Overcoming IT Resource Constraints with Citrix Cloud

It seems there is never a shortage of business demands on IT. But often in short supply are budget, infrastructure, headcount, and specialized skills to meet those requirements. If your organization is like most, Resource Constraints – the factors that make up the gap between what needs to be done and what IT can do– is a constant business challenge.

I read on ZDNet earlier this month (October 2, 2017) the results of a TechRepublic CIO Jury poll about IT budgets. Respondents, a mix of business and tech executives, indicated that 2018 IT budgets will be flat to modestly higher; no more than low double digits. Some respondents said that budgets will be cut despite IT being required to do more: support more end-users; deliver more services; deploy and manage more applications; integrate more systems. One respondent, the executive director of technology infrastructure services at a university, said “Ultimately, things have to balance, and we are not a technology company, only technology-dependent. Sometimes you have to sacrifice and dig for further efficiency improvements.”

Fiscal austerity — or at least careful financial scrutiny — is exacerbated by the need to expand IT infrastructure to efficiently and securely run a new generation of enterprise applications; or simply to just run them. Period. In many cases, the servers, routers, networking gear and other hardware that comprise legacy infrastructure needs to be replaced.

Not Just About the Money

Inadequate budgets can translate not only to insufficient infrastructure, but to understaffed IT departments. Sometimes the challenge is not just a lack of headcount, but having people with the right skill set. That is not a criticism. The pace of change in technology is so rapid, and areas of specialization can be so niche, that keeping up is difficult to sometimes impossible.

CompTIA, an international non-profit technology industry association, reported in May 2017 the findings of a survey of 600 IT and business executives. “CompTIA’s assessment shows that 80% of IT and business executives are at least somewhat concerned with the IT skills gap in their organization, while 25% are very concerned.”¹

IT and business executives identify the broad areas of skills gaps as follows. I think some are more important than others, but are any dispensable?

So, what is IT leadership to do? More technology isn’t the answer. The right technology is. Increasingly, that technology is cloud.

Citrix Cloud services eliminate the most common IT Resource Constraints so you can drive higher confidence in your cloud strategy and say yes to requests from the boardroom to the back office.

Citrix Cloud services are the fastest, simplest, most flexible, and secure way to deploy and manage Citrix technologies.

• Fast, because the platform is delivered as a cloud service — there’s less to integrate, less to install and less to manage. Virtual apps and desktops are configured and published in hours, not weeks.
• Simple, because we manage the Citrix software for you; from routine updates to version upgrades. You will always be on the current version of Citrix technologies without the hassle and expense of on-premises software.
• Flexible, because we support deployment of app, desktop and data services on any cloud or infrastructure. Choose the model that works for your needs.
  • Protect your legacy investments and control data on-premises with a hybrid approach.
  • Or go completely cloud, reducing complexity and eliminating hardware costs. Or both.
• Apps and desktops, and their corresponding data, remain entirely under your control—either in their datacenter or the cloud of your choice. Citrix Cloud services can’t access the VDA machines or base images.

And Citrix Cloud even supports integration of apps and services from independent software vendors. Customers such as Clint Newell, a multi-brand auto retailer, virtualize and deliver dealer management, manufacturer, rental and other applications using Citrix Cloud services. All controlled on the Citrix Cloud management plane.

The largest economy extended stay hotel chain in the United States, InTown Suites, consolidated servers, enhanced security, and integrated payment and property management systems on Citrix Cloud, allowing a staff of two to manage IT operations for 190 locations and corporate headquarters.

These are just two of many real-world stories that showcase the power Citrix Cloud services have in improving the performance of IT teams of any size.

To learn more about Citrix Cloud, visit https://www.citrix.com/products/citrix-cloud/

¹                “IT Skills Gap Worries Company Executives, Assessment Reveals,” Terri Williams, August 1, 2017, GoodCall