This article describes the capabilities and architectural features of the Citrix Cloud platform and Citrix Workspace service pack from SecroMix partners. These solutions are the central element and foundation for the implementation of the digital workspace concept from Citrix.
Let’s try to understand and formulate causal relationships between cloud platforms, services and Citrix subscriptions. The descriptions seem very vague in places in the company’s open sources (citrix.com and docs.citrix.com). Cloud technologies have officially entered our lives now. It is worth noting that the architecture and technologies as a whole are rationally explained. The following difficulties arise in understanding the hierarchical relationship between services and platforms:
- which platform will be primary. Citrix Cloud or Citrix Workspace Platform?
- Which of the platforms listed above includes the many Citrix services needed to build a digital desktop infrastructure?
- What options does cloud use come with?
- Is it possible to implement all Citrix digital workspace features without using Citrix Cloud?
In this and the following articles, answers to these questions and an introduction to Citrix solutions for digital workplaces will be explained.
CITRIX CLOUD
Citrix Cloud is a cloud-based platform with all the services you need to build your digital workplace. Citrix is the direct owner of this cloud, also maintains it and provides the stated SLA (Service Level Agreement – at least 99.5% per month)….
Citrix’s customers get access to a specific list of services based on the SaaS model, depending on the subscription (service pack) chosen. For them, Citrix Cloud acts as a cloud-based dashboard for the company’s digital workspaces. Citrix Cloud has a multi-tenant architecture, with customers and their infrastructure isolated from each other.
Citrix Cloud acts as a control plane hosting various Citrix cloud services. Such as service and management services of digital workspace infrastructure. The data plane, which includes custom apps, desktops, and data, resides outside of Citrix Cloud. The only exception is the Safe Browser Service, which is provided in a completely cloud-based model. The data plane can be hosted in the customer’s data center (on-premises), the service provider’s data center, in hyperclouds (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud). Hybrid and distributed solutions are possible when customer data resides across multiple sites and clouds and is centrally managed from the Citrix Cloud.
This approach has a number of obvious advantages for customers:
- freedom to choose sites for data placement;
- the ability to create a hybrid distributed infrastructure with multiple locations across different providers, multiple clouds, and on-premises;
- No direct access to user data from Citrix as it is located outside of the Citrix Cloud;
- the ability to independently determine the required level of performance, fault tolerance, reliability, confidentiality, integrity and data availability; after that, choosing suitable sites for placement;
- There is no need to host and maintain multiple digital desktop management services, resulting in reduced cost.
CITRIX WORKING AREA
Citrix Workspace is basic and all-inclusive. Overall, Citrix Workspace epitomizes Citrix’s digital workspace concept. It encompasses both a solution and a service to create an integrated, secure, convenient and manageable workspace.
Users get seamless SSO (Single sign-on) for quick access to apps/services, desktops and data from any device for productive work from a single console. They can happily forget many accounts, passwords, and hassle in finding apps (shortcuts, start bar, browsers – all in different places).
