Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) Reviews

We were used to working on different proposals and implementations from Citrix through the GSI partnership.

It integrates various tools and features into a single platform. It offers enhanced user experience, productivity tools, VDI, and virtualized applications. This unified platform provides a single pane of glass, allowing management and control.

Remote work has been enhanced. Citrix Workspace and Virtual Desktops offer various features, including persistent and non-persistent environments, allowing different user personas to access their work environment efficiently. These solutions enhance the user experience, especially for remote work, which significantly improved during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Citrix has integrated many enhancements into its products. Applications can be provisioned through published or streamed apps via Citrix Virtual Desktops. 

Recently, Citrix has undergone significant changes, primarily due to its acquisition. This acquisition impacted Citrix's value because of increased licensing costs under the new model. As a result, many customers are now considering alternatives to Citrix. This shift has created numerous opportunities for migration from Citrix or VMware to Microsoft and other platforms.

I have been using Citrix Workspace as a partner for two years.

We recommend Citrix Workspace primarily to BFSI customers, followed by financial institutions, media and entertainment organizations, and oil and gas corporations. Virtualized infrastructure is already in place for most of the verticals we work with.

Our company has Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 support teams, which can provide the necessary support for Citrix Workspace.

Citrix had its licensing model, which also worked with Microsoft user licenses. This collaboration between Microsoft and Citrix created a consortium that handled the licensing. However, Citrix has changed its licensing model due to a recent merger. Comparing the earlier Citrix days to the current situation post-merger, there is a significant difference in Citrix's licensing prices. 

Citrix Workspace is a suite of solutions. With a single pane of glass, administrators can monitor the Citrix environment to identify and resolve any issues or bottlenecks. This setup enhances user experience through Citrix Analytics dashboards, which provide insights into the Zen desktop environment. These dashboards allow you to pinpoint real-time issues that may affect users or applications. Citrix Workspace functions as a unified solution, though you can also opt for Citrix Workspace apps and desktops separately. By choosing Citrix Workspace, you benefit from administration, management, and user experience.

Citrix Workspace can be recommended for remote work requirements. However, given the current market conditions and the various options available, it is important to consider cost-effectiveness and suitability. There are also some cheaper options.

If they can make it comparative, then it's a perfect solution.

We usually recommend Microsoft AVD solutions based on customer suitability. Everything is there with AVD because of the combination of Azure, the robust security, and everything borrowed from Microsoft. When integrated with Microsoft, Citrix Workspace complements Microsoft's zero-trust security model by enhancing authentication and authorization processes. Historically, Microsoft and Citrix have collaborated to provide comprehensive solutions to customers, combining their strengths to deliver robust security and efficient management.

We recommend Microsoft AVD. The majority of our customers also use Citrix. There are some VMware Horizon View customers, but their numbers are currently very low due to recent acquisitions. As a result of these acquisitions, many customers are considering moving away from VMware.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

My company started with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service, which is presently renamed and referred to as Citrix DaaS. The majority of my company's customers use Citrix DaaS to deploy specific kinds of virtual desktops. Citrix DaaS is also used to deploy virtual machines with GPU or with a certain graphics capacity.

In general, Citrix DaaS has the ability to be very granular in the policies part to achieve the best user experience possible, even in cases where the bandwidth is very poor.

Recently, my company has started to face some troubles with Citrix at an organizational or corporate level, meaning we have no problems with Citrix as a product. After some new company recently acquired Citrix, my company has observed that it has become quite complex for our partners to maintain apps and follow the vision of Citrix, which expects its users to use Citrix products. I have issues with Citrix as a company and not with the products.

I have experience with Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) for twenty years. My company deals with multiple versions of the product. My company has a partnership with Citrix.

For our company's customers, I feel that the product is stable. My company has planned out well enough to do some periodic checkups and update patches for our customers, but not in the time frame that falls in less than six months.

My company deals with around 12 to 15 customers Who need the product in their complex Citrix-based environment.

In our organization, we have very little installation of Citrix products for our administrative purposes, so not more than five people use Citrix DaaS in the company. If you look at the number of our customers using Citrix DaaS, I would say that there are about 2,000 users.

The solution's technical support is not so good. The solution's technical support was great in the past. Considering the past, I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.

