Citrix – Digital IT News

5 VDI and DaaS Alternatives to Citrix and Omnissa

Olivia Rowan — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 14:30:05 +0000

In recent years, the landscape of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and Desktop as a Service (DaaS) has been marked by significant shifts and disruptions, prompting organizations to reevaluate their current providers and solutions. For customers of Citrix and Omnissa, who have faced challenges adapting to these changes, the need for reliable and cost-effective alternatives has become more pressing.

As companies strive to optimize their operations and reduce the long-term costs associated with virtual desktop environments, exploring new options becomes imperative. This article will guide you through four viable VDI and DaaS alternatives that not only promise stability and less disruption but also aim to deliver enhanced performance and scalability, making them worthy of consideration for any organization looking to transition from their current setup.

We asked five companies – Parallels, Nerdio, Anunta, Cybele Software and Workspot- the same questions and here are their responses. Whether you’re grappling with service inconsistencies, seeking better cost management, or simply exploring state-of-the-art capabilities, these options stand out as practical solutions in a rapidly evolving digital workspace landscape.

Parallels

parallels.com

What product/s do you offer that would be alternatives to Citrix and Omnissa solutions including Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops or Omnissa Horizon 8?

At Parallels, we offer a range of solutions that serve as strong alternatives to Citrix and Omnissa. For flexible application and desktop delivery, we provide Parallels RAS and Parallels Secure Workspace. These solutions offer robust access to applications via VDI and have attracted many customers transitioning from Citrix due to their ease of use and cost-efficiency.

This year, we also introduced Parallels DaaS—a cloud-native alternative to Citrix and Omnissa solutions—and Parallels Browser Isolation, which enhances security by safeguarding remote access to SaaS applications. As secure access to applications and data becomes increasingly critical, this new offering is designed to meet those demands effectively.

And of course, many know us for Parallels Desktop, our virtualization solution that allows users to run multiple OSs on a single device – like Windows on Mac.

With our diverse product portfolio, we provide reliable and flexible alternatives to Citrix and Omnissa, catering to a wide range of use cases and ensuring that our solutions meet the evolving needs of organizations.

What advantages do your products offer compared to these Citrix and Omnissa products?

One of the key reasons customers choose Parallels solutions over Citrix or Omnissa is the almost elegant simplicity of the technology and the associated time to value. They like the ease of use, deployment, and management. For example, one of our channel partners XenTegra One recently said that “Administration is 10 times easier. If a client needs assistance, a call is set up and at most takes 20 minutes to show them the ins and outs. A couple of quick trainings and the IT admin is up to speed.”.

This is especially important given the current shortage of IT specialists. Companies can’t afford to wait months for IT professionals to get up to speed. With our solutions, IT admins can get on board fast, without costly and extensive technical ramp time.

That simplicity extends to our licensing model, as well, and we believe that’s a significant advantage compared to Citrix or Omnissa.

Our all-inclusive licensing model offers clear, predictable pricing with no hidden costs. Deployment and maintenance also tend to be more affordable compared to other solutions for reasons we have already discussed.

It’s also worth noting that we support a wide range of hypervisors and cloud providers, allowing customers to leverage existing infrastructure and minimize disruption to the existing environment.

Whether on-premises or in the cloud, our solutions cover everything under one license, with the flexibility to scale up or down as the organization grows.

How many desktops are currently running your product/s?

Although we cannot share specific numbers publicly, we can proudly say that our products are widely adopted and used by numerous satisfied customers globally.

Do you have particular vertical markets or use cases that are most appropriate for your product/s?

We sell almost entirely through channel partners who serve customers in a variety of industries that need reliable, secure, and scalable solutions for delivering virtual desktops and applications. From a market segment perspective, we enjoy genuine strength and pedigree among small to mid-sized businesses, mid-market organizations, state and local governments, and educational institutions. Within our commercial segments, we work extensively within the healthcare industry – with deep expertise in the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) space.

For example, Aspire Indiana switched from Citrix to our solution because they needed a more affordable and less complex option for their virtualization needs. With Parallels RAS, Aspire Indiana was able to deliver secure, remote access to EMR applications through an HTML5 gateway. Like many customers, they were impressed with the simplicity and user-friendly features of our solution. We’re implementing this same scenario for dozens of customers globally, including some of the biggest names in the industry.

Beyond healthcare, we also serve a number of notable financial services organizations, manufacturing customers, as well as clients in the retail and customer service industries. Again, the flexibility and ease of deployment of our solutions make them a great fit for organizations of all sizes and across various industries.

Are there any infrastructure limitations or specifics that new customers should be aware of to run your product/s?

Our products have been on the market for a long time and have evolved into mature solutions that offer exceptional flexibility and compatibility. They are designed to integrate seamlessly with a wide range of IT environments, ensuring they meet the diverse needs of any organization.

Take Parallels RAS as an example. Initially launched as “2X Application Server” in 2006, it has since evolved into a highly flexible solution that works closely with a wide array of popular technology partners and integrations. Just to list a few: It’s accessible across a variety of devices, giving users the flexibility to access resources via HTML5-compliant browsers or through the Parallels Client application, which supports platforms including Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, and ChromeOS. It also supports all major hypervisors, from Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware ESXi to hyperconverged infrastructures like Nutanix Acropolis and Scale Computing HC3. Whether on-premises, in the cloud (such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services), or through a hybrid approach, organizations can create a highly adaptable IT infrastructure based on their unique needs.

Furthermore, we actively gather and implement feedback and requests from our customers. Many features in our products have been directly shaped by customer input, ensuring our products continually evolve to meet real-world needs.

Are you offering any programs or incentives for channel partners that migrate their customers from Citrix or Omnissa to your product/s?

