Few businesses can claim to be as diverse as Persol Holdings Co. Ltd. which leads 148 companies across the globe. As one of Asia’s leading HR specialists, it provides as many services as there are different types of employees, helping clients with job placement, career transition support, staffing and outsourcing, and finding talent to fill specialist roles.

Driving operational efficiency and security for tech-driven Human Resources

To operate effectively, improve how teams collaborate, and create a cohesive company culture, Persol Holdings is focused on connecting its widespread operations. That’s why the Citrix platform is a critical piece of their digital infrastructure! With Citrix Secure Private Access and its integrated enterprise browser solution, Persol ensures a consistent employee experience (EX) for its 78,000 employees.

Aerial view of a diverse group of eight people engaged in discussion in a modern office with desks and computers
75
%

Faster deployment

30
%

Reduction in VDI costs

100
%

User volume & bandwidth supported

We’re building infrastructure that enables operational efficiency across the entire group. To align to our medium-term management plan for 2026, we want all employees to work in a secured, technology-based environment.”
- Yota Tsukamoto, General Manager of the Workstyle Infrastructure Department, Group IT Division

Enabling seamless access in complex, non-standard environments 

With 148 companies, at any given moment, Persol Holdings has thousands of staff working on customers’ sites and using customers’ systems. These employees often need access to specific Persol Holdings systems but doing so via a full VDI experience was proving costly and impractical.  

“We needed a solution that allows seamless communication for all users, regardless of device or operating system,” says Kazutoshi Ikeda, Manager of the User Infrastructure Office, Workstyle Infrastructure Department, Group IT Division. “The reality is we have many employees in ‘non-standard’ environments.” 

Providing an exceptional experience for users 

The company explored several options, including the use of a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) for data and security control, linking different environments for data communication so that they can share data safely, allowing exceptions for data export, and using secure web browsers. 

“Ultimately, the most sensible decision was Citrix,” says Ikeda. “Citrix has formulated a platform strategy and developed it into a package, which provides an exceptionally user-friendly environment for us.” 

The adoption of Citrix’s enterprise browser integration enhances user experience and security in remote environments by controlling and protecting application access. Unlike VDI, which virtualizes the entire desktop, Citrix Secure Private Access allows for finely tuned, detailed data access controls. Users now have the option to access IT-approved applications from any work environment.

 

Remote access and security can be strengthened even without a VDI environment. The high degree of compatibility greatly improves user experience.”
- Kazutoshi Ikeda, Manager of the User Infrastructure Office, Workstyle Infrastructure Department, Group IT Division

Tight deployment deadline met through close collaboration 

The project was on a tight schedule - it had to be up and running within around six months to meet the clients’ needs. 

“With tens of thousands of users across the Persol Group, solution rollouts can often take up to two years,” says Tamaki Hane, Project Manager of the User Infrastructure Office, Workstyle Infrastructure Department, Group IT Division. “To meet this challenge, we set up regular biweekly meetings between our project team and Citrix experts.” 

Citrix now provides ongoing support, including vendor assistance for technical inquiries and issue resolution, as well as user-to-user information sharing through the Citrix Cloud Community Forum. 

“There is great benefit in Citrix’s support, consulting, and training services,” Ikeda adds. “Both in terms of long-term strategy and helping to deal with daily concerns and questions.” 

Reducing VDI costs by 30% 

By transitioning to the Citrix Platform License, Persol Holdings has access to a comprehensive package of Citrix solutions, including Citrix DaaS, Citrix NetScaler, and essential observability tools. Citrix Platform License also delivers immediate value, by improving Persol Holdings’ ability to manage capacity. 

By operating via a browser, Citrix Secure Private Access eliminates the need for VDI deployment and management in many scenarios, reducing the workload on engineers. Persol Holdings estimates that VDI deployment costs have been cut by around 30%. 

The Citrix Cloud management console, accessible from anywhere, aids administration by providing an intuitive, web-based interface for all Citrix platform solutions. The integrated dashboard enables even new employees to find key information easily.  

Switching to Citrix Secure Private Access quickly stabilized VDI and secure browser environments across group companies. 

“Users have praised the system’s stability,” says Hane. “When a group company experienced instability with their VDI and secure browser, we had them switch to Secure Private Access. This allowed them to continue work smoothly - and received excellent feedback.” 

Leveraging the full power of the Citrix platform 

The immediate priority is to expand the user base for Citrix Secure Private Access, delivering a high-convenience environment regardless of whether users are in a standard or non-standard environment. “We plan to enable Secure Private Access from smartphones in the near future, compatible with Google Chrome,” says Ikeda. 

According to Hane, Persol Holdings is also considering deployment of cloud-based VDI services and Chrome Enterprise Premium to further improve management efficiency, optimize performance, and support a wider variety of workloads. The ultimate goal is smooth access from any device, anywhere. 

Tsukamoto concludes, “Moving forward, Persol Holdings aims to fully leverage the capabilities of Citrix, including implementing uberAgent for comprehensive environment monitoring, and planning to harness AI to drive even greater operational efficiency.”

 

View all stories