Under the present circumstances, I rate the technical support a six to seven out of ten.

Neutral

Half of my company's customers deployed the product on an on-premises model, while the other half deployed it on Citrix Cloud Broker. I feel that the majority of my company's customers have deployed the product on an on-premises model. Citrix Cloud is for the brokering process only.

Speaking if the product is worth the money, I would say that I need to think twice or thrice before investing in it.

In the past, the prices of the product were great. With the acquisition of Citrix by your company, the prices have drastically increased. For my company, it has become a bit of a problem to sell products from Citrix.

We started to use Citrix DaaS in our company, and I had the opportunity to hold on to my experience related to products from Citrix even when I moved from one company to another. I used Citrix in my company, Quanture, to deploy applications from the beginning, but it is mostly used for virtual desktops. My company uses Citrix DaaS for some specific phases in the tile industry, where the work is about manufacturing or producing tiles. In the production area, the tile company I deal with needs to develop a schema and design of the tiles using virtual desktops and virtual workstations with a certain graphic potential functionality. Citrix DaaS was a solution my company could provide to our customers so that they could replace costly workstations with virtual machines.

To those who plan to use the solution, I suggest that they initially take care of the PoC area because it is only useful, and they would appreciate the product if they intend to use it.

Citrix DaaS is a powerful solution. I recommend the product to only those who involved their IT staff during the PoC process, along with some end users, since if you don't involve the right people in the initial phases, there could be future problems with the product.

I rate the product a nine out of ten.

I rate the company named Citrix a six or seven out of ten.

I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.

I use it for VDI.

Citrix Workspace's standout feature is its flexibility, enabling me to access my virtual desktop seamlessly from any location, anytime.

While Citrix Workspace provides remarkable flexibility and remote access, there is room for slight improvement in performance optimization and interface refinement.

I have been using Citrix Workspace for ten years.

Citrix Workspace is highly scalable. You can easily expand the solution by installing additional servers to support the growing number of end-users. I would rate its scalability as a ten out of ten. We have approximately 2,000 end users at our company.

I used VMware Horizon View several years ago but switched to Citrix Workspace because it offered essential features, specifically support for Lexi App migrations, better meeting our requirements at the time.

The deployment time for Citrix is flexible and depends on the complexity of the solution. It can range from one day to several months, influenced by factors such as scaling, global availability, application count, and the time invested in configuring virtual machines. Deploying Citrix is complex because it involves various technical skills, including server administration and network configuration. Maintaining it is straightforward by following the vendor's instructions.

Citrix Workspace doesn't directly save time, but it is invaluable for accessibility. If hardware fails, it is a backup option for staff to access our corporate environment, reducing the impact on business operations. That is where its real value shines.

When considering Citrix Workspace or similar solutions, my advice is to assess your specific needs and preferences. There are various reputable vendors, so compare based on factors like functionality, user experience, and budget. Each organization is unique, so conduct a thorough evaluation before making a decision. Overall, I would rate Citrix Workspace as an eight out of ten.

I am publishing desktops as well as applications.

Citrix offers a range of products that can be used straight out of the box.

When it comes to Citrix, the main advantage is its protocol, which has gone through several name changes including ICA and HDX. It originally started out as Thinwire in 1988, and now they are back to using that name again. 

This protocol allows for faster transmission and beats competitors such as RDP. Citrix has tried various approaches with VMware, but nothing can beat the speed of their protocol, which works very effectively. 

Using the app layering feature can be quite difficult and cumbersome.

I have experience installing Citrix since 1997 when we published desktops using Windframe 1.7. Back then, we had to publish desktops and applications from the terminal server, which is now known as the remote desktop server, but we didn't have a desktop for over a decade. 

We had to figure out all the applications and printing for ourselves. However, everything has become much simpler now, and the issues we used to face have been largely resolved. 

Citrix has proven to be quite stable in my experience. Of course, its stability ultimately depends on the skill and expertise of the people managing it. However, I have personally overseen the implementation of Citrix in very large hospital systems, with over a hundred thousand concurrent connections, specifically for the deployment of medical applications and desktops. Overall, I find Citrix to be very reliable and stable.

I would rate the stability a nine or a ten out of ten.