Definitely! We recently launched an attractive promotion offering rebates to partners who migrate customers from Citrix to Parallels. Right now, and until the end of November 2024, Parallels is offering customers one free year of Parallels RAS, Parallels Secure Workspace, or Parallels DaaS licensing as part of a three-year pre-purchased subscription with a suggested promotional standard retail price of USD 50,000 or greater. Plus, customers who enter into a three-year pre-purchased subscription with a suggested promotional standard retail price of USD 100,000 or greater can also benefit from deployment and migration assistance from their certified partners. These partners will get a rebate from Parallels for such assistance.

With this promotion, we aim to make the transition from Citrix to Parallels workspace solutions as seamless and beneficial as possible for both our partners and customers.

Apart from this promotion, we support our partners with a comprehensive partner program. There are several levels available, offering a range of benefits such as deal registration, visibility on our Partner Locator, free NFR licenses, financial support for marketing activities, free training and certification on all of our products, and many other advantages.

What is your licensing structure?

Our licensing structure is straightforward and transparent, with no hidden fees. All Parallels products come with an all-inclusive single license model, giving access to a full-featured set of capabilities. This means customers don’t have to purchase a premium license at a premium price just to get a single feature.

We offer both prepaid and postpaid concurrent user licensing models. The postpaid option is specifically targeted at service providers and ISVs.

Is there any additional information that customers considering their virtual desktop or DaaS options should know about your product/s?

One unique aspect of Parallels is our ability to offer a comprehensive platform of solutions not only for server and cloud, but also for the desktop. This enables us to cater to whatever the customer needs.

We’ve recently implemented a hub-and-spoke model, centralizing control through a robust control plane (the hub) that connects all Parallels products across endpoints, servers, and the cloud (the spokes). Parallels DaaS and Parallels Browser Isolation are the first two services in this model, launched earlier this year.

This milestone is a significant step toward our vision of a centralized hub for all Parallels products, streamlining operations for administrators, and ensuring a cohesive user experience. Customers and partners can confidently rely on Parallels to securely access a wide range of applications, including legacy, cloud, and desktop applications, all within our holistic platform of secure workspace solutions.

Our strategic Parallels platform empowers customers and partners to navigate the evolving end-user computing and security landscape with confidence.

2. Nerdio

getnerdio.com

What product(s) do you offer that would be alternatives to Citrix and Omnissa solutions, including Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops or Omnissa Horizon 8?

Nerdio Manager for Enterprise (NME) and Nerdio Manager for MSP (NMM) offer robust alternatives to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops and Omnissa Horizon 8. Both products are designed to manage Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environments, streamlining the deployment and management of virtual desktops and remote apps on Microsoft Azure. They provide a simplified, cost-effective, and flexible cloud-native approach.

What advantages do your products offer compared to these Citrix and Omnissa products?

Lower Cost: Nerdio products are optimized for cost savings by automating Azure resource management, ensuring you only pay for what you use.
Ease of Use: Both NME and NMM are known for their intuitive interfaces, which simplify the deployment, scaling, and management of virtual desktops compared to the complex architectures of Citrix and Omnissa.
Cloud-Native: Nerdio is built specifically for Microsoft Azure, leveraging native Azure technologies without the need for third-party brokers or controllers, unlike Citrix and Horizon.
Flexibility: With seamless integration into the Microsoft ecosystem, Nerdio products provide flexible, multi-tenant or hybrid-cloud environments, and can be deployed in a fraction of the time it takes with Citrix or Horizon.

How many desktops are currently running your product(s)?

Over three million Azure Virtual Desktops are under management between Nerdio Manager for Enterprise and Nerdio Manager for MSP across a wide range of industries globally. Nerdio continues to grow rapidly, with significant adoption among organizations looking to simplify their Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) management.

Do you have particular vertical markets or use cases that are most appropriate for your product(s)?

Healthcare, Financial Services, Government, Education, and Professional Services have seen significant benefits from Nerdio’s products. Remote work enablement, hybrid cloud infrastructure, compliance-heavy environments, and secure virtual desktop solutions for regulated industries are ideal use cases. Additionally, companies undergoing digital transformation and migrating from on-premise infrastructure find Nerdio particularly suitable.

Are there any infrastructure limitations or specifics that new customers should be aware of to run your product(s)?

Nerdio requires a Microsoft Azure infrastructure as it leverages native Azure services. While the product is optimized for Azure, customers should have sufficient cloud infrastructure in place to support virtual desktop deployment. New customers should be prepared for integrating their existing identity management (like Entra ID), security policies, and networking into Azure to fully leverage Nerdio’s capabilities.

Are you offering any programs or incentives for channel partners that migrate their customers from Citrix or Omnissa to your product(s)?

Yes, Nerdio offers incentive programs for channel partners, including special pricing, marketing support, and training to assist with customer migrations from Citrix or Omnissa solutions. These programs aim to empower partners with the tools needed for seamless migrations and successful onboarding of their customers.

Are there programs or incentives for end customers switching from Citrix or Omnissa to your product(s)?

Nerdio provides migration assistance programs and discounted pricing for end customers switching from Citrix or Omnissa. Additionally, customers may benefit from free migration tools and onboarding support to ensure a smooth transition from legacy systems.

What is your licensing structure?

Nerdio offers a per-user or per-customer/tenant licensing structure, depending on the product (NME or NMM). This licensing model is designed to be flexible, allowing customers to scale based on their actual usage and needs. Subscription-based pricing ensures that customers can optimize their cloud spend as they grow.

Is there any additional information that customers considering their virtual desktop or DaaS options should know about your product(s)?

