These days, change is something we’ve all had to work to grow accustomed to. Whether it’s changing your routine, your work location, or your ways of doing things, we’ve all had to adapt to a new normal. Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops customers have embraced these changes head-on, and we’re excited to simplify their approach to license management with improvements to the license server and new tools available in Citrix Cloud.

Over the past few months, we’ve seen more admins spending a growing amount of time with Citrix licensing. Why? Ensuring that their environments are set up for success, are scalable, and are properly licensed is more pressing than ever. As organizations move to cloud, they’re in a position where they need to assess and manage licensing needs and transitions from on premises to cloud. Streamlining license server management while bringing more visibility to license usage is how we are helping Citrix users change with them.

Streamline On-prem Citrix License Server Management

The Citrix License Server has been a key component of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops solutions managed by organizations. Previously, admins had to juggle between the Licensing Administration Console (LAC) and the Citrix License Manager (CLM) to configure their on-prem Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops licenses on the license server. To streamline the admin experience, we have consolidated all the necessary functionality into the CLM. Streamlining to one console comes with a few distinct benefits:

  • Security: TLS 1.0 and 1.1 will be disabled by default, and Port 8082, which was previously used to host the License Administration Console, will no longer be open.
  • Simplification: The CLM has been leveraged by the majority of customers for the last several releases. To consolidate, we are officially deprecating the LAC with the 11.16.6 release.
  • Cloud Readiness: Product registration and telemetry have been enhanced to simplify license management across on-prem deployments and cloud services.

Simplify License Management with Citrix Cloud

A major benefit of organizations’ continued move to the cloud is simplification. With our virtualization solutions in Citrix Cloud, the license server and file management are no longer required, but that doesn’t mean Citrix Cloud can’t help you with your on-prem deployments and Citrix License Servers!

For many, transitioning to the cloud is a multi-phased journey, and often the end goal is a healthy hybrid-cloud state where organizations continue to own, manage, and/or operate significant aspects or components of their Workspace solution. During a cloud transition, or when operating in a hybrid-cloud environment, organizations can leverage Citrix Cloud to manage and get visibility into licensing across Citrix License Servers and Cloud Services in a single location.

Leverage Citrix Cloud License Usage Insights

When moving toward the cloud, organizations need to expand visibility into their license usage. Citrix Cloud can augment on-premises deployments by adding capabilities through Citrix License Usage Insights. This is available for all Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops customers, and there’s no requirement to purchase a cloud service subscription.

Found in the licensing section of Citrix Cloud, the integrated usage insights across cloud and on-prem deployments enable customers to understand how many licenses they have, where they are located, and how many are being used. On-prem Citrix License Servers that have been registered with Citrix Cloud appear under the Licensed Deployments tab while cloud service usage appears under the Cloud Services tab.

Below is a screenshot of the license usage for a Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops deployment.

Ready to streamline your licensing experience? This new release further secures your license server, simplifies management and enables new usage insight experiences in Citrix Cloud. Download the latest Citrix License Server version 11.16.6 here and register it with Citrix Cloud. Learn more about upgrading your Citrix License Server here.