Citrix makes Managed Desktops widely available

Citrix Managed Desktops will be generally available from August 26. The desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) solution simplifies the delivery of apps and desktops for Windows, from Microsoft Azure to devices.

Compared to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Citrix Managed Desktop is designed to provide a turnkey service, says ZDNet. This is regardless of the size of the company or the level of IT expertise. Customers can deliver Windows applications and desktops from the cloud to any device. The service can be purchased on a monthly basis or for a longer period.

Managed Desktops is designed to improve provisioning for employees. For example, it can be used to easily scale up or down the number of virtual desktops. This may be useful, for example, in the case of the influx of a large number of new employees following a takeover or merger. Users should be able to easily integrate virtual desktops from Azure with on premise Active Directory and other business resources. Citrix partners can further build custom services for specific vertical markets directly on Citrix Managed Desktops.

Differences with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops

Citrix announced Managed Desktops on Citrix Synergy in May, with the intention of providing immediate support for the multi-session Windows Virtual Desktop experience. The difference with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is that everything can be purchased from Citrix, i.e. services from Citrix and the associated Azure compute. A virtual desktop can also be “domain-joined” or not. This means that remote users can be assigned a virtual desktop more quickly. This can also be part of an existing Windows domain. In addition, the new service will support multiple regions, Citrix will provide the desktop with Virtual Delivery Agent to quickly allocate new virtual desktops and support for SD-WAN.