Citrix Showcases XenDesktop 4

Citrix Systems today announced Citrix XenDesktop 4, a new product designed to make virtual desktops a mainstream reality for hundreds of millions of corporate employees “for the first time ever”.

XenDesktop 4 with its new FlexCast delivery technology is the first product in the industry to support every major desktop virtualization model in a single, integrated solution – a breakthrough that enables improved ROI, simplified management and extends the benefits of virtualization 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 also 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.

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’sHDX 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.

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 standardized, locked-down desktop ideally suited for jobs where user customization 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 personalized 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 personalization, 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 centralization, 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 virtualization 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 centralizing 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 virtualized desktop with minimal setup costs, making it an ideal starting point for customers new to desktop virtualization. Because virtual apps can work offline as well, this option is also a popular choice for mobile users.

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 virtualization 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.

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 utilize up to 90 percent less bandwidth than alternative solutions (see separate press release issued today).

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 Virtualization (App-V) into the Citrix XenDesktop experience. 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.

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 virtualization product in the industry to support VMware vSphere™. This unprecedented flexibility makes it easy for customers to choose whatever hypervisor best fits their unique business requirements with no limitations or proprietary lock-in.

XenDesktop 4 will be generally available beginning on November 16, 2009 and will be licensed on a per user basis. This model allows each end user to use an unlimited number of connected or offline devices at no additional cost. XenDesktop 4 will be available in three editions with the following suggested list prices:

Standard – $75 per user
Enterprise – $225 per user
Platinum – $350 per user

As a special, limited time offer, Citrix XenApp customers who are ready to step up from standalone app delivery to full desktop virtualization, will also have an opportunity to trade their existing XenApp licenses for new XenDesktop 4 licenses on a 2-for-1 basis (for program details see related announcement today).