Organizations today are quickly moving to a hybrid-work approach to enable employees to work securely from anywhere. The challenge for many IT teams? Providing a secure desktop experience that keeps employees productive wherever they might work from.

To help meet this challenge, Citrix worked closely with Microsoft to develop a turnkey desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) solution that runs on Azure: Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure. Citrix is excited to offer free 7-day trials of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure so customers can experience a turnkey DaaS experience for themselves.

Turnkey DaaS: Simple to Operate

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure offers the simplicity you need to get up and running with your first deployment in a single day (not days). There’s no need to speak to a sales rep, to wait to get it activated, and to spend hours learning how to deploy it.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure is available on the Azure Marketplace and provisions your new account in a few hours, not days. It provides step-by-step, in-product onboarding to get you logged in and deploying in minutes. This enables IT to quickly deploy hundreds or thousands of desktops when you need them across one of Azure’s many robust global regions. And with the built-in image library, you can choose from Windows 10 or 11 (including multi-session varieties), complete with essential apps preloaded. You can also choose Windows 7 where legacy apps might be needed, as well as Linux plus full support for Windows server images — all with just a few simple steps.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure’s management console is a web-based, workflow-driven console that makes it easy to create virtual machines and deploy them on demand. You can create and deploy a simple pooled desktop quickly; create and deploy a customized dedicated version for specific users based on preferences; and even connect physical desktops and laptops via Citrix’s Remote PC Access. It is a comprehensive platform that grows as you do.

Flexible

What does the term flexible mean exactly? Here, it means the ability to scale up on demand to meet project needs like contractors, vendor access, mergers and acquisitions, onboarding, and more. But think, too, about the ability to deploy several types of desktops with apps to meet all your employees’ needs. Do you have a custom golden image you want to leverage? You can import it to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure and access it from the built-in library on demand.

Flexible can also mean the ability to choose how you use the application. Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure offers admins the flexibility to deliver desktops to users in diverse ways. Citrix’s turnkey DaaS gives admins the ability to deliver and manage Windows and Linux desktops from a single, simplified console. And because Citrix delivers cloud desktops securely through Citrix Workspace, employees can access their apps and desktops from any device, anywhere.

Pay as You Go

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure offers monthly and term subscriptions, so if you only need to support a project for a month or a couple of years, you can choose the plan that works for you. No long-term commitments are required. And as your business grows, Citrix makes it easy to expand to our full-service products, ensuring your cloud desktop service doesn’t hold you back.

Azure Consumption Included (or not)

With Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure, you can choose to have Citrix manage your Azure infrastructure and only pay for what you use or leverage your own Azure subscription and use your Azure credits. Citrix gives you choice. If you want to purchase Azure consumption and keep it on hand for business continuity needs or project support, it is ready to go. Or leverage it on demand and have Citrix bill you for what you use when you use it. No need to pay for services you are not using.

Remote PC Access Included

Remote PC Access is a feature included in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure that enables organizations to give employees easy access to corporate-managed PCs and laptops remotely, in a secure manner. Think of all the aging equipment in the office that employees rarely (if ever) access due to the shift to remote and hybrid work. Capitalize on those prior investments by presenting those desktops for secure access right alongside cloud-delivered ones. And because Citrix Remote PC Access embraces wake-on-LAN technology, physical PCs are seamlessly powered on and off as required which drastically cuts energy expense.

Did Someone Say Trial?

As a part of a special promotion, Citrix is now offering a seven-day self-service trial so customers can try simple, turnkey DaaS. Visit our trials page and sign up to get started today. Please note that for the trial, Citrix Managed Azure is not included, and customers must bring their own Azure subscription.

And while you are trying Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Standard for Azure, you can check out the latest Citrix Master Class: Getting Started with DaaS (Desktop as a Service)  where Citrix experts Ana Ruiz and Steve Beals walk you through the service from start to finish to maximize your experience.

Experience for yourself what the power of Citrix DaaS can unlock for your organization.