In today’s dynamic work environment, organizations face the challenge of securely providing access to desktop resources for use cases other than traditional corporate employees.
Project-based contractors, a seasonal or temporary workforce, researchers, and external vendors are just some use cases for which organizations may need to provide virtual desktop access.
With support for non-domain joined Windows or Linux desktop workloads, Citrix DaaS provides organizations the flexibility to deliver non-domain joined workloads with Machine Creation Services (MCS) to your on-premises data center or public cloud, along with the ability for the end-users to authenticate with the identity provider of your choice through Citrix Workspace.
Why non-domain joined virtual desktops?
Running non-domain joined virtual desktops can provide several benefits across different scenarios:
Remote Connectivity: Non-domain joined virtual desktops allow users to access their desktop environment from any location, using any device with internet connectivity. This is particularly useful for remote or mobile workers who need to access their virtual desktops from different devices or locations.
Temporary Access: Non-domain joined virtual desktops are useful when granting temporary access to external users or contractors who don’t have domain accounts. Instead of creating domain accounts for these desktops, along with the associated security concerns — non-domain joined virtual desktops can be provisioned with limited access and permissions.
Simplified Management: Managing many domain-joined virtual desktops can be complex, especially when dealing with user and group policies, security configurations, and software deployments. Non-domain joined virtual desktops can provide a simplified management experience by eliminating the need for domain infrastructure and associated management overhead.
Security: In certain situations, organizations may require additional security measures or isolation for specific desktop environments. Keeping virtual desktops separate from the domain environment can mitigate potential security risks and vulnerabilities associated with domain-joined systems.
Testing and Development: Non-domain joined virtual desktops can be used in testing and development environments, allowing developers or quality assurance teams to quickly provision and modify desktop environments without affecting the production domain.
How Citrix DaaS Enables the Delivery of Non-Domain Joined Desktops
To deliver non-domain joined virtual desktops, Citrix DaaS uses the Citrix Gateway Service and the Rendezvous V2 protocol to allow the Citrix Virtual Delivery Agents (VDA) to bypass Citrix Cloud Connectors and connect directly to the Citrix DaaS service.
When users launch a session via Citrix Workspace and connect to the non-domain joined virtual desktop, the VDA creates a local mapping account using the user name that the users have logged in with on Citrix Workspaces. The VDA then assigns a random password that the local mapping account uses for single sign-on and session.
Upon logoff, the VDA goes back into the pool of available desktops.
Watch the Citrix Features Explained: Citrix DaaS Non-Domain Joined Desktops:
To learn more about the ability to deliver non-domain joined Windows and Linux virtual desktops with Citrix DaaS, visit Citrix Tech Zone today!
