I am not sure how this article is going to sound to those who have not directly worked with me in the past. I don’t normally have rants or have “negative takes” on people or products. Take the following as more of a note of concern.
I think that Citrix is in trouble.
So, let’s start at the beginning with the core mission from Citrix who, “pioneered remote access, Citrix believed people should be able to work anywhere and in any way they need. “
Citrix was a huge hit and was used (needed) from the early days of enterprise desktop computing with shared application access and remote desktop access. There were technical challenges with:
- additional application requirements
- increased security procedures/requirements
- additional infrastructure (servers, gateways)
- package conversion requirements
Citrix offered a secure, stable desktop environment that became a core offering for most internal IT departments. The additional effort was worth it – and the market agreed.
It’s 2023 (soon to be 2024) and let’s talk about remote access. Microsoft Office is now cloud based, with Microsoft Exchange pretty much there as well. Microsoft is promoting Azure Virtual Desktops (AVD), with their pitch,
Provide the familiarity and compatibility of Windows 11 and Windows 10 with the new scalable multi-session experience for your end users
Sound familiar? It should be as Microsoft has the ultimate dirty word for Citrix: multi-session. Yep, the key feature for Citrix is now a commodity for Microsoft. Not good.
And now Amazon has entered the remote desktop market with their Fire Cube
As quoted by Amazon:
Amazon is repurposing its Fire TV Cube streaming video box as a terminal for cloud users called Amazon WorkSpaces Thin Client. The device sheds its streaming capabilities to transform into an affordable tool for enterprise workers, as explained by Amazon, allowing companies to reduce technology costs while enhancing security for their entire cloud-based business. Amazon’s WorkSpaces Thin Client is tailored for the post-pandemic job market, addressing the reality that remote and hybrid work is likely here to stay.
I am not the biggest fan of Amazon, but this is pretty clever stuff. Repurposing their existing manufacturing infrastructure and sales ecosystem with a minor hardware upgrade to maximize their cloud offerings. Smart!
If this works (and to be fair, it probably will), this is a huge change for remote desktop environment. Citrix is going to have to either get in bed with Google or get bought by whoever buys VMWare next (or again).
Now, if Apple could only do something similar with the Apple TV – maybe a gaming platform?