Nerdio stands out due to its deep integration with Microsoft Azure, enabling native Azure Virtual Desktop management, robust automation features, and extensive cost optimization tools. Customers transitioning to Nerdio benefit from:

Fast deployment: 75% faster setup time than traditional solutions.
Comprehensive support: Dedicated customer success teams and technical experts ensure seamless implementation and scaling.
Innovation: Continuous product improvements, including new features around Microsoft Modern Work, ensure that customers are always operating on the latest technology.

3. Anunta

anuntatech.com

What product/s do you offer that would be alternatives to Citrix and Omnissa solutions including Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops or Omnissa Horizon 8?

Anunta works with the client to assess their business and tech infrastructure needs and recommend solutions that integrate seamlessly with products from our OEM partners. Our approach provides robust virtual desktop and application delivery services, serving as an effective alternative to popular virtual apps and desktops.

What advantages do your products offer compared to these Citrix and Omnissa products?

Anunta’s approach delivers business value via customized deployments, enhanced performance, and scalability. As platform agnostic, we offer flexibility and optimization based on specific business needs, ensuring a tailored experience that meets various operational requirements for our clients.

How many desktops are currently running your product/s?

At Anunta, we offer solutions across the Digital Workspace to positively impact the Digital Employee Experience (DEX). We specialize in supporting desktop infrastructure across on-prem and cloud (virtual, private, and public) environments. We offer solutions through our partnerships with leading OEMs. While our expertise is in new installations and migrations from one technology to another, several partners have recognized us for our support and maintenance (Day2) offerings.

Do you have particular vertical markets or use cases that are most appropriate for your product/s?

We cater to various industries, including BFSI, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Airline, Retail, and Education. Our solutions are particularly effective for organizations requiring secure, scalable, and efficient remote access for their teams.

Are there any infrastructure limitations or specifics that new customers should be aware of to run your product/s?

Customers should know that infrastructure requirements can vary based on the chosen OEM technology. We provide a thorough health assessment of the existing environment to ensure optimal performance.

Are you offering any programs or incentives for channel partners that migrate their customers from Citrix or Omnissa to your product/s?

We work with our OEM partners to design incentive programs to ease the decision-making process for clients to migrate from Citrix or Omnissa to other technologies.

Are there programs or incentives for end customers switching from Citrix or Omnissa to your product?

End customers migrating from Citrix or Omnissa can benefit from our tailored transition programs, which may include promotional pricing, deployment support, and dedicated consultation to ensure a seamless switch

What is your licensing structure?

Our licensing model is flexible and designed to meet diverse customer needs. Based on the selected OEM solutions and the customer’s usage requirements, specific details can be discussed.

Is there any additional information that customers considering their virtual desktop or DaaS options should know about your product/s?

We recommend that customers consider the importance of end user experience and support in their virtual desktop journey. Our team is dedicated to providing comprehensive support and guidance throughout the implementation process.

4. Cybele Software

cybelesoft.com

What product/s do you offer that would be alternatives to Citrix and Omnissa solutions including Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops or Omnissa Horizon 8?

Cybele Software offers Thinfinity Workspace as a robust alternative to Citrix and Omnissa Horizon 8. Thinfinity Workspace provides solutions for application virtualization, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), making it a comprehensive alternative to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops and Omnissa Horizon. Additionally, Thinfinity Cloud Manager enables seamless management of virtual desktops and applications across multiple cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP, IONOS) and hypervisors (VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox).

What advantages do your products offer compared to these Citrix and Omnissa products? Thinfinity Workspace provides several key advantages:

Simplified Deployment: Thinfinity offers cloud-native and multi-cloud deployment, without the complex infrastructure required by Citrix and Omnissa.
Cost-Effective: Thinfinity’s lightweight infrastructure reduces costs compared to Citrix and Omnissa, which often require substantial hardware investments and licensing fees.
Zero Trust Security: Thinfinity’s ZTNA model ensures secure access without the need for VPNs or inbound ports, streamlining security management compared to traditional solutions.
Cross-Platform Access: Thinfinity supports browser-based access across any device without the need for client installations, enhancing user experience and accessibility.
Automation and Scalability: Thinfinity Cloud Manager automates provisioning, scaling, and management of virtual desktops, offering improved flexibility and reduced operational overhead.

How many desktops are currently running your product/s?

Thinfinity solutions have been deployed in over 5000 organizations worldwide, supporting hundreds of thousands of virtual desktops across various industries. The platform continues to grow, scaling to meet the demands of enterprises, educational institutions, and government entities.

Do you have particular vertical markets or use cases that are most appropriate for your product/s?

Thinfinity Workspace is ideal for various industries, including:

Healthcare: Secure access to electronic health records and specialized applications.
Education: Virtual classrooms and remote access to campus resources for students and faculty.
Engineering and Design: GPU-accelerated software for CAD and graphic design.
Finance: Secure desktop access for financial applications with strict compliance needs.
Government and Legal: Secure application delivery and remote desktop access for confidential documentation.
Oil and Gas: Remote access to specialized simulation software, geospatial data, and compliance-focused applications for managing exploration and drilling operations. This often involves intensive graphics processing, secure data transfer, and access to OT (Operational Technology) networks for monitoring and controlling physical processes, like drilling equipment and pipelines.
OT Networks: Thinfinity’s solutions integrate with OT networks, providing secure remote access to critical industrial systems, ensuring compliance, performance, and security for sectors like manufacturing, utilities, and energy where remote monitoring and real-time control are paramount.
Independent Software Vendors (ISVs): ISVs can leverage Thinfinity to transform legacy Windows-based applications into modern, SaaS offerings without rewriting the software. By virtualizing and delivering these applications directly through the browser, ISVs can offer their clients cloud-based access, improving scalability, reducing deployment complexity, and modernizing their software delivery.

Are there any infrastructure limitations or specifics that new customers should be aware of to run your product/s?

