Every IT organization I meet with is either in the middle of a Windows 10 migration, planning a Windows 10 migration, or giving themselves a pat on the back for just completing a Windows 10 migration project (Congrats if this is you!) At the same time, these exact same organizations are looking to harness the power and cost flexibility of cloud computing, which is exactly why XenDesktop Essentials for Windows 10 on Azure is such a great deal!  XenDesktop Essentials simplifies and expedites your Windows 10 migration project by leveraging the flexibility of Microsoft Azure cloud computing.

Let’s walk through the Top 10 reasons you should be considering XenDesktop Essentials with an Azure hosted Windows 10 Enterprise desktop as the go-to solution for you Windows 10 migration efforts:

  1. Rapidly Provision Windows 10: What are the most challenging tasks of any OS migration project? One, getting the apps updated to the new OS. Two, getting every device actually upgraded. The good news on migrating apps to a new OS is that Microsoft has dramatically improved app compatibility when moving from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Thanks, Microsoft! However, reimaging every device can be painful. This is why central image management is so powerful. With XenDesktop Essentials, you can make one master Windows 10 image in Azure, and then rapidly provision hundreds or thousands of identical Windows 10 images out to all your users.  Need to patch that image or add an app, no problem. Make that tweak to your master image and then the update gets rapidly pushed out to all your users.
  2. Secure Remote Access: This is breaking news! XenDesktop Essentials now includes NetScaler Gateway Service at no additional cost. Why is this important? With Windows 10 hosted in Azure, your users will be remotely accessing their Windows 10 desktops from the internet; therefore, you need to properly authenticate users, secure and encrypt all the communication between the user’s device and Windows 10 desktop running on Azure. Now you can do just that with the click of a button, XenDesktop Essentials will authenticate your end users, automatically encrypt and protect all your communication to and from you Windows 10 desktop running in Azure.
  3. High Definition Experience: How can you tell if an IT project is successful? An IT project is successful when you users love it. So how do you make your users love a virtual Windows 10 desktop over a local Windows 10 desktop, you do that with Citrix HDX technology. XenDesktop Essentials includes Citrix HDX technology, which optimizes the performance of a virtual desktop making it look and act just like it was running locally on your device. By integrating HDX technology with NetScaler Gateway Service, XenDesktop Essentials can intelligently handle fluctuations in networking conditions while still securing all communications between the user and the virtual desktop instance. This unique ability to intelligently adapt to user actions, device variations and network conditions on-demand while still securing the virtual desktop communication has made Citrix XenDesktop the industry’s leading VDI solution.
  4. Windows 10 on any device: XenDesktop Essentials gives you Windows 10 on any device. Chromebook? Yes! MacBook? Yes! Raspberry Pi? Yes. Bring your own Device (BYOD)? Yes! You simply download Citrix Receiver to any device and you can instantly connect to your Windows 10 desktop in Azure when you use XenDesktop Essentials. If you are looking for a deal, you can actually slash your PC refresh budget by replacing the cost of a physical laptop with a low-cost, high-performance device like Citrix HDX Pi.
  5. Controlling Azure Compute Costs: We are all interested in the power of cloud computing given the ability to rapidly spin up and down infrastructure, but the key here is that you need the system intelligence to know when to power up and power down your Azure Compute (Windows 10 on Azure instances) to help control costs. XenDesktop Essentials includes Citrix Smart Scale technology. Smart Scale is a cloud service that can automatically power on and off your Windows 10 instances during peak times or based on load to help control costs while also ensuring availability.
  6. Global Deployment Options: With today’s global workforce, it is likely that you are migrating users worldwide to Windows 10. Given the global presence of Microsoft Azure, you can quickly deploy Windows 10 instances in the Americas, Europe and Asia and manage access to them all from XenDesktop Essentials. This means that the global users are close to their virtual desktops giving the best performance and user experience while IT still has centralized control.
  7. Enhanced Policy-based Security: XenDesktop Essentials gives you access to a robust policy engine that can be configured based on your individualized business security and regulatory compliance standards. These policies can control user behaviors such as printing, transferring files to and from your Windows 10 virtual desktop, copying and pasting, and more! This robust policy engine gives you the flexibility to deliver the right level of access based on the user’s profile, device, network and location.
  8. Disaster Recovery Planning: The aftermath of a natural disaster can cripple your business and most organizations already have a DR strategy in place; however, a disaster can also change the way you do business. How many new insurance agents are needed after a Hurricane? How many employees could still work from home during a blizzard? XenDesktop Essentials is a great way to rapidly spin up hundreds or thousands of secure Windows 10 workspace instances to support the bursting demand with necessary security policies.
  9. Monthly Pricing: Hopefully your interested is piqued and you have the right group of users in mind to start with. The great part about XenDesktop Essentials is that you have give it a try for just a month. For only 25 users for just $12 per user per month, you can get started. Maybe you also have access to Azure Monetary Commitment and/or Azure Credits as part of your Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, you can use these for your Windows 10 on Azure instances making it even more affordable to get started today!
  10. Buy Direct from Azure Marketplace: XenDesktop Essentials is easy and simple to purchase because it is available directly from the Azure Marketplace. This is great because you get one bill from Microsoft for your Azure compute and the XenDesktop Essentials service. If you already have Microsoft as an approved vendor, being able to purchase XenDesktop Essentials directly from Azure means you can get started without going through extensive vendor approval processes.

…and this is just our introductory desktop virtualization offer! Citrix offers comprehensive solutions for delivering a secure digital workspace for every user.  If you are attending Microsoft Ignite, stop by the Citrix Booth #745 to learn more about our Citrix Secure Digital Workspace solutions.

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