Citrix, a key business unit of Cloud Software Group, has unveiled expanded capabilities for its on-premises and cloud solutions. The company's strategic move aims to adapt to the varied needs of its clients, irrespective of their preference for on-premises, cloud, multi-cloud, hybrid, or a comprehensive mix of these technologies.
A central component of this expansion is the merging of Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions into a single Citrix Universal subscription. This package includes the latest release - Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2305 - which introduces an array of new features developed this year.
Despite a 20% year-over-year increase in public cloud expenditure, the corporate world would continue to debate the merits of transitioning from on-premises to public cloud. Shannon Kalvar, IDC’s Research Director, suggested that hybrid computing is the way forward, remarking, “Enterprises have realized that they have to coordinate edge, cloud, datacenter, and end-point compute to meet the diverse requirements imposed by digital operations using hybrid workforces in the modern world.”
As a testament to Citrix's customer-centric innovation, the firm now delivers a comprehensive desktop solution bolstered by the versatility of hybrid cloud technology. New features such as SaaS app access via Citrix Secure Private Access and modern management through Citrix Web Studio would add to the rich assortment of services offered in on-premises Virtual Apps and Desktops environments.
Citrix would ensure IT can leverage any cloud, on-premises data center, or hybrid scenario. Their high-definition HDX user experience technologies would maintain optimal security and end-user experiences across all deployments.
Sridhar Mullapudi, General Manager of Citrix, emphasized the company's flexibility, stating, "Many of our customers prefer the control that on-premises offers, with the scalability and flexibility of hybrid cloud. Our latest services and features meet them where they are on their cloud journeys."
Google, Microsoft Azure, and AWS
The recent enhancements of Citrix's on-premises and cloud offerings aim to bolster operational and IT efficiency, augment workload and device flexibility, strengthen security, and refine the technology for the employee experience. Here's how they intend to achieve these objectives:
- Operational and IT Efficiency - Web Studio, now available on-premises, grants IT managers streamlined management. It facilitates the use of Citrix Autoscale for cost-saving compute optimizations and automation. Additionally, Citrix has introduced the VDA Upgrade service for automated upgrades.
- Workload and Device Flexibility - The service upgrades now allow clients to utilize cloud services from Google, Microsoft Azure, and AWS more effectively, offering authentication through Google Cloud Identity, filtering through Amazon Machine Image inventory, and shifting to cost-effective storage with Microsoft Azure.
- Enhanced Security and Compliance - Citrix has enhanced its Session Recording capabilities and launched Citrix Application Discovery for better visibility into internal private applications and their users. The upgrades offer a new dashboard, automatic email notifications, and a novel daemon for automatic issue fixing.
- Streamlined Employee Experience - A cleaner and more intuitive Citrix Workspace user interface now provides employees with a less cluttered and greater self-service desktop experience.
These features build upon the capabilities introduced earlier this year, including the CitrixUniversal subscription and HDX improvements. Businesses can now deploy and manage application and desktop workloads anywhere through this offering. Furthermore, Citrix's collaboration with Microsoft has resulted in the launch of Citrix for Windows 365, providing customers with an enhanced experience, third-party solution integration, support for a wide range of devices and peripherals, and additional security layers.
