Post to Twitter |
Comments (14) |
Views (3544) |
Time to rethink your desktops
Months of planning, hours/weeks of discussions with customers, listening to the community and years of R&D effort leads to something big - and that right now is XenDesktop 4. Something that unlocks the potential of desktop virtualization that the world has been waiting for. With the new FlexCast delivery and enhanced HDX - now it is easy for anyone to look at desktop virtualization and start building plans to put their traditional desktop computing to rest for ever. Harry lists out why he would consider the change now and Raj talks about how this revolution will play out. Traditional desktop computing has clearly had its day - so long - hope to never see you again!
Looking at the responses within the community and several conversations with customers and partners have me convinced that XenDesktop 4 hits the mark. It offers exactly what customers need to serve different types of users with high def. user experience using one solution.
The only question I get is how do they get to it in the best possible way? What's the right license path to take? Every time I hear this question I think that the most important part of the job is done - getting the right product built for the customers that serves their needs and helps them solve their problems!
Three ways to get to XenDesktop 4
Now - let me walk through some scenarios that you may be faced with - it will help you decide how to pick the right path towards the bright future of desktop virtualization in your organization.
Scenario #1 - Not a Citrix customer today, but evaluating XenDesktop for virtual desktops
This is the most straight forward one. If you are considering desktop virtualization, XenDesktop 4 makes it simple. With FlexCast delivery - you have any type of virtual desktop solution you need, all with HDX user experience. You use it with Hyper-V, XenServer, ESX or vSphere - we will leave it up to you - I am sure you will pick the one that is most cost effective to you! Case closed!
Scenario #2 - Existing XenDesktop 2/3 customers, looking to XenDesktop 4
All XenDesktop customers get entitlements to XenDesktop 4 for no additional charge, as long as you are current on your soft assurance (which you likely will be because we offer 1 full year of SA with the product purchase). Most of you are already using the product based on 1:1 concurrency since virtual desktop means getting a license per user in most cases - Brian summarizes this quite well. So, this means more value for all of you at no additional cost. For example, if you are using XenDesktop 2 or 3 Advanced Edition - you get free entitlement to XenDesktop 4 Enterprise. All of the FlexCast delivery and full power of on-demand apps by XenApp at no additional charge. Wham! Similarly, Platinum Edition customers get the full capabilities of XenApp Platinum as part of XenDesktop 4 Platinum. In few cases I understand that there may be a concurrency delta from 1:1; adding new user based licenses of XenDesktop 4 with all additional capabilities as you expand to a larger number of users can be quite easy to justify with the new pricing and value of XenDesktop 4. Finally, if you are in an industry that has high concurrency ratios - stay tuned - we are working on offering you the right options to address your requirements.
Scenario #3 - All existing XenApp customers
Existing XenApp customers have three options now:
Interested in expanding to desktop virtualization now or in the near future for your XenApp users?
If you are interested in desktop virtualization, you should take advantage of the new Trade-up to XenDesktop 4 Program. This program is unbelievable value for anyone considering desktop virtualization. Here is how it works - you can trade-up all your XenApp licenses that you own for up to 2x the number of XenDesktop 4 licenses. Here is how you calculate savings. This might be enough for you to get your desktop virtualization going. You don't even have to start implementing virtual desktops day 1 - adopt it when you are ready and leverage the power of app virtualization as you get all the capabilities of XenApp with XenDesktop. Don't miss the opportunity - this program is only valid for a limited time.
Interested in XenDesktop 4 for new users that do not use XenApp today?
As part of the Trade-up program that I described, we also offer the flexibility to trade-up selective XenApp licenses and convert them to XenDesktop licenses. This program gives you the ability to use any XenApp licenses that you have own but do not use on a regular basis to deliver apps to your users. In fact, they may not even be current on Software Assurance. This program gives you the ability to leverage your existing investmet with Citrix - both license costs as well as your skill-sets and adopt XenDesktop 4 with lower risk and cost. Again, I encourage you to look at the Trade-up calculator.
Not interested in desktop virtualization?
If you are using XenApp to deliver apps with high concurrency requiements, keep using XenApp the way you are. Citrix is committed on XenApp product roadmap and support. We recently delivered powerful new capabilities in XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2. And, you will continue to see similar innovations in XenApp going forward.
Bottom line
This value with XenDesktop 4 is hard to beat, and time is now to look at desktop virtualization as you adopt your plans for windows 7 migration.
For all XenApp customers, look at the Trade-up program. If it doesn't work for you, no worries - XenApp is still the #1 strategic product with the biggest R&D and you will continue to see some solid product roadmap and support from Citrix.
For XenDesktop customers, most of you will have a solid upgrade with more value at no additional cost. I encourage you to look at the licensing differences as you go through the upgrade to XenDesktop 4.
For new customers, the choice is now easy. If you were thinking of how you can get one solution to serve all your users overtime. The solution is now here - Citrix XenDesktop 4
To learn more and uncover all the secrets, join our live event - Secrets, Lies & VDI
Comments (14)
Oct 06
Anonymous says:
Nobody understands the per user licensing, no surprise there the whole community...Nobody understands the per user licensing, no surprise there the whole community is still in the concurrent licensing mindset. User licensing would be ok for PC replacement scenArios.
