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.