Microsoft and Citrix: a match made in heaven

Posted on Tuesday March 28, 2017

Azure and XenDesktop may not be household names, but the newest partnership between Microsoft's cloud platform and Citrix's virtualization client are making big waves in the industry. Announced at Citrix's annual partner Summit, the newest thing in virtualization is a win for everyone.

For those who don't know, Azure is Microsoft's build-it-yourself cloud platform. With more than 600 services, Azure is all about giving network administrators access to Microsoft data centers to pick and choose how your cloud is structured.

Citrix is one of the largest virtualization software providers on the market. And its most famous product, XenDesktop, was one of the very first software solutions to allow multiple users to access Windows from a networked desktop with a different operating system already installed.

Now compatible with Windows 10

With the recent release of XenDesktop Essentials for Microsoft Azure, these two solutions are becoming one. Administrators can now build fully-stocked Windows 10 desktops stored in Azure, and employees can access them from any machine with Citrix's lightweight client installed.

The whole setup costs only $12 per user, per month, and comes with a host of administration settings for managing and monitoring your virtualized desktops and how users access them.

A better way to work

It's like Azure is a moving truck, XenDesktop is the box holding all your stuff in the back of the truck, and your company applications and settings are what's inside the box. With the right configuration, the whole box can be delivered to employee desktops anywhere in the world.

As long as employees are accessing virtual desktops from verified devices running MacOS, iOS, Android, or even an older version of Windows, they can work as if they are sitting right in front of the Windows 10 install located within your company's cloud.

Virtualization is a wonderful solution for cutting costs and increasing efficiencies. Unfortunately, even with two of the most user-friendly vendors in their respective industries, virtualizing Windows 10 desktops is still a monumental task. For 24/7 access to support and expert advice, call us today.