Citrix + Microsoft: Better Together

If this past year has taught companies anything, it's that agility rules.

Organizations everywhere are looking to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives and achieve greater agility in every aspect of their business operations, from how their workplaces are set up, to the state of their IT infrastructure.

Agile transformation with the Citrix Microsoft partnership

Citrix and Microsoft have responded to these evolving needs by expanding our strategic partnership. Through our combined efforts, we help customers accelerate their journeys into the cloud, modernize their applications and deliver a consistent and secure work experience for employees, regardless of their locations.

With Citrix and Azure Virtual Desktop, companies can take advantage of:

  • Multi-session capabilities of Windows 10: Integrate Azure Virtual Desktop (formerly Windows Virtual Desktop) with Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) for improved scalability, application compatibility and networking across concurrent interactive sessions.
  • Hybrid cloud support: Citrix DaaS can manage Azure Virtual Desktop workloads alongside existing VDI. Preserve on-premises VDI investments while charting a path into Azure with optimized performance, image management and visibility from Citrix.
  • Enhanced productivity: Azure Virtual Desktop on Citrix lets you deliver the Citrix HDX experience for Office 365 ProPlus virtualization apps when running multi-session Windows 10. Real-time applications such as Teams become more reliable even across multiple locations.
  • Windows 7 legacy application management: Combine Citrix and Azure Virtual Desktop to virtualize key Windows 7 apps and access Extended Security Updates for free until 2023, for maximum flexibility when transitioning to Windows 10.

Overall, employees will be positioned to perform at their very best wherever and whenever they are working, thanks to the Citrix and Microsoft commitment to seamless integration between Citrix and Azure Virtual Desktop. We have jointly developed detailed product roadmaps to ensure that Citrix DaaS runs optimally in Microsoft Azure and that Citrix digital workspaces and Office 365 help all employees to work better from anywhere.

The Citrix and Microsoft partnership is designed to enable superior employee experience and to empower CIOs around the world as they seek to minimize risk, cost and complexity en route to comprehensive digital transformation of their environments.

The big ideas behind the Citrix and Microsoft partnership

Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Commercial Business at Microsoft, recently shared his insights into the Citrix and Microsoft partnership and the greater value that the two firms are delivering by working together. Let's take a look.

“The first thing that comes to mind for customers during a global pandemic is making sure that their employees are healthy, safe and productive,” explained Althoff.

“To that end, we've teamed up with Citrix and really worked hard to ensure that our customers can fully support remote work, with capable devices and collaboration technologies such as Teams — and of course, strong virtual environments, powered by Citrix and Windows Virtual Desktop — and all hardened by a joint security capability supported by our two companies.”

On application modernization for remote work

“Throughout the transition to remote work during these difficult times, it’s also advisable to expand beyond the datacenter. There are really good reasons to get out of the datacenter now by transforming workloads for the cloud instead. Indeed, technology is at the core of how customers currently seek to innovate and plan for the future of their businesses and workplaces.

It's not just about lifting and shifting applications to the cloud anymore, either. It's about considering how low-code and no-code capabilities can come together with collaboration environments and virtual desktop environments to truly enable a new level of modern work for customers.

At the same time, there are opportunities to examine applications and modernize them. So customers can transform their obsolete legacy applications with our assistance, bringing data services to life through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Essentially, they can dive into all the ways in which technology can have an impact on their company's missions and drive their business outcomes.”

On Citrix and Microsoft working together

“Microsoft's really privileged to have the opportunity to partner with so many leading technology companies. And Citrix is a key partner for us, especially as more companies look to modernize their digital estates.

Right now, customers want to be able to really trust the providers they work with. The Citrix and Microsoft partnership in particular is pivotal, because customers and their employees entrust some of their most important assets to us, and so they need us to come together to keep supporting their needs.

We have complementary technologies, frankly, like no other partnership in the industry right now. Plus, we’re motivated to bring our best to all customers, so that they can ultimately achieve their goals. At Microsoft, we're really proud to be collaborating with Citrix to deliver this breakthrough experience.”

Learn more about the Citrix and Microsoft partnership and how Citrix and Azure Virtual Desktop work in tandem to support digital and cloud transformation.