Earlier this month Citrix announced the launch of XenDesktop™ 4, designed to make virtual desktops a mainstream reality for corporate employees. XenDesktop 4 with its new FlexCast™ delivery technology supports every major desktop virtualisation model in a single, integrated solution – a breakthrough that enables improved ROI, simplified management and extends the benefits of virtualisation to every employee in the enterprise.
XenDesktop 4 further simplifies desktop computing by integrating all the capabilities of Citrix XenApp™, enabling customers to deliver on-demand applications to physical or virtual desktops as a seamless part of their overall desktop strategy. To ensure every user gets a high-definition experience at all times, XenDesktop 4 includes significant enhancements to its industry-leading HDX™ technology. It also builds on the company’s 20-year partnership with Microsoft, simplifying the management of virtual desktops through Microsoft System Center, and adding multiple enhancements that further extend the value of Microsoft Windows and Windows Server platforms. In total, XenDesktop 4 adds more than 70 new features, significantly enhancing its performance, security and readiness for large, enterprise-wide deployments.
Making Desktop Computing Fast, Simple and Flexible
By delivering desktops as an on-demand service to any device, XenDesktop 4 dramatically simplifies the world of desktop computing. On-boarding new employees goes from days to minutes. New branches can be opened in a fraction of the time. And employee moves, adds and changes become quick and easy. Combining secure central management with full device independence also allows companies to implement cost-saving “BYOC” (bring-your-own-computer) programs that give employees the freedom to purchase any laptop of their choice in lieu of standard-issue PCs owned and managed by IT.
Benefits for end users are equally profound. With XenDesktop 4, users are no longer tethered to a specific device. They simply use whatever PC, Mac, thin client, laptop or netbook is most convenient, and get instant, secure access to their full Windows desktop and everything on it. XenDesktop’s HDX™ technology ensures a rich, high-definition experience every time they log in, no matter where they are or what kind of virtual desktop technology is being used on the back end.
Extending Desktop Virtualisation to Every User with FlexCast™
The centerpiece of XenDesktop 4 is its FlexCast™ delivery technology, a powerful new capability that gives customers the flexibility to deliver any type of virtual desktop, to any user, on any device – and to change this mix at any time. XenDesktop 4 with FlexCast allows customers to use any combination of the following virtual desktop technologies, all orchestrated from one, centrally-managed solution:
- For task workers sharing a similar set of applications, the most secure, cost-effective approach is a shared, server-based virtual desktop. This model gives each user a standardised, locked-down desktop ideally suited for jobs where user customisation is not needed or desired. By supporting up to 500 users on a single server, this model offers a significant cost savings over any other virtual desktop technology.
- For office workers who need more personalised desktops, the hosted VM-based model, commonly referred to as VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure), is often the best approach. By running each user’s desktop in a dedicated virtual machine, this option combines the benefits of central management with full user personalisation, and can generally support about 60-70 desktops per server.
- For power users running high-end professional applications, blade PCs in the datacenter can also be an attractive option. This approach offers all the benefits of centralisation, but ensures dedicated processing power for each user by hosting only one desktop per server.
XenDesktop 4 also supports a range of innovative client-side options, including the ability to stream desktops to each user’s device to run locally, while still managing the OS, apps and data centrally. This approach offers an easy, low-cost way for customers to get started with desktop virtualisation by leveraging existing PC resources and keeping datacenter overhead to a minimum. It can also be ideal for government and university labs that use diskless PCs for maximum data security.
In some cases, the simplest option is to deliver virtual applications to a PC running a traditionally installed OS. By centralising apps and delivering them as an on-demand service to existing desktops, this option offers many of the ROI and management benefits of a fully virtualised desktop with minimal setup costs, making it an ideal starting point for customers new to desktop virtualisation. Because virtual apps can work offline as well, this option is also a popular choice for mobile users.
On-Demand Apps by XenApp™
Much of the cost and complexity of desktop management is a direct result of the applications running on each user’s unique desktop. Integrating all the capabilities of Citrix’s market-leading XenApp technology into XenDesktop 4 instantly improves the ROI of desktop virtualisation by making application delivery a seamless part of the overall desktop management experience. Now, IT can control data access, manage fewer desktop images, eliminate system conflicts, and reduce application regression testing. Adding, updating and removing apps is simple because users can leverage a self-service app store, enabling them to access applications instantly from anywhere.
Enhanced HDX™ User Experience
XenDesktop 4 also includes significant new features that improve power and capacity management, service monitoring, scalability, security and performance. Most important among these are enhancements to its high-definition HDX technology, ensuring that every user gets the best possible experience, regardless of which virtual desktop technology is at work on the back end. New HDX improvements in XenDesktop 4 include enhancements for multimedia content, real-time collaboration, USB peripherals and 3D graphics to assist in real-time collaboration among disperse design teams. In addition to improving user experience, these new HDX enhancements utilise up to 90 percent less bandwidth than alternative solutions.
Expanded Microsoft Partnership
XenDesktop 4 expands the company’s longtime partnership with Microsoft, helping customers drive an entirely new level of desktop efficiency by leveraging the latest enhancements in Microsoft platforms such as Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services and the Microsoft VDI Suites. XenDesktop 4 likewise builds on the latest performance and availability enhancements of Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V. Beginning with version 4, XenDesktop now ships with Hyper-V as well. The two companies are also working together to simplify the management of physical and virtual desktops and applications via the Microsoft System Center management platform, including plans to further integrate solutions like Microsoft Application Virtualisation (App-V) into the Citrix XenDesktop experience (see “Citrix and Microsoft Expand Desktop Virtualization Partnership”). XenDesktop 4 also builds on the latest features of Microsoft Windows 7, making everyday tasks easier, and helping customers work the way they want. And with its new expanded functionality, XenDesktop 4 helps customers migrate to Windows 7 more quickly and seamlessly than ever before.
Open Architecture
XenDesktop 4 is the only product on the market to support every major server virtualization platform, including Citrix XenServer™, Microsoft Windows Server® Hyper-V™, and VMware ESX™. It is also the only desktop virtualisation product in the industry to support VMware vSphere™. This flexibility makes it easy for customers to choose whatever hypervisor best fits their unique business requirements with no limitations or proprietary lock-in.
Pricing and Availability
XenDesktop 4 will be generally available from 16 November 2009 and will be licensed on a per-user or per-device basis. The per-user model allows each end user to use an unlimited number of connected or offline devices at no additional cost. The per-device* model allows any number of end users to use one licensed device. XenDesktop 4 will be available in three editions:
• VDI
• Enterprise
• Platinum
As a special, limited time offer, Citrix XenApp customers who are ready to step up from standalone app delivery to full desktop virtualisation, will also have an opportunity to trade their existing XenApp licenses for new XenDesktop 4 licenses on a 2-for-1 basis.
For more information contact us.