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When many IT leaders think of Citrix, they think ‘VDI’. But that’s only part of the story.
As the workplace has expanded over the past 5-10 years, Citrix’s offering has expanded with it. At Axess Systems, we’ve seen firsthand how remote working has put user experience centre stage. Our Head of Presales Kris Haynes observed in a recent webinar:
“User experience is becoming number one, especially with the adoption of work from home. People are using their own devices more. They’re expecting a faster log-on experience there.”
Though IT managers still view Citrix as purely about VDI, there are many other solutions that Citrix offers, all with the same goal of delivering secure apps and desktops to any device, anywhere.
In this article, we’ll discuss the legacy perception of Citrix, and how it’s trying to move into a space that’s about more than VDI. We’ll also look at several use cases that show this expanded focus, and reflect on why it matters to you, now.
The Legacy Perception of Citrix
Citrix has certainly earned its reputation as a VDI provider – built up over 35 years. Remote app delivery was what Citrix began doing back in the 1980s. Many companies still use it for this purpose today – providing task-based workers, in retail or call centres, access to virtual applications and desktops.
But if you’re an IT Manager, focusing on just Citrix’s bread and butter can limit you. Citrix has evolved to include other capabilities, reflecting a broader trend across the industry. The market is repositioning to support this new reality; if you’re not exploring how, you could be missing out on value.
Citrix Today: A Modern Digital Workspace Platform
Here’s how Citrix has evolved – and what it means for your organisation.
App Delivery
Citrix bought NetScaler back in 2005 – and since then, it has been a core part of their offering. One of NetScaler’s key features is its high-performance load balancing. This makes sure that apps you run through NetScaler – desktop or otherwise – perform at the highest level, no matter how many people are using them at once. Employees can work remotely as easily as they would do in the office – keeping productivity and morale high.
Secure Private Access
Citrix’s Secure Private Access is built on the principle of zero trust network access (ZTNA). Here, users are continuously verified, and no one device, user, or location is trusted by default.
Citrix has expanded this area of their offering in the first few months of 2025, with acquisitions of deviceTRUST and Strong Network. With employees expecting to work from wherever they want, this kind of security is key to decreasing the risk of cyberattacks.
Analytics
Of course, protection from current cyberattacks is all well and good, but today’s threats evolve quickly. Staying ahead of them requires real-time insight into user behaviour and emerging risks.
That’s what Citrix Analytics for Security provides. With the help of machine learning, it’s assessing user behaviour all the time across networks, applications and desktops. It quickly notifies you if it detects suspicious activity from a user – letting you respond before things spiral into full security incidents.
Use Cases That Go Beyond VDI
Together, these tools support a wide range of modern workplace scenarios:
App Delivery – Global Working
Many IT workforces are across counties, countries, or even continents. But that doesn’t mean your IT offering has to be fragmented too. Citrix’s partnership with NetScaler lets your employees access all the same apps as they would onsite, without having to worry about slow loading times (or logging helpdesk tickets). And critical data isn’t put at risk – a big concern for the regulated industries we’ve worked with before, like finance or healthcare).
Secure Private Access – Legacy VPN Replacement
VPNs often linger longer than other legacy tools – not because they work best, but because many teams aren’t aware of better options. But as we’ve seen, Citrix’s security solutions more than plug that gap, with ZTNA’s adaptive authentication methods. For example, it can make users provide extra verification for sensitive applications. This doesn’t only make security breaches less likely, but also simplifies your policy management, giving your team one less thing to worry about.
Analytics – Compliance Support
Citrix Analytics for Security’s behaviour monitoring makes it easier for IT teams to ensure compliance with industry regulations, like HIPAA or PCI DSS. And with automated policy enforcement, you don’t even have to look at instances yourself – you can trust that your compliance obligations are being met, and demonstrable to your board.
Why It Matters Now
IT is no longer the realm of bulky desktops and offices. It’s everywhere – from phones to homes – and with SaaS sprawl, it’s not always approved by the business. With all these endpoints and applications, there’s more opportunities for friction, slower performance, and cyberattacks. Tackling it with a siloed VDI mindset is not enough. Looking beyond VDI is what will keep your business agile and sustainable in the years to come.
So, while Citrix may be best known for its VDI, there’s actually much more to what they do. Today, that’s only the foundation of a far more expansive platform – one which can touch every part of your working life.
Are you taking advantage of all Citrix’s tools and technologies?
Ask about our Licensing Assessment workshops to find out if you’re making the most of your current Citrix investments. Or, book a free consultation to find out how else we can help you.
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