Citrix Eyes Hybrid Workplace with Microsoft Partnership; Clearspan Debuts Secure Comms Tool

Welcome to the Friday, April 29, 2022, edition of the No Jitter Roll. In today's news roundup, Citrix's desktop-as-a-service tool debuts on Azure Marketplace, Comcast Business teams up with Cisco on a security-enhancing network service, and Clearspan unveils a new solution for secure communications.

 

Citrix's Desktop as a Service (DaaS) product is now available in Microsoft's Azure Marketplace. Citrix DaaS, formerly known as Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Service, is a cloud-based service that delivers apps or desktop environments from a cloud or datacenter to a device. Its presence in the Azure Marketplace means Microsoft customers can now deliver and administer Windows and Linux desktops and applications remotely.

 

In the release, Citrix cited a Forrester Total Economic Impact report which found that customers using a combination of Citrix DaaS and Microsoft Azure saw benefits, including a 33% reduction in desktop-related helpdesk calls, plus 53%resource time savings onboarding employees.

 

“In transitioning from Citrix on-premises to Citrix DaaS, customers can save 50%to 70%over a three-year period, including an additional 25%of costs above and beyond the savings delivered using Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop alone,” Carisa Stringer, Vice President of Product Marketing, Citrix, said.

 

Comcast Business has added a third network-focused managed service offering to its portfolio. Cisco SD-WAN powered by Viptela joins Cisco SD-WAN powered by Meraki and Comcast Business Teleworker VPN with Cisco Meraki. The new service, Comcast Business Managed SD-WAN, offers a cloud-delivered overlay WAN architecture that can connect branches to data centers and multi-cloud environments through a single network fabric and user experience.

 

“As businesses evolve their hybrid work models, IT leaders are being asked to extend the enterprise network to employees anywhere and ensure delivery of consistent application experiences to any location,” JL Valente, vice president, product management, enterprise routing, and SD-WAN at Cisco said. “Working with Comcast Business to offer advanced managed SD-WAN services based on Cisco technology demonstrates our continued commitment to help customers simplify their goal of providing secure access and the best user experience when connecting to cloud applications.”

 

This new Comcast Business Managed SD-WAN service is based on Cisco SD-WAN powered by Viptela. In addition, the Comcast Business and Cisco managed services portfolio includes Cisco SD-WAN powered by Meraki and Comcast Business Teleworker VPN with Cisco Meraki.

 

The cloud communications service provider unveiled a new messaging system called Ping. The new solution has end-to-end session encryption, meaning communications can't be easily intercepted or used for data mining.

 

The features include:

 

In addition, Ping is brandable for both service providers and organizations, and there are no cobranding requirements. Similarly, how customers access Ping is flexible: Users can choose from Clearspan cloud, public cloud, private cloud, or premise-based hosting.

 

“At Clearspan, we’re committed to creating solutions that make it easier to create unique user experiences while retaining the security, privacy, and controls that large organizations require,” Bill Crank, Clearspan’s chief executive officer, said.

 

Ping will be available worldwide beginning Sunday, May 1.