Thinfinity is a cloud-agnostic solution, meaning it can be deployed across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, GCP, IONOS, and other major hypervisors like VMware, Hyper-V, and Proxmox. Thinfinity’s lightweight architecture is optimized for efficiency, typically requiring up to 50% less infrastructure than traditional solutions such as Horizon 8. This makes Thinfinity an attractive alternative, offering scalability with lower hardware demands, reducing operational costs, and simplifying deployment across diverse environments. With its flexible deployment options, Thinfinity can adapt to varying customer infrastructure needs, from small-scale operations to enterprise-level deployments.

Are you offering any programs or incentives for channel partners that migrate their customers from Citrix or Omnissa to your product/s?

Yes, we offer partner incentive programs that reward channel partners for migrating their clients from Citrix or Omnissa to Thinfinity solutions. These programs often include discounted licensing for the first year, training resources, and marketing support to ease the transition and accelerate adoption.

Are there programs or incentives for end customers switching from Citrix or Omnissa to your product?

Yes, for end customers, Thinfinity provides migration assistance, discounted licensing for, and free consulting services to ensure a smooth transition from Citrix or Omnissa platforms. Additionally, we offer a free trial to allow organizations to evaluate Thinfinity before making a final decision.

What is your licensing structure?

Thinfinity’s licensing structure is flexible, offering both subscription-based and perpetual licensing models depending on the organization’s needs. Licensing can be purchased per concurrent user, per named user, or based on usage, making it adaptable for businesses of all sizes. Pricing tiers are also available for cloud, hybrid, and on-premises deployments.

Is there any additional information that customers considering their virtual desktop or DaaS options should know about your product/s?

Thinfinity Workspace is designed to be future-proof and highly flexible, supporting deployment options on-premises, hybrid, or fully as-a-service. Built with a cloud-native architecture, it offers multi-cloud support and automation via Infrastructure as Code (IaC), enabling organizations to standardize VDI across cloud platforms and on-premises environments. Thinfinity helps businesses achieve cloud cost reduction and control through automation, optimizing resource usage and minimizing operational overhead.

One of its key advantages is avoiding vendor lock-in, allowing businesses the freedom to choose between cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, GCP, IONOS, or major hypervisors like VMware, Hyper-V, and Proxmox. Thinfinity’s Zero Trust Security framework ensures secure, reliable access, while its automation capabilities significantly reduce manual management, delivering a seamless experience for IT teams and end users alike. Whether organizations are transitioning to DaaS or need advanced application virtualization, Thinfinity provides a scalable, cost-effective solution that can adapt to any deployment model.

5. Workspot

https://www.workspot.com/

1. What product/s do you offer that would be alternatives to Citrix and Omnissa solutions including Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops or Omnissa Horizon 8?

Workspot offers a unified digital workplace for the secure delivery of virtual apps, virtual desktops, and web apps from VMs located within on-premises data centers or any combination of the AWS, Azure, or Google clouds.

2. What advantages do your products offer compared to these Citrix and Omnissa products?

The Workspot unified digital workplace allows customers to deliver a secure browser, virtual apps and desktops from a unified cloud-native platform. The platform also provides IT unified observability to optimize user digital experience (DEX), lower cost, and increase security.

3. How many desktops are currently running your product/s?

As a private company, we do not disclose our user count.

4. Do you have particular vertical markets or use cases that are most appropriate for your product/s?

The use cases we see commonly include 3D CAD designers, software developers, contractors, call centers, and remote employees. Popular vertical markets include (but not limited to) financial services, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, higher education, and architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) employ our solutions.

5. Are there any infrastructure limitations or specifics that new customers should be aware of to run your product/s?

Workspot enables the user to leverage an endpoint device of their choice, including Windows, Macs, iOS, Android, Linux and a web client.
Workspot also enables companies to deliver their virtual desktops and apps from their on-premises data center and/or any cloud, e.g., Azure, AWS or GCP.

6. Are you offering any programs or incentives for channel partners that migrate their customers from Citrix or Omnissa to your product/s?

Yes, Workspot has a program that enables a customer to take their first use case live in 45 days. If the customer migrates to the cloud, there are significant incentives from the IaaS provider.

7. Are there programs or incentives for end customers switching from Citrix or Omnissa to your product?

The biggest reason customers are looking to switch is due to the higher costs of both their server and desktop virtualization platforms. Workspot enables its customers to switch within their existing budget, and in many cases saves between 57%-65% in total cost of ownership.

8. Is there any additional information that customers considering their virtual desktop or DaaS options should know about your product/s?

Workspot’s platform was engineered for simplicity. Many customers are surprised at the speed at which they migrate onto a future-proof platform, and the ease of overall single-console management and operation thereafter.

Promotion Rebates for Partners Migrating Customers from Citrix to Parallels

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Citrix and IGEL Announce New Innovations From IGEL DISRUPT 24

Taylor Graham — Wed, 01 May 2024 15:00:01 +0000

IGEL, at IGEL DISRUPT 24, introduced new advancements with Citrix aimed at bolstering security and enhancing digital work experiences for shared clients. One notable development is the integration of IGEL OS with Citrix® Enterprise Browser, making IGEL OS one of the pioneer Linux operating systems to offer support for Citrix® Secure Private Access. This integration facilitates zero-trust access to virtual, web, and SaaS applications via a unified platform with consistent policies and observability. Additionally, Citrix disclosed its intention to extend support for Linux with Citrix uberAgent®, a move that IGEL intends to endorse upon its release, thereby enabling comprehensive endpoint monitoring for their devices.

“Citrix is excited to extend the reach of our security and observability solutions to Linux and to partner with IGEL on the integration of our offerings for our joint customers,” said Sridhar Mullapudi, executive vice president and general manager, Citrix, a business unit of Cloud Software Group. “Citrix and IGEL are enabling any enterprise that wants to secure their employees, IT environment and content while delivering a more secure device posture without compromising user experience.”