Provisioning Server is a fantastic option for image management in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. It offers excellent performance and reliability. On the other hand, while Machine Creation Services can be scaled easily, they can significantly increase storage consumption. For instance, creating a Windows 10 image in MCS typically requires at least 80 GB of storage, in addition to any separate disks needed.

To store changes made by users in Machine Creation Services, the differencing disk must be equal in size to the base disk, leading to significant storage consumption. On the other hand, Provisioning Server uses image versioning, creating a new image version every time it's modified. As a result, virtual machines streamed from the server revert to their original state after a reboot, which is similar to their state during the first boot.

Using the provisioning server, I start by configuring a virtual machine with either a 2016 or 2019 server operating system. I install the necessary Citrix client provisioning server target device software, followed by installing the required applications. After that, I capture the entire configuration to a file share. The image is then streamed from the file share to the hypervisor, which can handle multiple machines. In some large-scale deployments, we have used a single image to provision thousands of servers.

Once the image is captured and stored on the file share, it is set to read-only mode, and any changes made to it are not accepted until it is put in read-write mode. When a virtual machine is rebooted, it returns to its previous state before the changes were made. This feature can be beneficial in situations like a virus outbreak, where a simple reboot of the virtual machines can remove any malicious code or changes.

A provisioning server offers a faster recovery time from a bad change and is generally faster than machine creation services. With the provisioning server, changes are not accepted until the read-write mode is enabled, and if a virus outbreak occurs, rebooting the machines restores them to the previous state. On the other hand, machine creation services' speed is dependent on the storage's speed, and recovery time from a bad change can take longer, especially with a large number of devices. If a bad change is made with machine creation services, the replication process can take a while to revert, whereas, with a provisioning server, all machines can be rebooted quickly.

Within thirty minutes, I can restore my system to its previous state using the provisioning server.

Technical support is not the best. The quality of technical support has declined over time. Previously, their support was excellent, and you had to pay for each call. 

The support staff were very efficient and did not waste time. However, they have now changed their support model so that it's included with your licensing, and they have hired new staff. 

The first-line support staff follows a scripted process, and they are not necessarily highly skilled. You have to go through all the steps before you can speak to someone knowledgeable, or you have to insist that it's an emergency and you need immediate assistance.

In general, the support used to be good, but currently, I am not satisfied with it.

It depends on the image management that you choose to use. 

Provisioning Server is one such solution, but it can be challenging to set up without the right expertise. As an alternative, Citrix offers another image management technology called Machine Creation Services, which is easier to use but can significantly increase storage consumption.

Their licensing model used to be on a per-year basis, where you would negotiate the cost per user for a year. For instance, if you had 25,000 users, you could negotiate the cost accordingly. However, they are transitioning to a subscription-based model where the cost is incurred monthly. 

They argue that this model allows companies to switch from a capital expense to an operational expense, making budgeting easier. However, I am not a fan of this model. I prefer paying only for the number of licenses that I need based on the number of concurrent users, like the previous model.

It is important to receive proper training rather than relying solely on online resources or Googling.

I have been using it successfully in larger enterprise deployments since 1997.

I would rate Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops a nine out of ten.

I am currently working as a senior infrastructure engineer for a company, but in the past, I have also been a reseller and had my own consulting company where I sold and provided consulting services for Citrix products.

We use the product to give application access to external providers. It helps us publish remote desktops and applications.

Citrix DaaS’s most valuable feature is the virtualization of applications and desktops.

The product’s customization feature needs improvement.

We have been using Citrix DaaS for two years.

I rate the product’s stability an eight out of ten.

We have 400 Citrix DaaS users in our organization. We might increase its usage. I rate its scalability an eight out of ten.

The technical support services are good.

Positive

I rate the initial setup process a five out of ten. It is simple. However, you need to have some knowledge of how it works. It is a quality learning experience. It takes a few hours to complete for an advanced user. At the same time, it takes a day or two to study the process.

We recently received the product’s renewal quote, three times the last price. It is an expensive solution. I rate its pricing a nine out of ten.

I advise others to get training on how to use Citrix DaaS. It will help them understand the functionality before purchasing it. I rate it an eight out of ten.

