If you’d like some more information on Windows Virtual Desktop , please get in contact at the details below. In the midst of a pandemic projected to cause an economic depression, Citrix saw a 20% increase in revenue last quarter. When using WVD with CloudJumper’s product, there are some nice built-in management features that provide security like managing AppLocker policies. You have some time. If you enjoyed our quick videos on Citrix vs Windows Virtual Desktop, we have a whole playlist available on YouTube. There’s been a three-fold increase in usage of WVD. However, for the sake of comparison, I’m only going to consider the features at the management and UX delivery layer rather than the platform layer, so with Citrix Cloud, you get a lot of great tools and features for managing the desktops, apps and for providing a rich experience on the client side. In my experience, while Citrix is very widely used in the enterprise, the remote work strategies of most organisations have relegated it to use for consuming the published resources internally on the corporate network from a traditional workstation in the office – remote access was secondary. What is the new style of IT Support for 2021? Numecent Cloudpaging is much better than App-V, and they are a WVD partner, I suggest using that for your app delivery needs. However not all businesses, especially those on the smaller end, need these features or want to pay for them. Therefore, we’ve decided to take a look at Citrix vs Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) with a focus on SMB’s and see which one comes out on top. So, as you can see there are a lot of benefits to Windows Virtual Desktop especially in the small to medium sized business arena. I could give them the win for that reason, but here I’m going to say it’s a DRAW. Citrix has built in integration with App-V. All the Microsoft 365 applications, Office, any company applications, the security, and the profile for each user can be managed from one platform. Fortunately, Microsoft just launched a Management Console. But they're not identical. Heck, Studio is still its MMC self . RemoteFX was introduced in Windows Server 2008R2 Service Pack 1. Of course, these cloud platforms aren’t just for those who don’t have their own data centres or solutions in place already. As a result, customers can combine Windows 10 Enterprise Virtual Desktop in Citrix … There are some great benefits to WVD. Examples of False Promises from IT Support Engineers. Many small and mid-sized businesses are already familiar with using Remote Desktop or similar (e.g. Before rolling out either … I put the App-V Scheduler agent and App-V client in the desktop image, and that delivers the rest of the apps. Eliminate the headache of maintaining and migrating desktop environments with an ‘on-demand’. What are Callouts in an IT Support Service. There have been plenty of great research papers published showing that the current RDP protocol is very close to Citrix’s HDX protocol. Multi-award winning cloud consultants, helping to enhance your organisation with Microsoft cloud solutions, training and support with solutions for: If there is a way to help you save money and get more benefit from technology, we are here to help. One of the criticisms some have made about Citrix Cloud is that it wasn’t built cloud-first. Overview. Sadly, Microsoft is moving away from App-V so I couldn’t in good conscience recommend customers who are going to WVD to use App-V right now. They also support Citrix so it would work there too. For those who want to run a user load in the cloud, they’ll need to use Citrix Cloud OR stay on the Long Term Service Release version 1912 to keep a user load running on their existing tenants, which will mean they won’t get new features as they come out, only fixes. "Citrix is taking Windows Virtual Desktop to a whole new level. They can access the WVD infrastructure up in Microsoft Azure and administer all of the users from their own machines, so no need to visit a data centre or server room. To expand on the aspect of the management tools, I would like to cover various layers that make up the management and end-user experience in the next few sections, starting with the management consoles\interfaces including image management and desktop creation and support. If you look at that and account for the fact you get Azure Active Directory, MFA, Azure Monitor etc. From Citrix control plane, it is possible to construct multiple user catalogs and delivery groups on Azure. I can recall early on RDmi’s value proposition (predating the name WVD) was to become a building block for other vendors like Citrix. Unlike, Microsoft’s previous foray into the application and desktop … Complete your Windows 10 migrations faster with our on-demand application packaging service! Citrix. Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is a desktop and application virtualization solution that runs from Microsoft Azure. Citrix Workspace app allows you access from various devices, including smartphones, tablets, and Windows … Citrix is an approved provider that offers enterprises centralized hybrid management of virtual apps and desktops … That was in the past – with COVID-19 that’s been flipped on its head and Citrix Cloud is high on the agenda. You can even layer Citrix on top of Windows Virtual Desktop, for an extra fee, if your organisation did want to continue with some Citrix capabilities but also WVD. The Evergreen Platform Bake-Off – Automated Testing for Windows. It would be awesome if there was a good solution for managing application delivery to the desktops in WVD, but right now there isn’t. This proof of concept (PoC) guide is designed to help you quickly configure Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service with Windows Virtual Desktop … Cloudalize Desktop-as-a-Service. Access Windows 10 desktop and applications from anywhere, on any device. You can use Secure Browser for publishing some of those SaaS apps you want your users to access but in a more locked-down browser. I just add my agents and enable the App-V feature. Windows Virtual Desktop. However, as we mentioned sometimes it isn’t even a case of one or the other, as you can actually use Citrix Cloud on top of Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop, if Citrix is something you want to keep. BUT others with experience of managing Citrix farms will have the benefit of a pretty familiar admin experience. The tech is already there to allow it, and for most, there hasn’t been a significant drop in productivity. So that’s not something WVD has over Citrix Cloud. While in Windows … That may come later in the form of MSIX App Attach. The benefits and gains of such a strategy are clear to see. In fact, if you’re a Citrix customer, you have likely already had a salesperson try to incentivise you away from a traditional perpetual on-premises based Citrix license to a Citrix Cloud based subscription license. I believe you can also enable FSLogix through WEM too. Rory is a man of many talents. The two approaches have many differences. In recent years, most organisations I have worked with have opened up to the possibility of leveraging the cloud but mostly in a hybrid configuration. WVD was designed as a low-cost solution for smaller businesses. So, WVD works great for me in that regard as I pretty much have what I need out of the box pre-canned. Comparing the two could make for an interesting article! Open Virtual Desktop Enterprise includes business hours support. IT and security teams often rely on either Windows Virtual Desktop or Citrix to get a fully personalized desktop experience. Microsoft announced the general availability of Windows Virtual Desktop on 30th Sept 2019. Citrix Cloud vs. Windows Virtual Desktop. At this point you are thinking, of course I want my users on Windows 10, not Windows … He’s a Microsoft Windows IT Pro MVP, international speaker and contributes to the online App-V community via his blog www.rorymon.com. Even if not replace, … [Product Comparison], Remember The Centaurus Trust this Christmas. Guest Scott Manchester - Group Program Manager Windows Virtual Desktop Tune in as host SeanDo corners Scott Manchester. © Copyright 2020 Algiz Technology Limited |. Microsoft brought Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) to the market last year and has seen Azure consumption grow significantly during these trying times. Or who didn’t have a proper remote access solution at all? It can be a building block or even a foundation for vendors like Citrix … Go out and try both or reach out to us, and we can help provide info specific to your needs and size. For 100 multi-session … Yes, these solutions are similar. In a way, those who were already Citrix customers were the lucky ones. Together with robust Citrix management tools, administrators can take advantage of Windows Virtual Desktop including the new multi-session Windows 10 capabilities, extended support for desktop operating systems, and optimizations for Office 365 Pro Plus, while providing the best end-user experience through Citrix … Citrix has a lot of advanced features that, of course, cost to implement and … The top reviewer of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops … While Azure provides you with Azure Analytics and Monitoring and the impressive Sentinel product for the depth included with Citrix policies, Secure Browser and client side security. RDS is built around the Windows Server Operating System. (PVS is Citrix’s best product, in my opinion). I don’t have much of a head for the cost and business end of things but consuming WVD and using some of the Citrix products to improve the UX may make financial sense in the long run too. For those who already have a user load running in say AWS today, I don’t think there’s a pressing need to rush off of that setup just yet. BUT others with experience of managing Citrix farms will have the benefit of a pretty familiar admin experience. If I were writing this blog post a few weeks ago, I would have pointed out the flexibility for Citrix customers to run the products on any cloud platform they prefer vs Windows Virtual Desktop which is only supported on Azure. Like the fact that you can select an image from the gallery and start with a base Windows 10 and customise to your heart’s content. Citrix WEM is available, as are a slew of other options, such as some advanced analytics, ADM for more analytics and monitoring capabilities, Mobile Device Management and more. Publishing applications and desktops are just as simple in the cloud. As I said, you can also get AppLocker in use with Citrix Cloud plus get PolicyPak in play here too to leverage Least Privilege Manager. A VDI desktop is a desktop running on a server in the datacenter that a user can access from virtually any device. While Citrix pretty much runs away with this from a feature comparison standpoint, I believe Microsoft is not necessarily trying to compete too aggressively, at least not yet. Getting left behind due to lack of proactive IT advice? TechQuarters Ltd. Citrix Profile Management can be configured via Citrix WEM. It could be positive depending on your perspective. This really helps from a usability perspective as