Through collaborative development and innovation via the IGEL Ready and Citrix Ready partner programs, IGEL is delivering support for the following Citrix solutions:

Citrix Enterprise Browser. Building on IGEL’s exclusive Preventative Security Model which secures endpoints by design to reduce ransomware risk and support zero trust initiatives, the IGEL OS support for Citrix Enterprise Browser helps users stay productive while mitigating insider and external threats. The locally installed browser accelerates a zero trust strategy with dynamic context awareness and ensures simple, secure VPN-less access from anywhere.
Citrix Secure Private Access. For organizations that want to keep apps secure and hybrid workforces productive, IGEL has released support for Citrix Secure Private Access. Delivering adaptive access to all IT-sanctioned apps – web, SaaS, and client-server – whether deployed on-premises or in the cloud, Citrix Secure Private Access prevents unauthorized access and eliminates threats from any IGEL OS-powered device. The Citrix Secure Private Access agent for IGEL OS is available now.
Citrix uberAgent. To improve user experience, the new Citrix uberAgent monitoring agent will deliver rich metrics for IGEL OS clients. Integrated with Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Cloud, and other similar systems, uberAgent offers a variety of use case dashboards for threat detection and enhanced security. IGEL OS is expected to be among the first Linux OSs to support Citrix uberAgent when available.

“IGEL and Citrix are committed to delivering the collaborative innovations that secure and revolutionize how people work,” said Jim Airdo, senior vice president of strategic alliances, IGEL. “Our longstanding partnership, from the development lab to the field, delivers, time and again, the new capabilities our joint customers need to elevate and secure the end user computing experience. We are pleased to once again deliver industry-first innovations for Citrix users, underscoring the depth of our partnership.”

These new developments and enhanced Citrix technology support are being featured this week during IGEL DISRUPT 24, the industry’s largest EUC event taking place April 29 through May 1 in Miami, Fla. During the event, Citrix delivered a half-day technical bootcamp which provided the opportunity to delve into the cutting-edge world of digital workspaces, zero trust security options, observability solutions featuring Citrix’s newly acquired uberAgent technology, and enhanced application delivery methods under the guidance of industry experts. For more information about Citrix and IGEL innovations, visit the website here.

IGEL DISRUPT 24 is sponsored by Microsoft, HP, LG Business Solutions, Lenovo, Citrix and the EUC Division of Broadcom as well as dozens of other IGEL Ready partners. To learn more about DISRUPT 24, visit the website.

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Citrix’s uberAgent Acquisition with Partner ControlUp Enhances DEX

Taylor Graham — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 20:00:04 +0000

ControlUp has announced an expanded facet of its collaboration with Citrix, a division of Cloud Software Group. This development will provide Citrix Platform users with enhanced insight into the real-time metrics and health of Citrix virtual desktops.

Following the announcement of Citrix’s acquisition of Vast Limits GmbH and the inclusion of its uberAgent product in the new Citrix Platform License, ControlUp and Citrix are underscoring their longstanding partnership to deliver real-time visibility and insights into Citrix performance and virtual desktop health. ControlUp customers will benefit from a tremendous amount of detailed Citrix and NetScaler data regarding performance and security, which can be exported to ControlUp DEX Platform’s data insights and remediation.

“With uberAgent, our partnership with ControlUp will continue to deliver even greater data insights and remediation for our mutual customers,” said Sridhar Mullapudi, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Citrix, a business unit of Cloud Software Group. “Data from the uberAgent client can be easily exported to the ControlUp solution.”

For Citrix Universal environments, the ControlUp DEX Platform delivers a scalable, simple to manage, cloud native solution that doesn’t require customization expertise or additional data hosting licenses. Offering deep Citrix VDI and DaaS analytic metrics and simple-to-use dashboards, it makes delivering a superior Citrix user experience easy.

“Citrix environments of every size put their trust in ControlUp to deliver a remarkable user experience that accelerates business performance,” said Jed Ayres, CEO, ControlUp. “We will continue to deliver on this technology promise for customers of both Citrix Universal and Citrix Platform, and plan to take advantage of the additional insights and technology connections that will result from the integration of uberAgent into the Citrix platform solution.”

With millions of Citrix endpoints under management, ControlUp enables IT teams to identify and diagnose issues promptly, highlighting challenges and remediating them as they arise. By leveraging ControlUp’s monitoring and automated remediation capabilities, IT teams can improve Citrix performance and enhance organizational productivity, ultimately ensuring optimal user experience.

For more information on using ControlUp DEX Platform and Citrix with the integration of uberAgent, and to access a free trial, visit the website here.

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Citrix HDX Plus for Windows 365 Receiving Support from IGEL OS

Taylor Graham — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 21:30:22 +0000

IGEL announced that it will be offering day-one support for the release of Citrix HDX Plus for Windows 365 Cloud PC. As a co-development partner with both Citrix and Microsoft, IGEL has validated that IGEL OS will fully support the upcoming Citrix HDX Plus for Windows 365 release, assuring seamless operation upon its public release.

Announced during Microsoft Inspire 2022, Citrix HDX Plus for Windows 365 will give Cloud PC users an exceptional high-definition user experience, bringing graphics, audio, and collaboration tools to life on any IGEL OS-powered device running the Citrix Workspace app. This will enable existing Citrix and IGEL OS customers to experience Windows 365 Cloud PCs alongside their other Citrix and Citrix desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) deployments. Using Citrix HDX Plus for Windows 365 with IGEL OS also enables desktop administrators to unify the management of their digital workspace access policies and security controls across a broad array of endpoint devices from multiple vendors for enterprise consistency.