Citrix could make things easier for everybody by cutting the marketing and licensing BS and just releases the Xenclient. When this hAppens people will see that the only way is user based licensing.
But as usual Citrix will dissappoint and release Xenclient too late or with not enough features.
Oct 06
Anonymous says:
Revolution nice. Yeah right. XD 4 looks to be a great product that fills a nich...Revolution nice. Yeah right.
XD 4 looks to be a great product that fills a niche market, and will not go anywhere. If Virtual Desktops ever gained more than 1% corp desktops I would absolutly shocked. It's all about the web, and web clients: Silverlight and Adobe Flash/AIR/FLEX type apps are going to make this irrelavent.
Oct 06
Mike Stanley says:
I love XenDesktop. Love it so much I've spent the last several months work...I love XenDesktop. Love it so much I've spent the last several months working on a POC and building up support for it here at my university, and we're moving forward to get a real pilot and phased rollout going.
But this per user pricing change is going to kill it. Our main target is the 1,000 lab machines I help manage. We want to do OS Streaming to those until the hardware dies, then possibly replace the hardware with thin clients and go with hosted desktops.
Retail cost for that rollout of XenDesktop 3 would have been $195,000 yesterday.
But we have 28,000 unique users each year, mostly students. Retail cost offer XenDesktop 4 on those same 1,000 computers to those 28k users? $6,300,000.
Maybe per user licensing will actually benefit some customers. What it will almost certainly do to us is push us away.
Oct 07
Anonymous says:
Mike If all you want is desktop OS streaming then but XD4 Standard Edition for...Mike
If all you want is desktop OS streaming then but XD4 Standard Edition for $75 a head. Take this plus your discount for the number of licenses you are buying and what will be no doubt a very large educational discount and I seriously doubt that you will finish up paying much more than your current price.
Oct 06
Anonymous says:
A 25% cost reduction at the Enterprise level (18% at Platinum) to go from a conc...A 25% cost reduction at the Enterprise level (18% at Platinum) to go from a concurrent license model to a user license model is inane, especially for one of Citrix's main vertical constituencies - Health Care. This does nothing to increase the pick up of XenDesktop in a hospital environment, in fact it probably halts it, just as Mike says it will for education.
Is Citrix really going to give VMware the ability trumpet how great their solution (since it's built on ESX - whatever) AND that is less expensive because it's based on a user concurrency model?
I can see the spin now, "VMware View - Enterprise Readiness and Affordability in one great package!"
Bah, humbug!
Oct 06
Anonymous says:
Will there be an Express EditionWill there be an Express Edition
Oct 06
Anonymous says:
Per-named user is a killer for me, too!Per-named user is a killer for me, too!
Oct 06
Anonymous says:
With named user licenses are a NOGO for us too. Then a local desktop that 4 use...With named user licenses are a NOGO for us too.
Then a local desktop that 4 users use, is cheaper.
Oct 06
Anonymous says:
So far 3 customers have called me today and said named user a deal breaker, no X...So far 3 customers have called me today and said named user a deal breaker, no XD for them.
Oct 06
Jeff Rogers says:
We are a current XenDesktop Enterprise customer....school district with about 90...We are a current XenDesktop Enterprise customer....school district with about 900 students, but only 150 XenDesktop deployments (the rest of our desktops are fat pc's). The per-named-user licensing stops us dead in our tracks from rolling out any more XD deployments and from upgrading to the version 4. So glad we paid the extra money for the 3 years of SA!
If Citrix does not fix this licensing issue, and soon, we will be forced back to the dark ages of 'fat clients'.
Love the improvements, but this is a killer.
Oct 07
Anonymous says:
Same here. 24 hours production. Workers change every 8 hours. => 300% more...Same here.
24 hours production.
Workers change every 8 hours.
=> 300% more to pay.
=> Fat clients are cheaper.
Oct 08
Anonymous says:
Yep, time to look at a another product option for desktops, or simply walk away ...Yep, time to look at a another product option for desktops, or simply walk away from the concept. Xendesktop just destroyed the TCO with per user, it simply is more expensive than CCU unless you are replacing all desktops which the majority of the world will not anytime soon. In fact Xenapp as standalone with CCU is a far better option, more mature technology and with VM hosted apps hopefully getting better over time, Xendesktop will become a niche solution for anybody not implementing all desktops in the virtual model. So glad the Xendesktop continues to understand the market, idiots who don't get it and just screwed their shareholders. Analysts wake up!
Oct 30
Anonymous says:
Now there is now problem with the TCO anymore. The XenDesktop VDI Edition (forme...Now there is now problem with the TCO anymore. The XenDesktop VDI Edition (former standard) may be licensed under a concurrent User modell. XenDesktop Enterprise and Platinum now can be licensed per User or Device.
Citrix now has licensing options for every scenario.
Nov 02
Anonymous says:
If Citrix will continue that Partners get certified with these cheap online cour...If Citrix will continue that Partners get certified with these cheap online courses than there will be never ever be a solid partner landscape in the field with the needed technical background to sell and implement this virtualization solutions.
VMware obligate all partners to participate Instructor Lead Trainings before they can get the partner status. And with this strategy VMware is very successfull.
Add Comment