it is very familiar to those already aware of Windows 10. One of the biggest differences between Citrix and Windows Virtual Desktop is cost. And because that relies on utilizing your existing hardware resources, and making those available as a part of your Citrix … There will be some customers who’ll immediately see WVD as a good fit. VDI stands for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure and RDS stands for Remote Desktop Session Hosts. With Citrix on premise the user is presented with a Windows Server OS, which will look very different for those who are switching over from a Windows 10 operating system. What this really means is VDI is built around the Windows Client Operating System, Windows 10. Windows Virtual Desktop session host virtual machines (VMs) including Citrix Cloud and VMW Horizon Cloud on Azure deployments are charged at Linux compute rates for Windows 10 single, Windows 10 multi-session and Windows … It’s the on-premises tooling shifted to the cloud, which can make for a less than optimal management experience at times. There will be others who need and want the entire awesome feature set that Citrix brings. Wherever you are on your cloud desktop journey, the Citrix vs. RDS question is bound to come up—and for good reason. An estimate for this scenario is about £30,000 per annum – so a lot of cost savings to be made. You were left to your own devices using existing Azure menus and services. Registered office: Palladium House, 1-4 Argyll Street, London, W1F 7LD, Regional TechQuarters offices: Manchester Birmingham BelfastLondon Bridge Greek Street. Evergreen IT Strategy for EUC – Infrastructure, OSs, Apps and Users. Microsoft customers with WVD also own Office 365 and FSLogix, which is a pretty solid foundation to build on. Citrix… He’s bringing his images from on-prem up to the cloud, which is something Citrix App Layering can also help you achieve. For the users, this … At the moment, you require a couple of Citrix Cloud Connector servers set up in your farm to allow the cross-talk between on-prem and cloud to occur. You’ll also need Office Pro Plus, hardware and ongoing specialist support services for a Citrix environment. Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop is an exciting new platform that gives you Azure-hosted virtual apps and desktops, improved scalability and application compatibility of the new multiuser Windows 10, and simplified licensing for remote access. This means easy, centralised management and ease of use for IT departments. The offerings will deliver significant value for long-time joint customers for every conceivable use case." It’s the on-premises tooling shifted to the cloud, which can make for a less than optimal management experience at times. If you would like to keep the user load running on-premises and publish some apps or desktops directly from Citrix Cloud, you can do that. For a 50-user organisation, that’s about £100,000-150,000 upfront. As of writing, there is also support for optimised delivery of Zoom, Skype for Business, Cisco Jabber and Teams. As always, it depends. Some organisations have been consuming Citrix products in a hybrid configuration with their own AWS, Azure or GCP tenants. Another great feature in WVD is the Windows 10 EVD which is a multi-user Windows 10 desktop! The quick setup and lower cost of WVD makes this a great option for SMB’s who want a hosted desktop environment, but don’t want to wait weeks or pay 10’s of thousands for it. 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It’s really hard to predict because right now, there’s such a demand due to COVID-19 that whoever provides the best sticker price may win the largest stake. The Remote Desktop Client on the client-side is not as rich of an experience as using Citrix Workspace with the Workspace App. It’s also worth noting that you could also use AppLocker and even enable it through WEM if you like. It is free to download and use. How is Windows Virtual Desktop vs Citrix? Citrix rep tells me its not the same thing, but I feel as if he is trying to hide something. With Microsoft Windows Virtual desktop, IT administrators can centrally administer the infrastructure from the cloud. For the same sized business, 50 users, using Windows Virtual Desktop instead you’ll need an Azure subscription (as this is where WVD is hosted), fewer days of consultancy (we estimate around 4-5) and Microsoft 365 licensing. In some cases they’ve even been running the user load up there, which can be quite costly, but with some cool benefits. Rory MonaghanMay 15, 2020Digital Workspace, Virtual Desktops, Windows 10. Possibly in a way that would allow you to continue completely on-premises for now with a view to transition to Citrix Cloud in the future. Together, Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Citrix Managed Desktops and Windows Virtual Desktops will provide a complete and seamless way for customers to run all their application workloads on Azure and access Windows … While Citrix runs away with it in this comparison, it's not really about competing with each other. For Citrix customers, many have purchased thousands of additional licenses and ramped up their Citrix farms to accommodate the demand. Citrix Cloud or WVD? We’ve been talking a lot about Windows Virtual Desktop recently, mainly singing its praises. The cost is a lot lower and implementation a lot easier and simpler. Further, there are legitimate concerns about the cost and complexity of virtual desktop … That may see more interest from larger organisations in Citrix Cloud, but they may also have some pockets of use cases for running a user load in the cloud, which if made attractive and seamless enough could run WVD. In the Citrix workspace, you can have remote desktop applications like the WVD desktop but you can also have SaaS applications like SalesForce or Concur. I will say when launching applications through Citrix Workspaces, particularly when they’re apps published running in Citrix Cloud, the launch times are noticeably much worse than your traditional launches of on-prem resources. Therefore, when it comes to Citrix vs Windows Virtual Desktop we do think WVD comes out on top for SMB’s, but if you do already have Citrix and are looking to utilise some Windows Virtual Desktop as well – a combination or layering is definitely an option too. Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop provides an easy path to modernize your environment and reduce data center spending. While there is no PVS, MCS is available and works just like when it’s on-prem. In my opinion, there’s been a profound shift for most organisations with office workers to a future ‘Work from Home’ strategy. That said, there are a lot of unknowns about its future and how it will impact Citrix in the desktop … I recently had a discussion with Claudio Rodrigues (Ex-Microsoft MVP/Citrix CTP) who’s coming up with his own solution for making WVD a little more hybrid. You access it via your browser. If you throw in some PolicyPak (a WVD partner) goodness, you can get that sucker really secure with the Least Privilege Manager feature. For now, Windows Virtual Desktop only runs in Azure… For example, for those using VMware Cloud on AWS, they can use Citrix PVS in the cloud, whereas those using Citrix Cloud don’t have that option. With Citrix Cloud, you get the Analytics that can highlight bad actors trying to access your environment and behaviour or access anomalies. Is it possible (or easy) to replace Citrix with WVD? Some alternative products to Open Virtual Desktop Enterprise include Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops… You can set access criteria and achieve context-based app access with Citrix Cloud. Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is available as a tech preview for a few months now, and remains a hot topic within the EUC community.The reception of WVD was overwhelming and many experts are excited about this new solution. Citrix Workspace app is an easy-to-install client application that provides secure and seamless access to your apps, files, and desktops. What the user see’s with Citrix vs Windows Virtual Desktop is quite different. I want to talk about Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) as the successor to on-prem deployments of Remote Desktop Services (RDS), and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).. Scott Manchester (Group Program Manager Windows Virtual Desktop, Microsoft) sat down with Sean Donahue (Principal Alliance Product Marketing Manager, Citrix) for a talk last year, and waxed lyrical about WVD and Citrix together. With Windows Virtual Desktop, they see the same Windows 10 desktop. However, the fact you can still do so with version 1912 suggests that it should at least continue to be supported for close to 5 more years. For now, on both WVD and Citrix Cloud, I set up a file server in Azure and install App-V Scheduler on it. From a protocol level, they should be neck and neck, but in my experience, the display with Citrix is richer, and it seems to handle disconnects more gracefully when they do occur. You can run it on-premises with Azure Stack, but as of now, I’m not aware of a hybrid configuration. Most organisations who can afford to run Citrix most likely also own FSLogix through their Microsoft licensing BUT FSLogix is rolled in and ready to use in WVD. Regardless of your device type (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android or any other device with an HTML5 web client) bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and remote connect to your enterprise experience with Windows Virtual Desktop. For now, Windows Virtual Desktop only runs in Azure. If I posted this a few weeks ago, I would have told you WVD doesn’t have much in the way of management features. With the release of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop version 2003, Citrix announced the deprecation of support for public clouds. Citrix has added multi-user Windows 10 Enterprise Virtual Desktops (EVD) to its operating system (OS). But we are aware there are other hosted desktop and infrastructure options out there! It IS a modern Microsoft Remote Desktop Azure-based infrastructure service that you can use for publishing multi-user Windows 10 desktops, single-user personal virtual desktops and even publish applications. The difference is you aren’t accessing the Console from an install on your workstation, jump server or Delivery Controller. Citrix Cloud is pretty stacked when it comes to security features. They already had a tried and tested mature solution at the ready. Citrix has a lot of advanced features that, of course, cost to implement and maintain. FSLogix was the number one solution for roaming Office 365 settings in non-persistent desktops BEFORE it was acquired, so it gives Microsoft a leg up for WVD. I would advise anyone setting up from scratch to NOT roll their own with version 1912. Windows Virtual Desktop is much more accessible than Citrix for small to medium sized businesses. Citrix offers centralized enterprise management tools that let you harness the power of Windows Virtual Desktop workloads side-by-side with existing on-premises, or cloud-hosted Virtual Apps and Desktops deployments.