Citrix and the C-Suite: Why Executives are Questioning its Value
Executive summary;
A review of Citrix in the modern technology landscape from a CEO and Citrix Technology Advocate, which considers cost increases, the value of the technology itself, the rise of SaaS, and the C-Suite point of view.
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In the early 1990s, the business technology landscape was vastly different from what we see today. Green screen UNIX terminals and Novell systems were the go-to tools for businesses, the latest news came via Teletext or Ceefax, and the internet was not even close to mainstream.
However, as Microsoft developed various Windows Operating Systems and applications with more user-friendly interfaces, businesses needed to adopt these to stay competitive.
The Bandwidth Challenge
But a huge hurdle for adoption at this time was bandwidth. With dial-up modems and ISDN being the norm, transferring high-end graphical displays was like trying to suck a medicine ball through a hose pipe. High-speed connectivity was clearly the answer, but the availability and cost were prohibitive for most.
Enter Citrix
Around the mid-1990s, I was introduced to a product by Citrix called Metaframe. This product could deliver high-end graphical workstations over slow-speed links, using a groundbreaking technology known as ICA (Independent Computing Architecture). ICA could compress and efficiently manage the limited bandwidth, transforming these slow links into truly viable internet connections.
Metaframe worked exceptionally well, proving itself in rapid deployments, mergers, and acquisitions due to its one-to-many shared platform. This capability was a game-changer for businesses struggling with bandwidth limitations.
A Long-standing Relationship with Citrix
For nearly 30 years, I have been a fan, consultant, and partner of Citrix. And over this period, Citrix has grown to support over 400,000 clients worldwide. But today, with affordable high-speed internet, the challenge has shifted from bandwidth to cost.
Rising Costs: The Main Pain Point
Despite technological advancements, there is an increasing concern within the business community about Citrix's rising costs.
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While Citrix's core strength still lies in rapid deployment of applications and desktops (and many IT teams genuinely appreciate this technology!) C-Suites are beginning to feel the pressure from increased costs and complex renewal contracts.
These (often significant) increases are causing many organisations to reassess their commitment to Citrix.
As businesses look to optimise their IT budgets, the justification for the higher costs of Citrix becomes challenging, especially when compared to other available solutions.
The SaaS Revolution and Alternative Solutions
The shift towards SaaS (Software as a Service) has further complicated the landscape. Many applications no longer need to be installed on a desktop. Users can now work efficiently from mobile devices or tablets.
Ultimately, this evolution in user needs makes it harder to justify the higher costs associated with Citrix. And while Citrix remains a premium product for remote access and desktop applications, the commitment to a three-year deal is a tough ask.
There is now a vast array of alternatives, such as Microsoft AVD (Azure Virtual Desktop) and Windows 365, which are often bundled with existing Microsoft licenses and may be better suited for some businesses.
Looking Ahead
The decision to stick with Citrix or explore alternatives is not straightforward. The rising costs are a significant concern, and it's crucial to explore all options to ensure the best value for your investment.
As someone who has been deeply involved with Citrix for decades, I recognise its value but also understand the importance of evolving with the times.
For CFOs, any decision to invest in IT projects must be justified by clear benefits and a strong return on investment (ROI) – and the Citrix decision is no different.
After all, modernising the workplace through digital transformation is not just about adopting new technologies; it’s about driving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing the overall employee experience.
So, what are your thoughts and experiences with Citrix and similar technologies? Let me know in the comments. Or, if you’d like to explore the best solutions for your business in the ever-changing modern landscape, drop me a direct message.
#CITIRX #VDI #EUC #AVD #w365
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4moAn intresting read Kevin, a lot of value here and really insightful, thank you.🔝
Enterprise Architect | CTO | Ex-Microsoft | Technologist, DJ, Producer & Music Enthusiast
4moKevin Howell (FBCS) I was a huge advocate of Citrix from the days of Metaframe XPe, Presentation Server and the early days of the rebrand to "Xen", however their products took a major back step as they hit the latter versions 7.x and completely overhauled the interface. I recall lots of Citrix developers being made redundant around that time and it showed big time.... the revised products were buggy, full of holes, with missing features that had previously existed in earlier versions and the teams that I worked with spent weeks and months chasing down bugs and getting patches and hotfixes from Citrix. That was the nail in the coffin for me, the product was really poor and never really recovered in my opinion. The one thing that stood fairly solid was NetScaler (having been an acquisition many years earlier), but that also became buggy and software revisions were rushed and poorly tested, with many revealing sizeable vulnerabilities through well documented CVE's. The Microsoft dominance with AVD & Win365 is simply too strong and the whole Citrix Cloud was never going to get the traction either, poorly thought out and didn't really provide much benefit, other than evergreen servicing of your top level Citrix infra services.
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5moI built a good part of my career on Citrix technology and made a good living from it. When I first discovered Citrix I loved the tech and spent 10+ years supporting, designing, and deploying it. As more and more customers started to adopt Azure, M365 and Intune and Intune became more widely adopted and much more feature rich I started to see Citrix had a shelf life. This was one of the reasons we pivoted EUC Consulting into Meritum Cloud in 2016 or whenever it was, there just weren't any new Citrix deployments happening and the only work was Citrix upgrades for large corporations (which were out of reach for us as a small start up. By that time Citrix tech was not inspiring me any more either. Sad to say but I don't see much of a future for Citrix other than a steady decline. I don't see where they can go when the requirement for their core is reducing as every year passes.
Automation Engineer ⚙ | PowerShell Fanatic 👨🏻💻 | Cloud Novice ☁️ | EUC Architect 🖥️ | Former Citrix CTA 🎆
5moCitrix has a long technical legacy that is both its primary strength and current impediment to staying as relevant in the current business environment. If Citrix is only viewed as a server-based computing or VDI platform, there are less complex solutions. The value-add that Citrix has is the robust set of tools and technologies that Citrix admins/teams can leverage to enhance an SBC or VDI deployment. However, many incumbent Citrix admins and teams have a difficult time pivoting to these available tools (due to time and training) or they get push-back because these tools/technologies overlap with existing peer teams and their tools. Selling NetScaler to the network team was an uphill battle, selling the Citrix ZTNA to the security team is typically a non-starter, selling XenServer to the virtualization team is a non-conversation if VMware is already embedded, and selling WEM to the desktop management team as a solution for all endpoints (not just VDI) is difficult at best. Convincing various teams that Citrix Workspace can be a one-plane of glass for your users to deliver all in-house and SaaS solutions, not to mention provide a locked-down secure web browser would require the C-Suite leadership to push the idea.
I'd have to agree with you completely with what I have seen in the space as well. Well done and good to get this out there.