“IGEL and Citrix continue to collaborate to revolutionize how people work,” said Jim Airdo, Senior Vice President, IGEL Ready Strategic Alliances, IGEL. “Our partnership, from the development lab to the field, continues to deliver the seamless integration and robust capability our mutual customers want to elevate their ‘work-from-anywhere’ user experience. By offering support for Citrix HDX Plus for Windows 365 right out of the gate, IGEL OS is again delivering the confidence customers require in their digital workspace investments. Together, IGEL, Citrix and Microsoft are extending the Windows 365 experience with Citrix HDX high-end graphics technology and fully managed, secure endpoint access of IGEL OS.”

IGEL and Citrix have collaborated for decades to transform how people work. Together, the two companies accelerate the new hybrid work model with a flexible “anywhere” working environment that offers an immersive, high-fidelity digital experience. In 2021, IGEL was the first vendor to earn both Citrix Ready Cloud and Citrix Ready Endpoint Premium Validation. Citrix was also an inaugural member of the IGEL Ready technology partner program as the companies continue their long-standing co-development initiatives. A combined Citrix and IGEL solution keeps digital workers happy, productive, and well connected with access to all the latest multimedia codecs and unified communications platforms like Teams, Zoom, WebEx, and others. This integration of IGEL OS, Citrix HDX Plus, and Windows 365 Cloud PC represents the latest innovation in this ongoing strategic partnership that now also includes Microsoft.

“IGEL makes embracing the new Citrix HDX Plus for Windows 365 seamless and immediate for any device using IGEL OS,” said James Hsu, Product Management and Technical Alliances Sr. Manager, Citrix. “We are thrilled to add this development collaboration to our long history of innovation with IGEL as we continue to work together to simplify IT management while delivering an exceptional high-definition user experience for Windows 365 Cloud PC environments.”

For more information on the value of using IGEL and Citrix together, please visit: https://www.igel.com/citrix.

Image licensed by pexels.com

Public Sector Hybrid Work Enablement Simplified by Citrix®

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Public Sector Hybrid Work Enablement Simplified by Citrix®

Taylor Graham — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 16:17:22 +0000

Hybrid work is here to stay. And to enable it, organizations need solutions they can trust to provide secure and reliable access to the systems and information employees need to get work done, wherever they happen to be. Purchasing them can be a complex process – particularly in the public sector, where specific procedures must be followed. But Citrix Systems, Inc. is making it easier. The company announced that Citrix ADCversion 12.1 has achieved Common Criteria Certification, enabling procurement professionals across the public sector to buy the solution, now recognized as secure in over 30 countries, in a fast, efficient manner that aligns with their policies.

Common Criteria Certification is an international security program in which accredited laboratories test and evaluate IT products against a standard agreed upon by over 30 countries through the Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement (CCRA). Citrix has received several certifications for its solutions, including the latest, Citrix ADC version 12.1, which was certified by the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP), and successfully met all the requirements to earn the final designation of NDcPP v2.2e.

Empowering Secure Hybrid Work

With Citrix ADC, IT can securely and reliably deliver all the applications and information employees need to work anywhere on any device, network or cloud. When used in conjunction with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, a market-leading Desktop as a Service offering delivered as part of Citrix Workspace, they can provide personalized access to the systems, information and tools employees need to do their best work in a simple, unified experience and advance a zero-trust security model to ensure that information and apps remain secure no matter where work is being done.

Fueling Flexibility and Agility

More than 400,000 organizations, including hundreds of public sector agencies, are using Citrix digital workspace solutions to accommodate the new reality of work. And they’re seeing results.

“We have seen public sector employees embrace the flexibility of a remote work schedule, and have watched productivity skyrocket,” said Kyle Edgeworth, Deputy Chief Information Officer, City of Corona.

And the city will continue to rely on Citrix to sustain these gains.

“In a time like now, the only way you can continue to thrive is to have a product that allows you to be flexible, and Citrix has really done that for us,” Edgeworth said.

Delivering Unique Value

Public sector agencies have unique missions. And with Citrix Government IT solutions, they can achieve them.

Health and Human Services can increase the efficiency of caseworkers, clinicians, and contractors so they can keep pace with expanding caseloads.
Public Safety – First Responders can ensure the flow of critical data to enable the best possible responses, from dispatchers in the call center to emergency personnel in the field.
Corrections can simplify how they provide access to legal resources, educational classes, and job search tools for inmates and parolees.
Transportation can enhance its ability to provide services and increase citizen satisfaction through more efficient DMV operations and self-service kiosks and shorten response time to incidents to improve safety.
Libraries can reduce the costs and risks of offering public access to computers, applications, and the Internet.
Judicial Systems/Courts can offer remote and mobile access to case files and case management applications to assist in the effective delivery of justice.
Defense Department can ensure service members have access to the data they need to make critical decisions to ensure our nation’s security.

“At Citrix, we are committed to providing public sector agencies with solutions they can use to securely deliver apps and data to an increasingly mobile workforce so they can engage serve their constituents with excellence, wherever they happen to be,” said Tom Holland, Senior Vice President, Americas Sales, Citrix. “Our Common Criteria Certifications underscore this commitment and provide assurance that our offerings comply with the highest levels of cyber and network security that government entities are required to meet.”

To learn more about Citrix Government IT solutions and the value they can deliver, click here.

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DEX Brought to the Forefront at HIMSS with ControlUp

Taylor Graham — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 21:37:21 +0000

ControlUp announced it will showcase its DEX management platform at HIMSS22, the Healthcare industry’s premier event. ControlUp, a leading Digital Employee Experience management software provider, will be in attendance with customers and partners to describe how healthcare IT teams can optimize remote work environments, prevent user downtime, and resolve issues faster, no matter where people are working.

