The Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp is a virtualization solution that allows organizations to provide centrally-hosted resources and applications to desktop and mobile clients. It gives control of virtual applications, machines, licensing, security, etc., along with anywhere access to all your devices. Through Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp, end users can run desktops and applications irrespective of their device’s interface and operating system. Admins can use it to manage the network and control access from all of their devices or some selected devices. Moreover, admins can control the entire network from just one data center.
As more and more employees work remotely, companies face new challenges, and cloud solutions are in demand. People are looking for simple, easy-to-use software solutions with cloud infrastructure, OS compatibility, and hybrid desktop hosting.
In the past, Citrix was considered the best option for remote working and virtualization. However, recent advances in technology have made it possible for people to explore other Citrix alternatives that may be more suitable for their needs. For example, virtualization software solutions like V2 Cloud and VMware Horizon offer more flexibility and scalability than Citrix. In addition, these solutions are often more affordable than Citrix, making them a better choice for small businesses or individuals. As a result, Citrix is no longer the best choice for everyone. Instead, people are able to look for alternatives that better fit their needs.
In this blog, we will take a look at the best Citrix alternatives that IT organizations can use. Before we begin our list, let’s check out some features you should look for when choosing a Citrix alternative.
What to Look For in a Citrix Alternative?
Citrix is a nice virtualization service that allows remote teams to collaborate and work together from wherever they are. Teams get greater security and control while having the power to access company data from different locations and devices.
Virtualization is an in-demand technology with different vendors offering different features and capabilities. Here is a list of features companies should look for in a Citrix alternative:
- Compatibility with multiple OSs, mobile devices, server hardware, and network configurations
- Affordable and flexible pricing
- Compliant with world-class security regulations and standards
- Easily installable with fewer components along with a simple, user-friendly configuration
- A software that enables businesses to publish the application on their servers easily.
Top 5 Citrix Alternatives
IT companies derive lots of benefits from Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp, including flexible deployment solutions, scalable provisioning for 10 up to 1000 users, and a uniform user experience whether you use a computer platform or a mobile device.
However, there are a host of alternatives out there that offer similar desktop and application virtualization services for multiple use case scenarios. Check out the following list featuring the best Citrix alternatives that IT companies can go for. The list does not follow any particular order.
Citrix Alternative 1: V2 Cloud
V2 Cloud is another reliable, fully-integrated DaaS solution for Citrix alternatives enabling both small and large enterprises to host and access desktops and apps in the Cloud securely. Perfect for business owners, Managed Service Providers, independent software vendors, IT managers, etc. V2 Cloud offers safe and secure virtual desktops to remote-working teams.
V2 Cloud developed this virtualization software in-house to offer unmatched speed and simplicity. Some of its top features include screen sharing, multi-factor authentication, bidirectional copy-paste, HTTPS encryption, and much more. In addition, it features a centralized dashboard to manage IT operations easily and scale the solution up or down based on requirements.
Enterprises can use a free trial version of the solution before purchasing it on a straightforward monthly billing model. In addition, V2 Cloud is available on both Apple and Android smartphones and offers support through emails, calls, FAQs, video tutorials, etc., throughout the week.
Here are some of the pros and cons of V2 Cloud:
Pros:
- It provides cost-effective online storage solutions.
- It lets you securely access your account from anywhere. You just need an internet connection.
- Stored data is protected through a program to prevent any tampering with confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of stored data.
Hence, V2 Cloud makes it incredibly easy when it comes to deploying cloud-hosted virtual Windows desktops. They provide small business owners and IT administrators more time to concentrate on key business goals with our fully managed virtual desktop solution.
Their virtual cloud desktop service is quick, scalable, and inexpensive. In contrast to other well-liked options, deploying cloud desktops with V2 Cloud doesn’t require extensive training or certificates.
Citrix Alternative 2: VMware Horizon
Horizon by VMware is a desktop virtualization solution offering businesses a digital workspace that lets them access and manage published applications and virtual desktops through a centralized platform. The software is developed on a hyper-converged infrastructure solution and allows IT teams to add appliances or individual nodes, analyze and track system performance and real-time analytics, and identify potential problems through automatic alerts.
Enterprises can arrange security policies based on business requirements and enforce changes across each desktop environment and end-user profile. In addition, users can easily secure the infrastructure through role-based control access and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities. Also, it offers shared workstations for engineering and designing teams where they can collaborate on graphic 3D projects.
Enterprises can either deploy VMware Horizon in the Cloud or on-premise. Horizon is available via one-time license purchase, and support is provided through email, phone, etc. Let’s look at some of its pros and cons:
Pros:
- In terms of virtualization, its vSphere solution leads the industry.
- Despite being extremely smart and technical, VMware products are unbreakable. Uptime is greater than 99.99 percent.
- Substantial, thorough, and well-organized documentation.
- Customer service is top-notch, and they have fantastic customer service personnel.
Cons:
- Licensing might use some great improvement. It is quite perplexing.
- It causes some difficulties and problems whenever you intend to export virtual machines.
All in all, with the effective delivery of virtual desktops and applications that equip workers everywhere, anytime, and on any device, VMware Horizon allows a digital workspace. In addition, the platform provides:
- An agile cloud-ready base.
- Cutting-edge best-in-class management.
- End-to-end security that enables today’s Anywhere Workspace thanks to its strong integration into the VMware technology ecosystem.
