For the final installment of “What’s New with Citrix Workspace for 2020,” I thought it might be fun and informative to review the top features we’ve added to Citrix Workspace, while explaining the value each feature brings to our customers.
10) Identity Provider Integrations
Citrix Workspace solutions provide you with flexibility and choice. Citrix Workspace can function as both an identity broker and/or identity provider with current support for Citrix Gateway, Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Okta and SAML 2.0 based identity services.
Why it’s important: The Citrix Workspace agnostic approach to identity allows customers to leverage existing identity-solution investments. The platform can serve as an aggregator of third-party workspace services, providing SSO for everything through a unified front end (Citrix Workspace app).
9) Citrix Workspace Integration with Microsoft Teams
We get asked all the time if Citrix Workspace competes with Microsoft Teams. The answer is no. Citrix Workspace and Microsoft Teams are complementary. In 2019, Citrix announced the ability to optimize Microsoft Teams in virtual environments. For 2020, we’ve added Teams integration to the intelligent capabilities of Citrix Workspace. Microapp workflow integrations streamline the way workers interact with many enterprise applications. Now, Citrix Workspace microapp actions can be forwarded from the Citrix Workspace app to Microsoft Teams (users or channels) by the user or automatically when configured by the IT administrator.
Why it’s important: Citrix and Microsoft technologies are used by nearly every Fortune 500 company and most enterprise organizations. As business leaders look to simplify application and workspace delivery through vendor consolidation, it’s important that both Citrix and Microsoft add value and complement each other’s solutions.
8) Enhanced Enrollment Profile – Citrix Endpoint Management
Enhanced Enrollment Profile enables administrators to control Device Enrollment modes at a Delivery Group level instead of at a Global Site level. This allows an administrator to run multiple use cases with a single Citrix Endpoint Management site/instance. That means you can mix and match MDM, MDM-MAM, MAM-only, BYOD, and more.
Why it’s important: It’s extremely rare for a single device enrollment mode to be appropriate for all user groups within an organization. Managing multiple endpoint management instances creates unnecessary complexity. Enhanced Enrollment Profile saves IT administrators valuable time and resources, creating a unified management experience for all users, device types, and device profiles.
7) Citrix Secure Internet Access
Citrix Secure Internet Access is a comprehensive, global cloud security service that addresses the security requirements of the modern business. It includes secure web gateway, next-generation firewall, cloud access security broker (CASB), DLP, sandboxing, and AI-driven attack detection.
Why it’s important: Working within Citrix Workspace on a device is safe and secure. But that doesn’t mean the entire endpoint is secure. Citrix Secure Internet Access helps to secure the personal and unauthorized applications that reside on the endpoint device. A common use case for this solution is remote workers located outside of the perimeter of the corporate network.
6) App Protection Policies for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops
App protection provides enhanced security when using Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops published resources. This additional layer of security provides anti-keylogging and anti-screen capturing capabilities for Citrix HDX sessions. App protection scrambles keystrokes entered into the device, sending the attacker undecipherable text. It also prevents screenshot malware by turning all screenshots into blank pictures.
Why it’s important: With the increase of BYOD programs and remote working, organizations are looking to add a layer of security when unmanaged devices access corporate resources. App protection does this by defending against keylogger malware, screenshot malware, and remote access trojans.
5) HDX Adaptive Transport – Gateway Service (Modern, High-Performance VPN-less Access)
HDX Adaptive Transport (aka EDT protocol) delivers a superior Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops user experience by dynamically responding to changing network conditions. It improves application interactivity, especially on challenging long-haul WAN and internet connections, making it the preferred way for secure remote access to end users in cloud. HDX Adaptive Transport now is supported from the Citrix Gateway service.
Why it’s important: Citrix Gateway commonly has been deployed on-premises, in the customer datacenter, for managing access to centralized resources. The recent acceleration of cloud adoption, including SaaS applications, has created the need for a more decentralized way of managing access to corporate resources. Located within a global network of PoPs, Citrix Gateway service running HDX Adaptive Transport Protocol can optimize application delivery and performance for remote workers, eliminating the requirement of outdated and often insecure VPNs that route all traffic back through the datacenter.
4) Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure
Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure is the simplest and fastest way to deliver Windows apps and desktops from Microsoft Azure. This service combines Citrix’s industry-leading cloud-based management and provisioning capabilities for DaaS with the speed and ease of deploying Azure Virtual Desktop (formerly Windows Virtual Desktop).
Why it’s important:
- Only Citrix can manage an on-prem virtualization deployment alongside Azure Virtual Desktop, allowing customers to transition their virtualization infrastructure to the cloud at their own pace.