With two partners– IGEL and Citrix –the ControlUp team will demonstrate how integration with IGEL OS enhances the security, productivity, and manageability of healthcare endpoints. They will also show how integration with Citrix solutions transforms end-user experience, application performance monitoring, and troubleshooting no matter where their IT admins or hybrid teams are working.

Digital Employee Experience (DEX) is defined as a strategy focusing on the technology experience that companies offer to employees and that is a critical contributor to overall employee experience. This category emerged as employers have been reevaluating ways to attract and retain employees during a global shift in the way the world works, creating a demand for invigorating employee work experiences that deliver a frictionless experience.

Industry analyst studies found that the digital employee experience is one of the top five drivers being evaluated by 24 percent of technology industry employees. In today’s hybrid workplace, a reliable DEX is now a critical contributor to keeping remote teams happy and productive, as well as overall employee satisfaction.

Based on digital workstyles, ControlUp empowers IT teams to resolve issues faster, prevent downtimes with intelligent early-warning systems, and optimize remote environments with real-time troubleshooting for physical endpoints, VDI and DaaS, SaaS and web apps, and Unified Communications tools. ControlUp’s DEX solutions lower costs, save time, and streamline operations while revitalizing employee work experiences and combating technology fatigue.

“At its core, a superior digital employee experience proactively eliminates potential technology friction so employees can focus on their work,” said Joel Stocker, ControlUp Sr. Director of Product Marketing. “Healthcare is one industry that will benefit greatly, as clinicians’ abilities to provide superior quality patient care is increased.”

Learn more at ControlUp, HIMSS22, IGEL, Citrix, or here at the Digital Employee Experience (DEX)

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DISRUPT Unite Roadshow for End User Computing and Digital Workspaces Professionals Hosted by IGEL Featuring 20 Sponsors Including AWS, Citrix, Microsoft and VMware

Taylor Graham — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 19:37:14 +0000

IGEL, provider of the next-gen edge OS for cloud workspaces and renowned for hosting DISRUPT EUC events since 2018, announced that it will kick off its live DISRUPT Unite Cloud Workspaces Forum Roadshow with one-day events planned across cities in the United States and Europe starting September 23 in London. Offering end user computing (EUC) professionals unparalleled insights into the technologies, best practices, and innovations to support digital workers in the new “work from anywhere” (WFX) world, the DISRUPT Roadshow will reveal new ways for attendees and their organizations to empower a more distributed and highly mobile workforce to be more productive than ever.

“We work in a changed world which has transformed end user computing, as it needs to enable digital workers to achieve better access to applications and data for a productive experience from anywhere, and from almost any device,” said Enit Nichani, Vice President of Global Alliance and Event Marketing, IGEL. “We will be highlighting new technologies, strategies, and opportunities for computing in the new WFX era during this live roadshow installation of our flagship DISRUPT event series. Despite hosting dozens of successful virtual events over the past 18 months, there has been significant demand for intimate, in-person regional events to bring the EUC community together again. We are thrilled that, for the first time since February 2020, we are returning to face-to-face events with planned stops in 11 cities. We’ll be bringing industry experts close to home for the inspirational and insightful presentations EUC professionals won’t want to miss.”

The roadshow will visit 11 cities during September and October 2021. Locations include:

London, September 23
Frankfurt, September 30
Munich, October 5
Vienna, October 7
Zurich, October 12
Charlotte, October 12
Chicago, October 13
Dallas, October 14
New York, October 20
Los Angeles, October 21
Utrecht, October 27

“DISRUPT is the one of the biggest and best independent events in the EUC calendar which brings together a number of ecosystem partners, customers and community partners,” said James Hsu, Product Manager for Citrix Systems. “I have attended both North America and EMEA events in the past and I am really pleased to be presenting at these in person events to share more about the future of Citrix Digital Workspaces.”

The event will feature inspirational keynote addresses and insightful breakout sessions as well as lively panel discussions on EUC strategies in the WFX era. The event expo will also provide first-hand technical access to product and service information from event sponsors, including AWS, Citrix, Microsoft, VMware, ControlUp, DeviceTRUST, EPOS, ezeep, Lakeside, Lenovo, LG Business Solutions, Liquidware, LoginVSI, Nerdio, PrinterLogic, Process Fusion, NComputing, OnLogic, Tricerat and IGEL.

Registration for the roadshow event is available now at https://disrupteuc.com/unite-2021. Be sure to register soon, as IGEL is giving away a commemorative DISRUPT backpack to registered attendees while supplies last. Note that this is a vaccination-required event.

Whitehat Virtual Launches Titanium HCI to Support Citrix and VMware VDI Environments Out-of-the-Box

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Whitehat Virtual Launches Titanium HCI to Support Citrix and VMware VDI Environments Out-of-the-Box

Olivia Rowan — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 16:49:29 +0000

Whitehat Virtual, released Titanium HCI, its flagship hyperconverged virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) appliance for both Citrix and VMware Horizon environments. The new hyperconverged appliance delivers scalability and full lifecycle management and support for Citrix and VMware VDI environments.

Offering a complete, self-contained system to deliver hardware, software and management, Titanium HCI delivers everything Citrix and VMware Horizon users need to be successful, including better performance and a great end-user experience while lowering the total cost of ownership.

“The majority of virtual desktop users are frustrated with the cost, complexity and performance of their VDI environment,” said Val King, President and CEO, Whitehat Virtual. “Many continue to throw more tools and software at the problem, only to add to their management complexity and headaches. Companies need worry-free ongoing solutions, not band-aid fixes, that are guaranteed to work with leading-edge technology without escalating cost options. Titanium HCI offers everything VDI users need, for life. It represents the culmination of all our experienced team knows about building, managing, and supporting the use of virtual desktops by thousands of end users every day, from the simplest environment to most graphic-intensive, requiring NVIDIA vGPU to get the VDI end-user experience right.”

