In the growing migration to the cloud, the transition journey varies between each organization. In fact, a Forrester Global Business Technographics Infrastructure Survey found that 38 percent of enterprises have not adopted any cloud infrastructure, while 23 percent of respondents have adopted one cloud, and 38 percent are using two or more clouds. There is a clear need for an architecture and a management platform that enables customers to manage workloads on the infrastructure they use today, while giving them the ability to migrate to one or more clouds. That's why Citrix is announcing new offerings at Citrix Summit 2017 in Anaheim, Calif. that provide the solution packages, tools and support to help customers, regardless of where they are in the cloud adoption process.

Citrix is introducing new packages to transition from on-premises licenses to Citrix Cloud for existing customers, services that enable Citrix and Microsoft customers to deploy Windows 10 desktops on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, services to deploy apps directly on Azure, and Smart Tools to simplify the deployment of new workspaces. In addition, Citrix is announcing a new Citrix Ready partner initiative targeting the mid-market along with mobility and network management products and services that complement Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) and provide comprehensive security and value for Citrix and Microsoft customers.

"With these products and services, Citrix and Microsoft are meeting partners and customers wherever they are on their journey to the cloud, whether they continue to keep IT infrastructure on-premises, or they are moving to hybrid cloud or public cloud deployments," said PJ Hough, senior vice president, Product, Citrix. "Whether they are ready to go all-in on the cloud, or they want to deploy a single app in the cloud, we have the management platform and the services they need."

Transitioning from On-premises Licenses to Citrix Cloud

For customers who own existing XenApp or XenDesktop licenses, and want to move to the Citrix Cloud as-a-service, Citrix will be offering a comprehensive set of transition and trade-up offers that provide a smooth transition by enabling the simultaneous use and support of traditional Citrix offerings and new Citrix Cloud managed services. These cost-effective solutions enable existing Citrix customers with active subscription advantage or software maintenance to get the value of Citrix Cloud for not much more than the cost of renewing traditional software maintenance.

Citrix also announced a new pilot program for Citrix Service Providers (CSPs) who want to deploy workspaces leveraging Citrix Cloud. Later this year, CSPs will be offered pilot access to Citrix Cloud services with a monthly licensing model similar to their current licensing model for Citrix technologies. This will enable both new and existing providers of Desktops-as-a-Service and other workspace services a faster, simpler approach to deploying hosted Citrix technologies.

Deploying Windows 10 Desktops on Azure

For those organizations seeking a simplified way to deploy Windows 10 virtual desktops in the Microsoft Azure cloud, Citrix released XenDesktop Essentials. Microsoft customers who have licensed Windows 10 Enterprise on a per-user basis will have the option to manage their Windows 10 images on Azure through its XenDesktop VDI solution. Once XenDesktop Essentials is set up and running, the service can be managed by Citrix Cloud.

Deploying Apps Directly on Azure

For customers who want to deliver business applications directly from Azure, Citrix announced XenApp Essentials. The new Citrix XenApp Essentials Service taps industry-leading XenApp technology to provide additional management, user experience, and security features. XenApp Essentials can also be a service integrated into, and managed by, Citrix Cloud. XenApp Essentials will be available in Q1, 2017.

"The strength of our relationship with Citrix has always been our firm commitment to making our mutual customers successful by empowering their people to achieve more," said Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Cloud + Enterprise at Microsoft. "By providing customers with apps and desktops deployed directly on Microsoft Azure as the preferred and strategic cloud, Citrix is helping companies mobilize their workforces to succeed in today's highly competitive global business environment."

Simplifying Cloud Deployments with Smart Tools

Citrix offers a new advantage for customers and partners deploying and configuring apps, desktops and mobile workspaces through Citrix Cloud. As part of Citrix Customer Success Services, Citrix is introducing Smart Check, Smart Scale and other pre-configured packages and capabilities that simplify and accelerate the rollout of new virtual app and desktop services. These new offerings join the Smart Tools family, formerly known as Citrix Lifecycle Management services that make it easier to deploy and manage Citrix workspaces and workloads.

"At Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, we used Citrix Cloud combined with the strength of the partnership with Microsoft Azure Government to replace our aging IT infrastructure and deploy cloud-based workspaces that let our employees get out in the community to help more clients to submit applications without physically coming into an office," said Craig Patterson, Acting Chief Information Officer, Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority. "The Citrix and Microsoft cloud solution is secure, reliable and ensures our people have access to the applications and services they need to provide better service to our clients."

Targeting the Mid-Market with a New Citrix Ready Program

Citrix is kicking off a new Citrix Ready program that combines the advantages of Citrix Cloud with hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) from partners to greatly simplify the scalability and management of VDI environments for mid-market customers. The Citrix Ready HCI Workspace Appliance Program enables hyperconverged appliances from hardware and storage partners to connect to Citrix Cloud to automate the setup and maintenance of XenApp and XenDesktop. As a result, Citrix solution providers can offer their mid-market customers a comprehensive and scalable workspace appliance solution that takes the entire stack into account to reduce complexity and offer the lowest total cost of ownership.

Complementing Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS)

To provide enhanced mobility and security to Citrix and Microsoft customers, Citrix and Microsoft have integrated Citrix NetScaler Unified Gateway with Microsoft Intune. This solution enables IT admins to check for compliance and the state of the end user device, so they can provide policy based access control and virtual private network (VPN) capabilities to on-premises applications. The new solution with Citrix NetScaler Unified Gateway provides greater security and flexibility for customers who need new ways to manage mobile access to sensitive data and apps, while giving administrators greater endpoint management and control. Additional information on conditional access with Citrix NetScaler and Microsoft Intune is available at https://www.citrix.com/blogs/?p=174228946.