The Best of Breed for Remote Application Access On Any Device, Anywhere
January 30, 2018
The Best of Breed for Remote Application Access On Any Device, Anywhere
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Citrix Virtual Apps
We use XenApp to publish all our global applications for remote access from anywhere and any device with an internet connection. It centralizes our data in US and Europe while allowing access from over 40 countries easily and securely with minimal technical support for users. It ensures our users have the latest applications they need and collaboration data is centralized securely while accessing the workflow over the internet. Because of the HDX (formerly ICA) protocol, the required bandwidth is low which is essential for our remote users in satellite locations. When there is a published application update, there is minimal downtime and we can be sure all our users have the latest and same version of published applications on XenApp because the update is done in the data center where XenApp servers are located as opposed to user desktops and laptops.
- Excellent for remote satellite users with low bandwidth and high latency connection.
- Keeps data and applications secure in the data center as users are only getting "screenshots" of the application and mouse/keyboard inputs.
- Platform agnostic allowing users to access from Apple OSX, iOS, Android devices, Windows, and Linux.
- Allows increase user density when applications are installed on centralized servers as opposed to on user desktops and laptops.
- Can be expensive for medium and small companies since there is additional cost of Windows OS and RDS cal licenses still needed in addition to XenApp.
- Frequent version updates (every 2-3 months) can make admin/engineer job difficult to keep the environment stable.
- Upgrade from 6.x to version 7.x is a dramatic change and a challenging task. There are product name changes too that cause confusion in the industry.
- Citrix tier 1 support is hit or miss, but specific product support such as Netscaler or PVS are great.
- XenApp has allowed us to continue support of legacy applications and all access of those applications to users across the globe with any device.
- XenApp can also manage software licenses by restricting number of users, number of concurrent sessions, or combination of both to required specification.
- While initial investment in XenApp can be costly, continuing support and upgrade are very cost effective and product stability is excellent.
- While there are competing products from Microsoft and VMware, when it comes to remote application access, XenApp is the best of breed.
Xenapp is a more mature product than VMware Horizon View with wider application and OS support. Citrix proprietary HDX and ICA protocols are more efficient than VMware PCoIP protocol for remote users with low bandwidth and high latency access. Both products still rely on Microsoft for Operating System and RDS Cals but utilization in XenApp is more flexible on the model of licensing agreement your organization may have with Microsoft.