- Whitelisting applications
- Remote enterprise wipe
- GPS device location
Solution Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
VMware Horizon Air vs. Citrix Workspace Cloud
Originally posted at https://www.robbeekmans.net/uncategorized/vmware-horizon-air-hybrid-mode-is-coming-where-does-that-leave-citrix/
VMware Horizon Air Hybrid mode is coming where does that leave Citrix?
VMware is coming with their version of the cloud based management solution one Citrix is already running on Azure or AWS.
What will VMware bring to market and how will it effect what Citrix is offering right now? I was thinking about this for the last days, perhaps because I’m due for a conference call about VMware Horizon Air Hybrid Mode.
My thought on this is that VMware has a big opportunity to disrupt Citrix plans with Citrix’s Workspace Cloud offering (CWC).
Let’s take a look at the what both option offer.
Citrix Workspace Cloud (CWC)
As you might have read my article already at the time it was launched it is a cloud based management solution that offer you the possibility to deploy your desktops in the cloud or on-premises. Management of the backend infrastructure like the controllers, license servers and so forth is handled by Citrix.
You as a customer are faced a regular update schedule where Citrix will make sure the backend is always up-to-date with the latest version (So this is the CR build right? and not the LTRS one…) you can postpone that update but you will have a predefined period of time to do so before you are obliged to update.
Architecture
If you look at the drawing below you see the architecture of Citrix Workspace cloud, a cloud management platform with your desktops on-premises.
VMware Horizon Air Hybrid mode
If we look at VMware Air Hybrid mode, it’s a development take has taken a long time and still is not available. Project Enzo is a combination of Project Fargo, Meteor and so on. Parts were announced already at VMworld 2014 and beginning of 2015 Enzo saw the light.
A few weeks ago we got the word that Enzo went through an evolution and turned into Horizon Air Hybrid mode.
VMware Air Hybrid mode is a cloud based management solution where your desktops and applications will run on-premises. If we look at both offerings there is not that much difference between both vendors for the basic solution the nifty differences are in the details. also with VMware you will get updates automatically and you will follow with updating your agents, you can postpone as you can with Citrix but also just for a while.
Architecture
If we look at the architecture we see a lot of similarity with Citrix CWC, both run a cloud-based solution to manage the environment and both let you run your desktops locally. Of course VMware offers next to VMware Air Hybrid mode Horizon Air where you can get a fully blown DAAS solution which Citrix isn’t offering.
Before we look at the pricing and offering of both vendors let’s first do a quick round up on what the differences are on the nifty details.
Let’s start with VMware Air Hybrid mode.
VMware Air Hybrid mode features
So what is VMware bringing to market with VMware Air Hybrid mode? If we look at the picture below we see a couple of components that make up the offering;
- VMware Appvolumes to layer application and work with less golden images
- VMware ThinApp to virtualize the applications that make your hair turn gray
- VMware UEM to manage the user environment and offer them a workspace based on the context and make sure they don’t start applications they are not suppose to.
- VMware vRealize Operations monitoring to monitor the operational status of the environment
- VMware Just-In-Time desktops to deploy desktops in a pool at the time users request them
- Blast Extreme a HTML5 protocol with a feature parity with PCoIP5
- Smart policies to manage the environment policies based on the user context working together with UEM
It’s some list of features and with VMware UEM and Just-In-Time desktops they got some killer features there. I personally am a big fan of Just-In-Time desktops but anyone reading my blogs knew that already. The idea of not having to wonder about maintenance windows to update the golden image sounds pretty good to me.
Citrix Workspace Cloud (CWC)
If look at what Citrix is offering we get to the picture shown below. I worked with Citrix Workspace Cloud a bit, right after it was released and just now. It’s a nice interface to browse around in and feels easy to handle. so what are they offering:
<some features were in tech preview but as VMware is not live yet, I’m going for the features that will be there in the near future>
- Citrix Provisioning services to deploy a streamed image
- Citrix Machine creation services to deploy a managed image
- Citrix Appdisk to layer applications
- Citrix Xenmobile to manage devices
- Citrix share file to securely share and manage documents centrally with 1GB of space that comes with it expandable to 100GB
- Citrix Secure browser to access SAAS and web applications with zero configuration for the end user.
Differences
A difference in offering seems to be that Citrix is offering a mobility management solution with it and VMware is focusing on desktops and applications. I think VMware is focusing on desktops and applications more right now and not that much on managing the devices from this solution, they have a perfectly working Airwatch SAAS solution already that can be deployed in minutes.
The other difference, obvious, is the document management and secure browser offering. Both offered by Airwatch if you go for VMware and offered by Citrix from CWC. The question is, will customers buy these licenses for desktops and applications only or are they expecting more (mobile device management and the features surrounding that). Time will tell, I see customers still interested more in desktops and applications. Of course mobile device management is a rising star also with our customers but not company wide yet, department level or specific use cases only so far.
