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Citrix spreads its Desktop as a Service across Google and Azure clouds

It's Q2 2022 – and remote/mixed access is still very much a thing

Citrix has made deals with cloud providers to sell its Desktop as a Service (Daas) platform, providing enterprises with a choice of host for its virtual desktop products.

The latest partnership is with Google Cloud, while a similar arrangement was announced with Microsoft's Azure in April.

The remote access pioneer has made available two new Citrix DaaS products that can be purchased by customers in the Google Cloud Marketplace.

Citrix claims this will make it easier for organizations already operating an on-premises Citrix VDI platform to move themselves to Citrix DaaS hosted on Google Cloud.

This move is being pitched by Citrix as a way of helping organizations to embrace a hybrid working scenario, whereby some employees work remotely some or all of the time. However, Citrix is also following in the footsteps of other remote desktop providers that have done deals with cloud providers to use their platform for delivering a service, such as Nutanix and VMware.

"Organizations are rapidly moving to adopt hybrid work, and IT needs a way to get there that's efficient, cost-effective, secure, and flexible," Citrix VP of product marketing Carisa Stringer said in a statement.

The two versions now available are Citrix DaaS Standard for Google Cloud and Citrix DaaS Premium for Google Cloud. The Standard version is aimed at organizations or departments that are new to DaaS or VDI and want a way to get started with virtual apps and desktops quickly, easily and securely, Citrix said. The Premium version, meanwhile, targets organizations with existing VDI deployments that are looking to modernize.

For this reason, the Premium version includes migration and provisioning tools, plus security and monitoring capabilities for IT administrators.

According to Citrix, spending on Citrix DaaS through Google Cloud Marketplace is included in their Google Cloud invoice, keeping payment to just one single bill.

Citrix announced a similar deal with Microsoft towards the end of April that sees Citrix DaaS available from the Azure Marketplace. Citrix said the platform lets customers simplify the delivery of Windows and Linux desktops and applications to any device, and improves key platforms like Windows 11 and Windows 10 multi-session.

"In transitioning from Citrix on-premises to Citrix DaaS, customers can save 50 percent to 70 percent over a three-year period, including an additional 25 percent of costs above and beyond the savings delivered using Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop alone," claimed Stringer. Azure Virtual Desktop is Microsoft's own cloud-based DaaS platform.

Citrix said its admin tools on Azure provide for image management, application lifecycle and IT operations tasks, and both Azure and on-prem deployments can be managed from a single console.

According to Citrix, using DaaS via the Azure Marketplace counts towards its Microsoft Azure consumption commitment (MACC), which is a three-year agreement through which organizations commit to consuming an agreed level of Azure services.

Citrix was acquired earlier this year by Vista Equity Partners and Evergreen Coast Capital in a deal worth $16.5 billion. The move was expected to see Citrix taken into private ownership and combined with Tibco, another firm already in Vista's portfolio. ®

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