VDI, the full name of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, is rapidly becoming a hot word and is one of the cloud desktop technologies.
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is a business-critical workload deployed by many large enterprises. It helps deliver desktops to employees in a more efficient manner without having to configure and maintain physical workstations for each employee. In this article, I'll compare two leading on-premises VDI solutions: VMware Horizon and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops.
What is VMware Horizon?
VMware Horizon provides Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) capabilities that allow you to remotely deliver and manage virtual desktops and applications. You can host and manage your desktops and applications in on-premises data centers, in the cloud, and in hybrid or multi-cloud environments.
Here are a few key features of VMware Horizon:
- Simple and automated desktop and application management – enables you to quickly create and deliver virtualized desktops and applications on demand.
- Secure and centralized control plane – You can define resources for each location and profile and securely deliver desktops to end users using a single control plane. Data can be securely stored according to compliance requirements.
- Flexible and consistent user experience – Virtual desktops can be accessed from a variety of locations, networks, and devices. End users can use their personal desktops, personally owned devices (such as laptops), thin client devices (such as tablets and smartphones), or applications published through remote RDSH located on company laptops.
What is Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops?
Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is a virtualization solution that enables users to access desktops from any device or operating system, including personal and mobile devices, while supporting IT control over virtual machines, applications, and security.
Key features of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops include:
- Fully managed installation, setup, upgrades, and monitoring while customers retain full control over applications, policies, and user policies.
- Citrix Cloud Connector provides a communication channel between Citrix Cloud and the resource location, which is the site managed by your organization that provides applications and desktops to users. The Citrix control plane connects to your on-premises resources without complex network or infrastructure configurations such as VPN and IPsec tunnels.
- Citrix Managed Azure makes it easy to deploy virtual applications and desktops to the public cloud. Citrix manages the infrastructure used to deliver workloads in the Azure cloud. thisCan be used to extend on-premises resources to the cloud, enabling hybrid deployments。
Citrix vs VMware: Which to choose
Let's compare VMware Horizon and Citrix in several aspects that are important for enterprise VDI deployments.
Administrative procedures
Citrix supports a variety of hosting options, while VMware only supports its own hypervisor, ESXi。 This reduces flexibility, but it's also a benefit because ESXi is the industry's leading enterprise-grade hypervisor.
Service brokers
In a VDI deployment, the service agent accepts user connections and matches them with eligible virtualized desktops or applications. The basic proxy service is the same for Citrix and VMware. In addition to the basic functions:
- Citrix offers Citrix Director, which provides web-based management for help desk and admin-level tasks. It provides environmental health metrics and convenient troubleshooting tools for diagnosing and handling user sessions. You can also use it to optimize resource utilization on VDI machines.
- Horizon offers Helpdesk Utility and vRealize for View, which are also powerful management tools but only have basic functionality compared to Citrix products.
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Citrix offers Machine Creation Service (MCS), while VMware offers Linked Clone, both of which allow virtual desktops to be created from the base image.
The main difference between them is that Citrix offers Provisioning Services (PVS), a streaming technology that automatically delivers patches and updates to virtual desktops through shared images. VMware offers instant cloning to quickly create desktop pools using vmFork technology. The main difference is that PVS provides updates over the network, while instant clones commit resources directly to storage.
Admin interface
Citrix offers Storefront, a powerful management interface that gives administrators precise control over the desktop user experience. However, View Connections is less convenient to configure and relies on configuration files. VMware provides Horizon Administrator, which allows you to configure connected servers and manage desktops and applications, but it has a lower level of granularity compared to Citrix.
Connect to the gateway
Citrix offers Citrix Gateway, which is a very powerful solution but requires additional licenses and dedicated personnel to manage. It is based on NetScaler, which requires networking expertise to manage. VMware Security Server is less comprehensive in its features, but it is very easy for beginners. You can import your device and deploy UAG with just a few clicks in the wizard interface.
Citrix or VMware?
Citrix and VMware are both veteran players in the VDI space. Each solution has its own unique value proposition:
- With a focus on stability and reliability, VMware is a simplified and more user-friendly solution that offers less advanced management and communication features.
- Citrix is the clear winner in terms of features and management options, and it also offers a better user experience thanks to the customization options in the desktop environment. However, it is also more complex to deploy and more expensive to maintain in the long run.
Ultimately, the best choice will depend on your strategy and goals. Consider your need for advanced features, the total cost of ownership for each solution, and the technical expertise of your employees. As always, pilot projects are conducted to determine technical requirements and receive feedback from end users before a full deployment.
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Posted on 10/23/2022 10:17:50 PM
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Landlord|
Posted on 10/23/2022 10:19:19 PM
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