Built on the strength of Dell EMC and VMware vSAN Ready Nodes, Titanium HCI delivers scalability and easy hardware management and support. The solution provides the stability and performance benefits of best practices learned from more than 1,500 optimizations cataloged by the Whitehat Virtual team’s proven experience. Additional benefits offered by Titanium HCI include:

Sub 30-second VDI user logins
No performance bottlenecks
Automatic issue resolution
Fixed, predictable cost
No capital expenditure on software or hardware
Zero-cost Citrix and VMware upgrades
Fully deployed and managed

Designed for users that want to simplify their VDI environment or are looking for a quick and easy way to stand one up for the first time, Whitehat Virtual’s Titanium HCI packs everything that’s needed in a fully managed hyperconverged appliance. The solution is fully supported by the Whitehat Virtual team including:

Unlimited experts as required to address all issues immediately
Unlimited upgrades as necessary to maintain current protection and operation
Dedicated software for unlimited communication between customers and Whitehat Virtual experts
Unlimited resolution of challenges and network issues

Whitehat Virtual customer Central Texas Pediatric Orthopedics (CTPO) has reduced their VDI support issues by 68% since migrating to Titanium HCI infrastructure. “Our old IT infrastructure could not keep up with the demands of the practice. Whitehat’s Titanium solution was perfect for our needs,” said Cindy White, Practice Administrator for CTPO. “After migrating to the Whitehat Titanium HCI infrastructure, our environment is 100% faster and more responsive. That means we can spend more time focusing on what really matters, the children in our care.”

Whitehat Virtual’s Titanium HCI is available now. For more information, visit: www.whitehatvirtual.com or register for a demo here to experience “VDI that’s Easy as Pie.”

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COVID-19 and the Future of Work: Citrix® Shares Lessons Learned One Year In

Leigh Porter — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 21:05:29 +0000

Employees are beginning to see light at the end of the long, dark tunnel they’ve been navigating for the last year as they’ve worked largely remote. And it’s illuminating the fact that the unplanned global work from home experiment has permanently changed how and where work will get done. According to new research from Citrix Systems, Inc., hybrid work is here to stay. And in this new world of work, delivering a unified, secure, and simplified work experience will be key to success.

To understand the impact the pandemic will have on the future of work, Citrix teamed with OnePoll to survey 7,250 employees in 12 countries and assess how their attitudes and expectations on work have changed since the crisis began. And three things were abundantly clear:

There’s No Going Back

While many companies viewed remote work as a short-term solution to the pandemic, they now recognize it must be part of their permanent workforce and cost management strategies.

“If there’s an iota of a silver lining in this crisis we’ve all been living through, it’s that it’s caused us to fundamentally rethink work – where it gets done, how it gets done, and even who does it,” says Tim Minahan, Executive Vice President of Strategy, Citrix. “Both companies and employees have seen the benefits more flexible work models can bring in terms of productivity, engagement and well-being. And they are not going back to working the way they did.”

The Citrix-OnePoll data supports this. When asked how they would prefer to work post-pandemic,

52 percent of respondents said they want a hybrid model where they can choose to work remotely or from the office each day
16 percent indicated they have no interest in returning to the office and would prefer a permanently remote role
45 percent noted that if they were to change jobs, they would only accept a role which offered flexible and remote work options
Nearly 75 percent said they would likely consider relocating to a different city if they could perform their role to the same level without commuting to a place of work. And in a separate Citrix-One Poll survey of 2,000 US knowledge workers, one in four employees said they have abandoned their city dwellings, or plan to do so, because they can work remote

Work is too Noisy

With a lack of boundaries between their work and personal lives and no commute to manage, two-thirds of employees polled say they are working the same or more hours. And while they remain productive, many are struggling to do so. What’s killing them? According to the Citrix-OnePoll survey:

41 percent of employees cited distractions in their home environment (children, pets, etc.)
28 percent say they lack appropriate technologies and applications to get work done
36 percent feel isolated and out of touch with colleagues

“The chat and collaboration tools companies have given employees to make them more effective while working remote are increasingly distracting them from their core work, causing mass fatigue and adding to their frustration as they adapt to the new world of work,” Minahan says. “While they may be working longer hours, they are getting less done because they’ve been given too many tools that constantly interrupt them, cause them to switch context across different apps and interfaces, and do not foster efficient ways to engage, collaborate and execute work.”

Experience Matters

To attract and retain the talent they need to emerge from the pandemic in a stronger, better position, companies must find a way to simplify work and give employees the space they need to succeed in what will be an ongoing distributed work environment.

“Businesses need to put an experience layer between people and technology that removes the noise from employees’ days and allows them to work the way they want to deliver meaningful outcomes,” Minahan said.

And as many companies have learned through the pandemic, digital workspaces are an efficient and effective way to do this, as they:

Unify work – Whether at home, on plane or in an office, employees have consistent and reliable access to all the resources they need to be productive across any work channel, device or location
Secure work – Contextual access and app security, ensure applications and information remain secure—no matter where work happens
Simplify work – Intelligence capabilities like machine learning, virtual assistants and simplified workflows personalize, guide, and automate the work experience so employees can work free from noise and perform at their best

More than 400,000 companies around the world use digital workspace solutions from Citrix to provide a secure and simplified work experience that empowers employees to be and do their best. Click here to learn more about these solutions and the value they can deliver.

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Podcast: The Attic, Episode 1 Featuring Former Citrix CEO Mark Templeton

Olivia Rowan — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 22:04:06 +0000

On the inaugural episode of The Attic, IGEL Technology CEO Jed Ayres chats with former Citrix CEO Mark Templeton.

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