Citrix Alternative 3: Amazon Workspaces
Another cloud-based desktop virtualization solution for Citrix alternative, Amazon Workspaces, allows enterprises to offer Amazon Linux and virtual Microsoft Windows desktops to end users who can use it to access documents, resources, and applications on multiple devices remotely. In addition, employees can personalize their individual Workspace settings, including the wallpapers, shortcuts, icons, and much more.
Amazon Workspaces uses streaming protocols by which admins can analyze hosted desktop, device, or network for determining decompression or compression algorithms for media transmission. Workspaces are deployed under the VPC or Amazon Virtual Private Network and allow admins to encrypt documents and put restrictions on the access to resources in a particular network.
Amazon Workspaces can be integrated with the RADIUS server or Microsoft Active Directory, and users can manage their workspace through multi-factor authentication or their existing credentials. Also, Workspaces has its own Android and iOS mobile applications. Enterprises can purchase the solution either on a pay-per-usage model or go for an hourly or monthly billing bundle. Charges vary depending on the region, and support is offered mainly through documentation or other online resources.
Here are some of the pros and cons of Amazon Workspaces:
Pros:
- It has an easy-to-set-up interface. It uses a point-to-click interface to create a new workspace for users. All you need is your email address.
- You can easily create your own images, deployment tools, and many more on this server.
Cons:
- Many businesses use AWS’s incredibly practical AWS SSO solution to provide single-sign-on for employees and developers. Unfortunately, you can’t sign in to Workspaces with this. Instead, you must create a directory.
Within the top desktop as a service vendor, Amazon WorkSpaces is the #2 ranked options. Amazon WorkSpaces receives an average rating of 8.4 out of 10 from PeerSpot users. Amazon WorkSpaces vs. Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is the comparison with which Amazon WorkSpaces is most frequently made.
Amazon WorkSpaces is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 73% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. Professionals from a computer software company are the leading industry looking into this solution, making up 22% of all views.
Citrix Alternative 4: Workspot
The Workspot VDI is a perfect Citrix alternative for businesses operating in the finance, healthcare, legal, retail, and life sciences. Education, construction, and manufacturing niche. It gives admins the power to modify security policies across various applications, user profiles, and data so that employees do not have access to specific, restricted information.
Workspot offers SSO or single sign-on capability through which staff can access virtual desktops through PIN-based authentication or the Azure directory, offering a safe and secure experience to users. IT professionals can even blacklist or whitelist specific websites through Workspot. Using its event log functions, managers can monitor and track records of each employee’s work.
Also, Workspot’s API lets businesses integrate their platform with third-party software and solutions. Employees can manage their operations anywhere from their phones through Workspot’s iOS and Android applications. Enterprises have to request the pricing details, and they offer support via email, FAQs, phone, videos, etc. Here are some of the pros and cons of workspot:
Pros:
- Workspot made it simple to link virtual machines to the cloud-based applications that houses our global file sharing.
- Workspot has fantastic customer service.
- The GPU now has additional possibilities for machine sizing. Therefore this is truly a fantastic solution.
Cons:
- The AMD computers have so far proved unreliable and are still running Windows 10’s outdated release 1809.
- Learning to use and utilize the Workspots to their maximum extent can be frustrating.
Simply put, Workspot offers a scalable VDI solution. Their control panel is simple to use and quite helpful for helping our users. The knowledgeable onboarding team collaborated extensively with us to make sure our customers were satisfied with their purchases. The scaling-up process is simple and quick, and the support crew is also very responsive.
Citrix Alternative 5: Evolve IP
Evolve IP DaaS is a virtual desktop service hosted in the Cloud that allows all small and large-scale businesses to streamline their remote working processes. For a secure and safe user experience, it features in-built malware protection and antivirus solutions.
Evolve IP’s PC over IP, or PCoIP delivery protocol, lets users have access to local USB peripherals via a centralized, single platform. Admins can use the dashboard to see, track, monitor, and manage all connected devices and exchange network devices, servers, and workstations. It lets professionals manage applications and manage user-specific DaaS settings through the gold pattern desktop by clicking on the master desktop image.
Evolve IP offers integration with many third-party solutions and multiple internal solutions like Evolve Office Applications, SharePoint, Microsoft Office Standard, etc. Let’s look at some of its pros and cons:
Pros:
- For the most part, it functions well for UC calls. Using a physical Polycom phone to place and receive calls works just fine.
- It has an easy-to-use interface.
Cons:
- Sometimes it isn’t easy to find what you’re looking for.
The customized virtual desktop solution from Evolve IP provides the administration, support, technology, and knowledge required to fully embrace hybrid work in either the Evolve IP cloud or Azure.
Wrapping Up
Changes in office setups, rise in remote work, digital transformation, and other unavoidable solutions push most businesses towards new, effective business tools. The Coronavirus pandemic worsened situations where the majority of industries had to work remotely.
Enterprises are rapidly turning towards virtual desktop infrastructure and DaaS solutions to meet their requirements, and Citrix is one of the best options available. However, V2 Cloud is considered the best Citrix alternative.
The only IT nerd you need is V2 Cloud. They collaborate closely with independent IT directors, business owners, software vendor managed service providers, and many others to help them expand their businesses using the Cloud.
Also, they put an emphasis on speed and simplicity as a fully integrated Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution so you can work more quickly from anywhere.
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