How to gradually change its Horizon or Citrix computer fleet?

In a context where the competitiveness of firms depends on their ability to adapt rapidly to technological changes, many are recurring pains. The ever-increasing cost of licensing Citrix and Horizon is burdensome, while an aging and complex infrastructure hampers agility and operational security. These significant problems result in extended deployment times, complicated management and often insufficient support, negatively impacting the productivity of IT teams.

With these challenges, it becomes essential to rethink the virtualization model in order to unlock the potential of the business. W360 appears as an efficient alternative, able to meet the requirements of a constantly changing market by offering a more economical, flexible and secure solution. In this article, we invite you to discover the key steps of a successful migration and the reasons why W360 can radically transform your IT infrastructure, removing the barriers that are holding you back.

Why change your Horizon or Citrix fleet?

The choice to change virtualization solution is based on several major motivations. First, thecost optimization is a crucial issue. Faced with the constant increase in licence fees Horizon and Citrix, many companies are looking to reduce their TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) by opting for cheaper alternatives. This pursuit of fiscal efficiency is essential to improve the competitiveness of the company.

Moreover, the simplification of infrastructure is also a determining factor. An overly complex infrastructure leads to additional costs in management and maintenance. Migrer vers une solution comme W360 permet de centraliser et de simplifier l’administration des environnements virtuels, facilitant ainsi le travail des équipes IT et contribuant à une meilleure performance opérationnelle. Avec W360, aucune infrastructure serveur n’est requise : storage is carried out directly on the workstation thanks to the Wisper Repository Service and to the cloud. WRS optimizes the distribution of images and Masters by relying on advanced cache management. The data is fragmented into small blocks, called “  chunks ", and then stored locally on WRS as well as in the cloud.

The need for flexibility and scalability represent another important motivation. In an ever-changing technological environment, it is essential to adopt a flexible solution that can adapt quickly to business growth and market changes. This adaptability allows us to respond proactively to future challenges and effectively support the digital transformation.

Finally, theimproved support and performance is also a strong argument. An aging or insufficient infrastructure in terms of performance encourages rethinking the system to ensure optimal user experience and responsive technical support. By opting for a more modern and efficient solution, the company can ensure continuity of its operations while providing a reliable and secure working environment.

What questions to ask before replacing Horizon or Citrix?

Before considering a migration, it is essential to perform a comprehensive audit of the existing infrastructure. The first step is to establish a detailed inventory of virtual machines, identifying all VM depending on their operating system, usage, persistence level and storage mode. This analysis allows for the precise identification of business critical environments.

Thereafter, the current access methods should be carefully reviewed. This involves checking the protocols used, such as RDS, ICA, Blast or HTML5, to ensure that they meet the needs of users while providing a smooth and secure experience. Rigorous performance evaluation is also required. By comparing current performance with expectations, it becomes possible to detect potential bottlenecks and determine the scope for improvement during migration.

It is also essential to identify dependencies by studying the interconnection with other systems, such as those related to authentication, storage, network or security. This approach allows you to anticipate and prepare the impact of a solution change on the entire IT ecosystem.

Once these elements are in hand, it is time to look at alternatives. Among the available solutions, we can consider Microsoft AVD (Azure Virtual Desktop) or Office 365. 

For those looking for a solution of managed virtualization with controlled persistence, Wisper is an interesting option. 

Finally, it is also possible to explore open-source or less known solutions such as Proxmox or Scale Computing.

Discover our comparison of best desktop virtualization solutions as well as the classification of best software for centralized management of workstations.

Pourquoi choisir W360 plutôt que les autres solutions

Among the alternatives available on the market, W360 stands out for several advantages that make it a solution of choice to modernize your infrastructure:

– Managed VDI solution : W360 provides centralized and simplified management of virtual environments, facilitating theadministration and the deployment on a large scale.

- Controlled persistence : This solution allows you to control the persistence of sessions, ensuring enhanced security and a smooth user experience.

– Overall cost control : By reducing the cost of licenses and simplifying the architecture, W360 offers a TCO competitive in the medium and long term.

– Responsive support and product roadmap: The publisher proposes a very responsive support team and an easy customer exchange.

– Interoperability and agility : Rather than imitating a one-for-one approach with Citrix/Horizon, W360 invites rethinking the usage model, for example by integrating virtual applications or web browser access. 

- Reduced management complexity : W360 élimine l’infrastructure lourde des solutions classiques, allégeant la charge des équipes IT.

– Fewer expensive certifications : Grâce à son interface intuitive, W360 limite le besoin en formations techniques onéreuses.

For more information, please visit the official website of Wisper.