Our usage of Citrix Workspace includes standard office applications as well as specialized ones, such as those for automotive design and engineering from a major car manufacturer.

This solution has been convenient for us and has our capital cost increased.

The most valuable feature of Citrix Workspace is the virtual desktop that we can use anywhere, at any time, and without taking our laptop.

I have noticed that the current compatibility issue with the latest version of Windows 11 is a concern for me and my client. While the client has support for Windows 11, it appears that the Citrix Workspace is only compatible with Windows 10, which does not support the newest version. This is an area that I believe could be improved upon.

I have been using Citrix Workspace for approximately two years.

Citrix Workspace is stable.

The solution is scalable.

We have approximately 6000 users using the solution.

Sometimes we escalate issues to the technical support of Citrix Workspace.

I rate the support from Citrix Workspace a seven out of ten.

Neutral

We have tried VMware but it did not fit our needs and this is why we are using Citrix Workspace.

The initial setup of Citrix Workspace is simple.

The process of deploying Citrix Workspace is simple and straightforward. All you need to do is download the front portion of the website, double-click on the package, and utilize the default settings. It should not require much effort to successfully implement this application.

We used a Microsoft solution called SCCM to automatically install Citrix Workspace.

The solution is straightforward to maintain.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Citrix Workspace an eight out of ten.

I use it for VDI; it's a virtual desktop community.

It's a full SSL solution, so no additional VPN or security features can be added. The solution itself provides SSL connectivity. It's a good solution.

It would be great if they included VPN features and improved connectivity.

I have been using it for four years now.

It is stable once configured.

It is a scalable solution. There are around a thousand end users. 

It is regularly used. We plan to expand its usage in the future.

We have vendor support. Because it's a new solution for us, we wanted support directly from the vendor until we build internal capacity.

The tech support is fast, knowledgeable, and customer-friendly.

The initial setup's complexity depends on your expertise. It should be done by an expert. For our team, we have an expert who handles installation and deployment.

So, it was straightforward for us.

It integrates smoothly with our existing infrastructure without needing additional resources. It's straightforward.

We have seven experts who manage everything from the Citrix side. It depends on the client's interests and requirements.

It is good in ROI aspect for our case.

Overall, I would rate it a nine out of ten. I would recommend it if anyone with VDI connectivity use case wants to use it.

If a client wants remote connectivity and resource sharing, I recommend Citrix. VMware Horizon is another option with similar features. It depends on the requirements.

I use the solution in my company for hybrid users and support.

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the convenience and the ease of setup the tool provides.

From an improvement perspective, I want to have multiple logins in one JUMP file, if possible. Nowadays in my company, we have to spare one PC as a jump point for the user. My company's purpose is to have multiple jump points. Improvements are required to be made in the solution since, presently, with the tool, hybrid users have to get involved with multiple logins.

In the future, the product should have some mobile applications. Though in our company, we can use the product through mobile by using Microsoft desktop, the screen is not that friendly enough.

I have been using Citrix Workspace for two years.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution as seven and a half out of ten. There are some issues with the product's scalability, considering that Citrix found a loophole in the solution after my company had used it for two years. My organization needs to see whether the loophole found by Citrix is dangerous and whether we will be exposed to vulnerabilities. Most organizations use Citrix Workspace with standard settings and as per what is suggested by Citrix.

More than 1,000 people use the tool in my company.

I rate the technical support a nine out of ten. I am happy with the support offered by the product.

Positive

I have experience with Microsoft Remote Desktop. If I compare Microsoft Remote Desktop and Citrix Workspace, I would say that Microsoft Remote Desktop is used internally in our company. Citrix offers license-based tools. In our company, we prefer using Microsoft Remote Desktop. Microsoft Remote Desktop uses more resources and networks compared to Citrix. Citrix offers more optimized solutions.

The product's initial setup phase is simple and easy.

The solution is deployed on the hybrid model.

If one is a high price and ten is a low price, I rate the tool's price a three.

In terms of security features, the product offers MFA functionalities. Citrix has yet to disclose some issues with the tool's security features. I heard that Citrix found some loopholes in the product, and they have yet to be covered up.

The product can be easily integrated with other tools.

I recommend the tool to others.

I rate the tool a seven out of ten.