- Scalability and performance optimizations such as Autoscale and HDX Technology optimize your Azure Virtual Desktop deployment.
- Cloud infrastructure enables IT to scale up or down on demand and pay for what you use, when you need it.
- Citrix Workspace and Azure Virtual Desktop integrations allow for simplified, rapid creation of managed WVD workloads in “five clicks.”
- First step in bringing desktops as a service simplified UI to all Citrix Virtual App and Desktop service and Workspace Premium Plus customers.
Check out the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Roadmap.
3) Microapp Workflow Innovation
Citrix Workspace’s new intelligent capabilities continue to boost worker productivity by streamlining work and giving employees time back to focus on meaningful work. We’ve added new self-service and automated workflow capabilities for information technology (IT), human resources (HR), online meeting and “back-to-office” use cases.
IT Self-Service Workflows — These workflows enable employees to find the IT resources they need, when they need them. Leveraging a new portfolio of IT self-service microapps within the workspace, organizations can reduce time spent by employees on IT tasks, improve overall employee NPS for IT services, and reduce IT case volumes.
Some examples of these IT workflows available via our out-of-the-box template integrations include:
- ServiceNow: Submit Incident microapp and Incidents microapp
- Zendesk: Add Ticket microapp and Tickets microapp
- Jira: Create Ticket microapp and Tickets microapp
HR Self-Service Workflows — It is more essential than ever that businesses rethink their people strategies, placing new emphasis on delivering a best-in-class employee experience that differentiates and elevates the business. With a new portfolio of HR self-service microapps within Citrix Workspace, organizations can improve process efficiency, save time, and reduce HR case volume.
Some examples of these HR workflows that are available via our out-of-the-box template integrations include:
- Workday: Create PTO Request microapp and PTO Balance microapp
- SAP SuccessFactors: Directory microapp and Learning microapp
- Upwork: Post jobs directly in Citrix Workspace
Online Meeting Microapp Workflow Integrations — With the increase in flexible work styles it’s no surprise that workers are spending more time in virtual meetings than ever before. Citrix Workspace integrations with GoToMeeting, Teams, Zoom, Webex, Google Meet and more allow workers to manage, schedule, and launch/join meetings directly from their Citrix Workspace UI.
“Back-to-Office” Microapp Workflow Integrations — Many of our customers have asked how microapp technology can help when developing best practices around returning to office working environments. The good news is that we’ve already done some of the work for you, creating templated workflows to accelerate a safe return to the office for your workers. These back-to-office workflows (shown below) include integrations with third party SaaS vendors as well as homegrown Citrix microapp actions and insights.
Why it’s important: Post COVID-19, temporary remote workers likely will become permanent remote workers. Services that used to available on-site (HR, IT, conference rooms) must now be recreated in digital and virtual formats to accommodate those who work remotely. As we continue to focus on employee experience, it’s important that workers are provided with an easy way to access and interact with a new set of services. Citrix Workspace, with microapp integrations, provides the perfect foundation to start building and implementing new streamlined, digitized workflows.
2) Citrix Analytics for Performance
Citrix Analytics for Performance allows you track, aggregate, and visualize key performance indicators of your Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops environment. Performance Analytics takes a user-centric approach to performance monitoring by tracking logon times, application response times, machine statistics (GPO insights), and more.
Why it’s important: Performance Analytics launched in early 2020, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. As our customers scrambled to enable remote workers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic mandates, one of their top concerns was remote worker productivity and understanding the experience of the remote worker as it related to application performance. Citrix Analytics for Performance solves that problem by generating a user experience score for each user and enabling IT to be proactive with real-time, actionable insights.
1) Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Automated Configuration Tool
The Automated Configuration Tool automates migration of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops configuration (policies, applications, catalogs, and more) from one or more on-premises site(s) to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop service on Citrix Cloud.
Migrating your current Citrix infrastructure to the Citrix Workspace platform (Citrix Cloud) now is easier than ever before. In addition to the automated configuration tool, Citrix will assign a dedicated customer success manager who will work with your team, ensuring a smooth transition.
Why it’s important: For many of our on-prem customers, their Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop on-prem infrastructure is configured and customized just the way they like it. With long to-do lists, they’re often reluctant to recreate all of those configurations in the cloud. It’s the “if it’s not broken why fix it” mentality. The new Automated Configuration Tool makes it easy to replicate Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops configurations, saving time and lowering the risk associated with cloud transitions.
Find out more about automated configuration for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops.
The Citrix Workspace Team would like to extend our warmest wishes to you this holiday season. See you next year!
