anexinet ISG Blog Site: Citrix Synergy 2015 Techie Updates

For all you Citrix lovers, tech enthusiasts, etc., Citrix has announced a group of updates to its flagship products, including XenApp and XenServer during Synergy this year. This was a good week of “Synergizing” with everyone and taking a sneak peek at what was innovation Citrix has in store for the community regarding IoT (Internet of Things), cloud, and mobility.

Two major announcements were made around XenApp. First, XenApp 6.5 has had its lifecycle extended to 2017. A lot of the user community must be very happy to hear this, as it will push off their migration efforts to the newest version for a bit longer. Secondly, a new feature pack will soon be made available for 6.5 to bring it the similar features that 7.6 has. According to the CEO Mark Templeton, “this will make it possible to integrate multiple versions of XenApp together, and includes better storage, Skype for Business (formerly known as Microsoft Lync) support, help desk and trouble shooting, plus new Receiver and Storefront applications to manage its XenApp and XenDesktop products and app delivery respectively.”

XenApp and XenDesktop 7.6 also got an upgrade with Feature Pack 2, which brings in new Receiver support, Lync 2013 for Mac optimization, Linux virtual desktops, and a technical preview for touchscreen devices.

Citrix XenServer also received an update, Service Pack 1, which brings 64bit support, and has three tiers -- free open source, a $625 per socket standard version and $1250 per socket enterprise edition. It can handle 1,000 machines per host and will work with the Docker virtualization platform, Templeton said. It also features a more user-friendly XenCenter management consol.

XenMobile: XenMobile 10.1 also received an upgrade which ushers in 3 new apps: containerized Salesforce (Citrix for Salesforce), WorxTask and SlideStream, the latter of which works with Apple Watch.

Citrix has also revealed a piece of prototype hardware that it claims could change the face of the workplace. Workspace Hub, the 3in-long device is powered by the company's Octoblu Internet of Things platform and allows a virtual desktop running on a mobile device to be mirrored to an external display with the minimum of interference from the user. It is designed to work with any type of screen and consequently has two connection ports - an EGA on one end for older displays and a gender changing HDMI on the other - and is also Bluetooth LE and WiFi enabled.

Workspace Hub works in two ways. The first is automatic connection, where a registered device will immediately start casting to the external screen via Workspace Hub when it is in range and return to normal once it is no longer nearby.

The second requires slightly more human interaction, as the user will be notified when they get in range of a Workspace Hub and offered the choice to transfer their desktop to the external screen with a flick.

However, all the actual processing still takes place on the mobile device via the Citrix Receiver client, which is used to access XenDesktop and XenApp. It can also be set up to immediately connect the user to local peripherals like a printer. Citrix CEO Mark Templeton said that it will allow users to move from environment-to-environment, such as their home office and a meeting room, without being having to log in repeatedly but also without sacrificing security. It could be some time before we see Workspace Hub in the real world, however, as it is not even patented yet and is still very much at the prototype stage with no clear timetable on when it is likely to come into production.

Along with the reveal of the Citrix vision for IT Transformation, the company has now unveiled Citrix Workspace Cloud. According to Citrix, Workspace Cloud is a new platform which has been designed to simplify the on-demand delivery of a wide range of IT tools and services. According to Citrix, Workspace Cloud is intended to provide businesses with a solution to address the increasing pressure that new devices, apps and work styles are putting on traditional infrastructure. Citrix Workspace Cloud creates a new control plane that merges the worlds of on-premises and cloud, allowing IT managers to create secure, mobile workspaces that include desktops, applications and data from whatever infrastructure source best meets their specific needs.

Finally, Citrix introduced a Platinum edition for ShareFile that gives users a collaborative workspace where they can exchange, track, edit and e-sign content securely and without storage limitations. ShareFile Platinum will be available in the June time frame.