I think VMware and Citrix will battle about the licensing and the features and this will be the stick they will hit with.
Licensing
Without choosing sides let’s take a look at the licensing, who is offering what and what are the costs.
Citrix
So if we look at Citrix licensing se see that you have three different options;
- Virtual Desktops
- Virtual Desktops and applications
- Integrated applications and data suite
It starts at $15 per month per user and goes up to $28,13 per month per user. I just said they offer 1GB of data for sharing but that is just when you first pay $28,13 per month per user. If you want to deliver applications and desktops like most customers it will cost you $22,50 per month per user.
If you want to add secure data, so Citrix Sharefile to it, that will cost you $5,19 per month per user and an extra $1,06 per month for 1GB of data going up to a whopping $25 per month per user for 500GB of data.
To add it all up you can add some life cycle management to it that will cost some more bucks. In total it if we look at virtual apps and desktops you would end up around $25 per month per user for using Citrix products. What is missing? Perhaps a decent UEM solution and a application virtualization solution, if you want to add them you will need to pay more so add that to the offering. The list below is extensive, I added it so that you have a complete overview not to bore you :).
VMware
If we look that the VMware offering we have two different offerings;
- Named user
- Concurrent users
- Offerings begin with 100 users and you can add users later on.
The offerings for named user is $18 per month per user where you get all the features I listed before, you don’t need to add any UEM solution of application virtualization, that’s all included. If you pick the concurrent solution you have to pay $30 per month per concurrent user with again the same feature set. If you have 500 users (standard Dutch company size) we see a 70% of the users working (the rest is sick, on leave of otherwise not attending). So that’s 350 users working. 500 * $18 = $9000 whereas 350 * $30 = $10500. Named users win in this scenario, you need to make this calculation yourself when comparing.
With Citrix it would be 500 * $23,50 = $11.750 which is higher…
Of course you will say you get mobile device management and secure document sharing with Citrix but that is not completely true. If we compare that we are looking at a different price, more or less like 500 * $40 = $20.000.
VMware Airwatch Blue (offering mobile device management, secure content locker etc) is offered at $152 annually per user so that is 152/12 = $12,6 per month per user. Adding that to the offering that would make the pricing look like 500 * $12,6 =$6.333 per month + the $9000 that would make it $15.333 in total or if you combine it with the concurrent user offering $16.800. From a pricing perspective the VMware offering looks interesting I have to say.
Conclusion
So what is the best solution? The best solution is the one that fits your environment. that sound corny but that is the truth. VMware will release there solution later this quarter whereas Citrix already is offering it for a while. We will have to see how the VMware solution will work, only time will tell how both will compare in real life. Hope you get a bit of an overview on what is offered anyhow they differ, as soon as VMware releases we’ll continue this article and the comparing.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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AirWatch Admin/Messaging Specialist at a government with 501-1,000 employees
Great solution. Windows 8.1 could have more options to control.
Valuable Features
Improvements to My Organization
Ability to deploy smartphone applications
Room for Improvement
Windows 8.1 could have more options to control
Use of Solution
6 months
Deployment Issues
AirWatch does not have control over Windows 8.0 devices which were the first 100 deployed devices.
Stability Issues
No issues with stability.
Scalability Issues
No issues with scalability.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service:
Excellent customer service.
Technical Support:Excellent technical support.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Workspace ONE UEM
February 2025
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Learn what your peers think about Workspace ONE UEM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Great for controlling mobile devices with a good contained browser feature
Pros and Cons
- "The contained browser is a good feature."
- "Security aspects such as data loss prevention could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
In the main, our primary use case is for controlling mobile devices and deployment of mobile device applications inside the company. We are consultants and implementers and I'm the presales project manager.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature for us is the contained browser of the product.
What needs improvement?
There could be improvements to Workspace ONE in terms of the pricing and some security aspects such as data loss prevention. It could be more competitive relative to other solutions on the market. For example, Microsoft EMS is very tightly integrated with Office 365 and that's a big advantage.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We haven't had any issues in terms of scalability.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward although the configuration guide is a little outdated.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
Head of IT at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Stable, scalable, good multi-platform capabilities, and good support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of this solution is the multi-platform support."
- "The initial setup should be simplified."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of this solution is the multi-platform support.
All features are at all sites.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup should be simplified.
I would like to see further integration suites and user direct using IdPs such as Okta. I would also like proper integration in the field of endpoint security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am planning to use this solution now. It's not up and running fully.
I implemented it at a previous company that is reworking it now, and have been using it for a year and a half, in a positive way.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is superb.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
I like the technical support a lot. It's really first hand, high-level support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty complicated. It can be a steep learning curve.
It can take between three to six months to deploy and get everything fully working.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing is the correct price, it's normal pricing. I think that the price is reasonable.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Intune by Microsoft, as well as and Jamf.
Intune is more Windows-focused, with limited capabilities for Mac OS.
