XenApp Essentials is coming soon and we have pricing details and more to help you plan
Over the last several months, Citrix has been hard at work to deliver XenApp Essentials — a new Citrix Cloud service that radically simplifies secure app delivery while delivering a great user experience. Citrix and Microsoft are working closely together to bring this service to the Azure Marketplace for simplified onboarding, provisioning, billing and support. Since we first started talking about XenApp Essentials, it has received a lot of interest, both from Microsoft Azure RemoteApp customers and from others looking for an easy-to-consume cloud-based solution.
While XenApp Essentials is not yet generally available, there are a few questions that continue to come up that I’d like to address.
- How much will XenApp Essentials cost?
- How does XenApp Essentials compare to the other Citrix Cloud solutions?
- Why should I choose Citrix?
XenApp Essentials Pricing and Packaging
XenApp Essentials will soon be available in Azure Marketplace starting at $12 per user per month. You will be able to purchase XenApp Essentials for as few as 25 users on a monthly basis. The service will auto-renew on a monthly basis until you cancel. The cloud-based solution and monthly term makes it highly attractive for customers looking to avoid large capex expenses and long term commitments.
Here are additional details about the key elements involved in the solution:
Citrix XenApp Essentials Service and Data Transfer Add-on
XenApp Essentials is the base service that will help simplify your app delivery needs. You can easily provision workloads in Azure and deliver them to your end users on any device. As mentioned above, this service will be available for purchase from Azure Marketplace at $12 per user per month. The base service will also include Citrix Cloud StoreFront and NetScaler Gateway Service. Each user will be provided with 1 GB of outbound data transfer per user per month, which should meet the requirements for most common workloads. Bandwidth-intensive workloads, such as 3D modeling apps, will benefit from additional 25 GB data transfer packs available at $12 per pack per month. The data transfer packs can be shared among all users.
Microsoft Remote Access Fees
The Citrix XenApp Essentials Service accesses Windows Server remote session capabilities that would typically require a Remote Desktop Services Client Access Licenses (RDS CALs). Customers would be able to meet this requirement by purchasing the Microsoft Remote Access rights at $6.25 per user per month directly from the Azure Marketplace when purchasing XenApp Essentials. Alternatively, you can bring your existing RDS CALs and should engage your local Microsoft representative to complete the process.
Microsoft Azure IaaS
The app workloads and user data will exist in your Azure subscription providing you greater control over your resources. You can optimize your Azure consumption thanks to the per hour pricing models provided by Azure, the flexibility provided by XenApp Essentials to pick any Azure compute instance, and dynamic scaling capabilities for your workloads.
Since XenApp Essentials is being sold through the Azure Marketplace, you will be invoiced for all of the above by Microsoft. They will just appear as different line items on your Azure bill.
- Requires 25 user minimum. Includes NetScaler Gateway Service with 1 GB Data transfer per user per month. Additional NetScaler Gateway Service 25 GB Data transfer Add-on available for $12 per pack per month
- Available from Azure Marketplace when purchasing XenApp Essentials. Please consult your Microsoft representative to bring your own RDS CAL.
XenApp Essentials vs. Citrix Cloud XenApp Service and XenDesktop Service
XenApp Essentials is the fastest, easiest way to deliver Windows apps in Azure. However, we’re finding that many customers benefit from a broader solution. That’s where the Citrix Cloud XenApp Service and XenDesktop Service comes in. This more advanced service allows you to deliver both apps and desktops, plus it includes advanced management and monitoring capabilities. Below is a quick overview of the differences in the two services. A more detailed comparison is also available.
Why choose Citrix XenApp Essentials
Citrix is a proven leader in app virtualization, and XenApp Essentials leverages the technology that has made XenApp the chosen solution for over 100K customers worldwide. Other providers are just getting started. Plus, Citrix and Microsoft have a long-standing partnership and work closely together to deliver joint solutions, like the new XenApp Essentials. It’s no wonder Microsoft recommends XenApp Essentials to their Azure RemoteApp customers.
Customers have provided us consistent feedback that they want a comprehensive, end-to-end, cloud-based solution for delivering Windows apps. The best way for us to deliver this is with Citrix through XenApp Essentials — Microsoft, Application remoting and the cloud
Azure RemoteApp customers can save big—if you hurry
One more thing…for a limited time, Azure RemoteApp customers can take advantage of a special promotion and subscribe to Citrix Cloud XenApp Service and XenDesktop Service at HALF the normal price. That means you can take advantage of delivering both apps and desktops from Azure for just $15 per user per month! Hurry, because this offer expires at the end of March 2017.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates on XenApp Essentials. I look forward to sharing more updates via Citrix blogs going forward. You can always find the latest information at www.citrix.com/xenapp-essentials.
