We’re excited to announce that Microsoft has started rolling out general availability for its new VDI solution for Microsoft Teams optimized for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, a core component of the Citrix platform. This solution, powered by Microsoft SlimCore technology, redefines the optimization architecture to bring closer alignment between Microsoft Teams running on native and Citrix environments.

A deep dive into the solution

This isn’t just another update. This is a fundamental shift in how Microsoft Teams operates within Citrix virtual environments. Here’s the breakdown:

A visual chart showing how Microsoft Teams operates within Citrix virtual environments

Server-side component: On the VDA side, Microsoft employs a server-side virtual channel module called the VDI Bridge, which is bundled with the Microsoft Teams application.

Custom virtual channels: In addition, Microsoft used the Citrix Virtual Channel SDK to build custom virtual channels which allow for server-to-client communication.

Client-side plugin: On the client side, Microsoft uses the Microsoft Teams plugin to manage the virtual channel and handle the media engine (SlimCore) download and cleanup.

SlimCore media engine: This media engine, SlimCore, handles optimization and is the same one used for native Teams.

Citrix makes it easy: Deployment and management simplified

There are two main aspects that customers need to note from the Citrix perspective to transition into this new VDI solution. They are:

Configuring the Virtual channel allow list: Administrators need to allow Microsoft’s virtual channels through a Citrix Studio policy. This policy allows for granular control and secure your deployment by allowing only the channels that are required. For more information, refer to the Virtual channel allow list in our product documentation.

Installing the client-side plugin: Citrix customers have varied environments and installing a client-side component can be a hassle. To improve this, we have provided multiple paths to deploy the client-side plugin:

  1. Citrix Workspace app
  2. Global App Configuration service
  3. Virtual channel plugin manager

Installing the plugin through any of these methods allow you to maintain the latest version and provides a seamless experience when using this new VDI optimization solution. For more information on each of these methods, refer to our product documentation for options to install the Microsoft Teams plugin.

What this means for customers

Parity with the Local Microsoft Teams Client experience: This isn’t just an improvement; it’s a paradigm shift in Microsoft Teams experience on Citrix. The new optimization architecture allows to achieve feature parity between native and Citrix environments, ensuring a seamless experience for users.

Streamlined, low-risk updates: As the architecture decouples the application components with Citrix components, customers can receive the latest updates and features without having a dependency on Citrix release cycles.

Simplified support: Now that Microsoft handles both the server-side and the client-side components, customers don’t need to coordinate with Citrix and Microsoft to resolve an issue. Once the Citrix side is properly administered, customers can directly reach out to Microsoft support for any encountered issues.

Get started today

At Citrix, it is our mission to provide the best end-user experience in the market through a variety of tools in the Citrix platform, including Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops.

For more information on how to enable SlimCore optimization for Microsoft Teams, refer to the Citrix and Microsoft product documentation.