became known as application virtualization, remote desktop services, hosted desktops, and desktop-as-a-service. The 2X brand formed part of the broader development of server-based computing. Rather than requiring every application to be installed and maintained on each employee device, application-delivery software hosted programs on centralized servers and transmitted the user interface to endpoints. This model was useful for organizations seeking centralized administration, controlled access to business applications, support for thin-client hardware, and more flexible remote working arrangements. 2X's offerings were therefore aimed primarily at businesses, service providers, and information-technology administrators rather than consumer software users. The company became known for products associated with application publishing and remote desktop access, including the 2X ApplicationServer family and related infrastructure for managing user connections. Its portfolio addressed several layers of a remote-computing environment: publishing applications, brokering or balancing connections, securing remote sessions, and enabling access from lightweight or alternative client devices. These capabilities placed 2X in a competitive field that included Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop, VMware's end-user-computing products, and other remote-access platforms. In February 2015, Parallels acquired 2X Software. The transaction brought 2X's application-delivery and remote-access technology into Parallels' portfolio and was part of Parallels' expansion in the business and service-provider software markets. After the acquisition, the 2X brand ceased to operate as an independent company in public-facing corporate materials. Its technology and product capabilities were incorporated into Parallels' offerings, while Parallels subsequently reorganized parts of its service-provider business under the Odin name. Parallels itself later became part of Corel, following Corel's acquisition announcement in December 2018. As a result, 2X Software is best understood today as a discontinued or absorbed software-company brand rather than an active standalone vendor. Its historical importance lies in its contribution to the application-delivery and remote-desktop market and in the way its technology became part of a larger virtualization and cloud-software portfolio.

2X Software was a Maltese enterprise-software company operating in the application-delivery and remote-access sector. Its products reflected the server-based-computing model, in which applications and desktop environments are hosted centrally while users interact with them through remote client software. This approach helped organizations simplify software deployment, apply centralized security and administration, and support employees or customers working from different locations and devices. The company's product range was associated with several related functions. Application-server software enabled administrators to publish Windows programs to authorized users without installing each program locally. Remote-access tools provided connections to hosted desktops or applications, while security and connection-management products helped control and scale those sessions. Thin-client software addressed endpoints that relied on centrally managed computing resources instead of full local installations. Together, these capabilities positioned 2X as a specialist vendor in the enterprise remote-computing ecosystem. 2X competed during a period when application virtualization and hosted desktops were increasingly used by businesses, education institutions, service providers, and other organizations with distributed users. The market included large vendors such as Citrix and Microsoft, as well as virtualization companies and smaller specialists. 2X's focus on application publishing, remote access, and thin-client deployment gave it a role in projects seeking alternatives to conventional desktop installation and management. A major turning point came in February 2015, when Parallels acquired 2X Software. The acquisition transferred 2X's technology and business into Parallels, which already operated across desktop virtualization, application delivery, and cloud or service-provider software. The deal expanded Parallels' capabilities in enterprise remote application access and complemented its existing virtualization products. Following the transaction, 2X no longer developed as a clearly independent corporate brand in the public record. Parallels reorganized parts of its service-provider activities under the Odin name, and the acquired capabilities were absorbed into the wider Parallels portfolio. Parallels later continued developing products such as Parallels Remote Application Server, which occupied a similar application-delivery and remote-desktop category. In December 2018, Corel announced the acquisition of Parallels. This placed the former 2X technology within a larger software group, but did not restore 2X as an independent operating company. The brand is consequently treated as defunct or absorbed. Its legacy is as a Maltese software specialist whose products contributed to the evolution of centrally managed application delivery, remote work infrastructure, and desktop virtualization.

1. 2018Parallels becomes part of Corel

   Corel announced its acquisition of Parallels, placing the former 2X technology within Corel's broader software group.

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2. 2015Acquired by Parallels

   Parallels acquired 2X Software in February, bringing its application-delivery and remote-access technology into the Parallels portfolio.

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Enterprise software for centrally publishing applications and desktops, enabling remote access, and supporting thin-client computing.

• 2X ApplicationServerApplication delivery

  A server-based application-delivery product associated with the 2X portfolio. It enabled organizations to host applications centrally and make them available to users through remote sessions, reducing the need for local installation and supporting centralized administration.

• 2X Remote ApplicationServerRemote application and desktop delivery

  A remote-access and application-publishing platform intended to provide users with centrally hosted Windows applications and desktops. It addressed enterprise and service-provider requirements for remote access, centralized management, and access from varied endpoint devices.

• 2X SecureRDPSecure remote access

  A product associated with securing or managing remote desktop connections. It supported the broader 2X objective of providing controlled access to centrally hosted Windows environments over remote networks.

• 2X LoadBalancerConnection management

  A connection-management product intended to distribute remote application or desktop sessions across available servers. Such functionality helped organizations scale application delivery and improve resilience in multi-server deployments.

• 2X ThinClientServerThin-client computing

  A thin-client-oriented platform associated with centrally managed desktop and application environments. It supported deployments in which endpoint devices depended on server-hosted computing resources rather than locally installed business software.

• 2015Parallels acquisition of 2X SoftwareM&A

  Parallels sought to expand its enterprise and service-provider software capabilities in application delivery and remote access.

  What changed. Parallels acquired 2X Software in February 2015.

  Aftermath. 2X's technology was incorporated into Parallels' portfolio, and the standalone 2X corporate brand subsequently disappeared from the public market.

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• 2015Parallels acquires 2X Software

  Parallels acquired 2X Software in February 2015, adding the Maltese company's application-delivery and remote-access technologies to its business software portfolio.

  M&A
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1. Parallels (company)