Why Customers are Choosing Citrix VDI over VMware VDI (now Omnissa)

Writer: Kurt Goodall, Troye technical director

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) has seen significant changes recently, especially with VMware Horizon being sold to Omnissa.

This shift has raised many questions among customers, leading many to reconsider their VDI strategy and look for alternatives.

As businesses evaluate their options, Citrix has emerged as a strong contender for customers seeking more flexible, secure, and scalable solutions.

This is highlighted in the latest Gartner Critical Capabilities for Desktop as a Service (DaaS) report where Citrix has been ranked highest across all four use cases, solidifying its position as the top choice for organisations seeking robust VDI solutions.

The comprehensive capabilities of Citrix’s VDI solutions offer unparalleled flexibility, security, and scalability for businesses whether operating on-premise or in hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Gartner’s recognition underscores Citrix’s commitment to providing a seamless, secure, and highly efficient virtual desktop experience, which is a key factor in why so many customers are transitioning away from Omnissa Horizon, in favour of Citrix’s advanced solutions.

Let’s delve into why so many customers are making the switch to Citrix VDI, specifically Citrix DaaS and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD), as their preferred VDI solution.

Hybrid and multi-cloud flexibility

One of the most compelling reasons customers are turning to Citrix is the platform’s unparalleled flexibility in hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Citrix Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) is a trusted platform, designed from the ground up to integrate seamlessly with on-premise and public cloud platforms, including Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Nutanix NC2, and VMware vSphere, among others.

This gives businesses the freedom to choose the infrastructure that best suits their regulatory, financial, and performance needs. Whilst Omnissa is attempting to make strides in improving their compatibility with other hyperscalers, VMware’s legacy platform limitations, historically being tied to the vSphere platform, will take some time to overcome.

Simplicity and ease-of-use

Managing a VDI environment should not be a complex task, and Citrix is continuously improving and simplifying its platform for administrators. Citrix’s DaaS and CVAD solutions come with a streamlined, user-friendly interface that reduces the learning curve for admins and users alike.

A major focus has been to modernise and simplify the admin experience, with easy-to-use wizards, quick-deployment options, and straightforward deployment processes all from a single pane of glass.

In contrast, since the acquisition, Omnissa has started to introduced additional complexity into its setup. Customers looking to integrate Horizon on-premise with Horizon Cloud must use the Horizon Edge Gateway, leading to more infrastructure overhead and administrative tasks.

Moreover, VMware’s historical reliance on its vSphere platform limits deployment options and complicates scaling across multiple cloud and on-prem environments.

Context-aware security and conditional access

Security is a critical consideration for organisations adopting VDI. Citrix stands out for its advanced context-aware security and conditional access features, which allow IT admins to define security policies based on the user’s device, location, or security posture.

These capabilities are available when the NetScaler Gateway is integrated into your Citrix deployment.

With over 100 session policies and the ability to enforce security measures like screenshot protection, watermarking and dynamic session recording, Citrix ensures that users have secure access without compromising on user experience.

With Citrix’s new bundled Universal Hybrid Multi Cloud (UHMC) licensing, customers gain access to a range of extensive security features like WAF, DDoS Protection, Cross-Site Scripting and SQL Injection.

While Omnissa Horizon provides some basic security controls, such as session recording and screenshot protection, its security features are less mature and more limited in scope.

Operational efficiency with minimal infrastructure

Another area where Citrix shines is in its ability to minimise the infrastructure requirements for complex, multi-site environments.

For example, in a hybrid cloud setup spanning two Azure regions and an on-prem data centre, Citrix DaaS requires only a pair of Cloud Connectors in each site and the Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA) on each desktop and or application to be delivered.

This streamlined approach drastically reduces the complexity and infrastructure footprint, making it easier to deploy and scale.

On the other hand, Omnissa Horizon requires multiple infrastructure components and management consoles, both on-prem and in the cloud. For businesses with multi-location setups, this translates to more moving parts, additional hardware, and increased operational complexity, especially when integrating Horizon Cloud with on-prem Horizon environments.

Flexibility in operating systems

As organisations increasingly adopt Linux, macOS, and other non-Windows operating systems for secure app delivery, Citrix offers greater flexibility than Omnissa Horizon. Citrix DaaS and CVAD support a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS, enabling businesses to deploy virtual desktops that meet diverse user needs.

In comparison, Omnissa Horizon offers Linux VDI support for various distributions, but the range of supported distributions and features may not be as comprehensive as its Windows offerings.

It is suitable for organisations that need to virtualise Linux desktops but may not be ideal for complex use cases requiring extensive customisation.

Citrix, on the other hand, offers superior support for Linux workloads, including the ability to deploy multiple Linux virtual desktops in mixed environments alongside Windows and macOS.

Improved User Experience

A standout reason why customers consistently choose Citrix VDI over Omnissa Horizon is the superior user experience delivered by Citrix’s advanced technologies.

Citrix has consistently prioritised the end-user experience, ensuring seamless interactions regardless of device, location, or network conditions. This commitment translates into a platform that empowers employees with a productive and frustration-free digital workspace, boosting engagement and efficiency.

Citrix employs cutting-edge High-Definition User Experience (HDX) technology to optimise performance, providing fast and reliable access to virtual desktops and applications.

Features like adaptive display technology, multimedia redirection, and GPU acceleration ensure smooth operation even under challenging network conditions.

Whether handling complex 3D graphics, multimedia workloads, or unified communications tools like Microsoft Teams, Citrix delivers high-quality experiences with minimal lag and crisp visuals, no matter the endpoint or connection.

As showcased in the 2024 Gartner report on the critical capabilities of available DaaS solutions, Citrix outperforms all other vendors in high performance use cases, thus delivering a superior user experience.

Simpler migration from Omnissa Horizon

For organisations currently using Omnissa Horizon, migrating to Citrix may seem daunting, but Citrix has extensive resources and proven methodologies to ease the transition.

Citrix’s migration tools and partners like Troye make it easier for businesses to switch from Omnissa Horizon to Citrix DaaS and CVAD, offering better ROI and a smoother overall experience.

As Omnissa Horizon undergoes significant changes, many organisations are finding Citrix’s flexible, secure, and user-friendly solutions to be a compelling alternative.

Citrix’s deep integration with multi-cloud environments, ease of use, advanced security features, and unmatched flexibility across operating systems make it a strong choice for businesses looking to modernise their VDI infrastructure.

For companies currently using Omnissa Horizon, the transition to Citrix might require some planning, but the long-term benefits, including improved scalability, security, and simplified management, make it a worthwhile investment.

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