Also, it is high maintenance.
Jamf is only focused on Macintosh, and the integration with Windows is limited.
What other advice do I have?
My advice is to find a good integrator to assist with the implementation.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Professional at a energy/utilities company with 51-200 employees
A stable product and the interface for SCAP is good
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the interface with SCAP, which is the Security Content Automation Protocol."
- "The reverse proxy is not intuitive and it takes time to get it right, so this is something that can be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use Workspace ONE with our shared devices.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the interface with SCAP, which is the Security Content Automation Protocol.
What needs improvement?
The reverse proxy is not intuitive and it takes time to get it right, so this is something that can be improved.
The cost of this product is a little high and should be reduced.
There are a lot of interfaces and components, which makes the setup a little bit complex.
If you have a lot of shared devices and want to have a mass deployment, then it is time-consuming to do. They have a feature where you can send out a code for enrollment under VMware, to obtain a user ID, but even with that, it has to be done one by one. You have to go inside and dig out the code, one at a time, and record it. It would be helpful if it generated a report so that you could use it to talk with the team. As it is now, it is not difficult but it could have been done better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using VMware Workstation ONE for a few months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This product is quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I presume that it is scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used and are still using other similar solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for us was simplified because we started with implementing a PoC. There are too many interfaces involved, which makes it complex at the start of the deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost is a little bit high.
What other advice do I have?
As we have just begun using this product, we are still comparing some of the features that it has.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: reseller
Works at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Ensures that your data is centralized, secure, and doesn't get hacked
Pros and Cons
- "It's all about centralizing your data and making sure that your data is centralized and secure."
- "The solution needs to adapt to the cloud based reality of the current world model. Some customers may have reluctance to this, but it is the next level for all of the big providers. Azure, AWS and Google are all on the forefront of cloud-based solutions."
What is our primary use case?
It's all about centralizing your data and making sure that your data is centralized and secure. Instead of putting your data on a laptop, you can put it centrally and there you can have full control over it. It's about centralizing the data and making sure it's not jeopardized. It stays legitimate and unchanged. It doesn't get hacked. It's all about centralizing the data and having control over your data.
What needs improvement?
The solution needs to adapt to the cloud based reality of the current world model. Some customers may have reluctance to this, but it is the next level for all of the big providers. Azure, AWS, and Google are all at the forefront of cloud-based solutions.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I think the stability depends on the initial implementation. All of the use cases must be properly dealt with in order for the solution to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability depends on the hardware platform you put it on. That's why we tried to put it on a hyperconverged infrastructure to keep the number of users scalable which keeps the performance momentum so that it can be properly scaled.
How is customer service and technical support?
We used tech support but they have room for improvement.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Some users think that the cloud model will lower the cost but that is not necessarily the case.
What other advice do I have?
I would suggest making a proof of concept with a reseller that can give advice and set up the infrastructure using the use cases that you are pre-testing.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: I am a reseller
IT Consultant/Program Manager at Thanachart Bank
The standard features are packed with flexibilities
Pros and Cons
- "The setup was very difficult. It was not as easy as I had expected."
What is our primary use case?
The standard features and securities are packed with flexibilities to enable and disable in accordance with the customer’s business operational process and IT Helpdesk process.
How has it helped my organization?
I can get to know and respond to my work email instantly without any worry of company data and security.
What is most valuable?
I find the most valuable feature is the MDM on my personal iPhone.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable product.
How is customer service and technical support?
Tech support is helpful and has quick turn-around for us.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was very difficult. It was not as easy as I had expected.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of the product needs advisement. It would be great to bundle the VM products together. The actual box itself should be included in the license. At present, it is not paired with the mobile device. Furthermore, the Licensing Structure of the VMware products is expensive if purchased separately.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Management Trainee at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The BYOD management console has smooth application performance.
Pros and Cons
- "It seems highly stable and scalable."
- "In terms of the inventory management side, as in the invoice management, the stock management and the entire inventory of an organization is lagging a bit in comparison to Blackberry or other EMM solutions."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case is we have a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy. The employees have their own devices and to separate the corporate data from the personal data, we are using Airwatch. We monitor all dual aspects; we monitor email management and content management.
How has it helped my organization?
It has improved our email management and the separation of personal and corporate data.
What is most valuable?
The management console is great. The BYOD management console has a smooth application performance. Whenever I choose an application, template or report, it is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
In terms of the inventory management side, as in the invoice management, the stock management and the entire inventory of an organization is lagging a bit in comparison to Blackberry or other EMM solutions.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It seems highly scalable. There are no challenges.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was straightforward. There were no challenges during the initial setup.
What about the implementation team?
When considering a vendor for our needs the primary concern is the technology. It should be within the parameters that are required for our needs.I would definitely reccomend a free trial period to really get to know the product and whether it is a good fit for the organization.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing and licensing are affordable. They are not too high.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: February 2025
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