AWS or Azure for Citrix Virtual Desktops – Which Is Better?

While you can deploy Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops on Amazon Web Services (AWS), there are multiple factors that need consideration. Your decision may be driven by a broader strategy to prefer AWS over other cloud providers or its price point. In this case, you need to evaluate the specific VM requirements and configuration options that fit your needs and check if the AWS cloud environment is the most cost-effective option to obtain the required results. This blog post will outline important questions to ask yourself before deploying Citrix Virtual Desktops on AWS.

Is Your Data Safe While Hosted on a Public Cloud?

Data security should be your prime concern as a business. While AWS has strong security measures in place, comparing it with other options such as Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform will provide additional insights. For some Windows products, Microsoft offers free security updates. Thus, Citrix Virtual Desktops on Azure has a slight advantage if your business relies on Microsoft software already.

Is AWS the Most Cost-Effective Service, or Are There Better Options Available?

Citrix virtual desktops on Azure claim to offer fast, simple, secure, and adaptable desktop delivery. Azure offers the same features at far lower costs. Microsoft presents case studies to back up this claim. If your company leans on Microsoft Windows licenses, the costs may further go down for you if you choose Azure over AWS to host your Citrix Desktops.

Does AWS Provide the Best IaaS Backup and Disaster Recovery Features?

We can see a clear difference when the IaaS backup and DR features of AWS and Azure are compared. Microsoft is the only provider of virtualization services that has a big focus in this area. Microsoft provides DR between multiple clouds and from on-premises as well.

Do Citrix and Microsoft Share a Strong Relationship?

Citrix Cloud Connector comes equipped with a host of Windows services installed on Windows Server version 2012 R2 or Windows Server version 2016. It enables the communication between the Citrix Cloud platform and your resource locations.

Microsoft and Citrix have partnered to offer Citrix Virtual Desktops users with Windows Virtual Desktop support. Citrix products such as Citrix Managed Desktops, Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, and Citrix Essentials all support Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD).

Is Citrix Virtual Desktop on AWS a Logical Choice Over Citrix Virtual Desktop on Azure?

Citrix Cloud has built-in Azure AD support from a management perspective as well as from an end-user perspective. There are many built-in integrations between Citrix and Azure, such as Machine Creation Services (MCS), Intune with NetScaler, and Identity for management and end-users. When it comes to running Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) in the public cloud, Azure allows both EA and CSP agreements to set up Windows 10 VDI environments. If you use Microsoft products such as Office 365, running Citrix Virtual Desktops on Azure can deliver better performance. All these points sum up that Azure makes for a better choice.

Apps4Rent Offers the Latest Technologies for Virtualization from Microsoft and Citrix

There is a myriad of benefits when virtual desktops are hosted in the cloud. It includes access from anywhere, consistent experience for all your applications across various devices, and the ability to add or remove desktops as per the requirements. Apps4Rent offers Desktop virtualization services from Citrix as well as Microsoft Azure. We help you with end-to-end deployment and maintenance of Citrix Virtual Desktops and Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktops. We provide 24/7 support via phone, live chat, and email. Contact us today for Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) implementation inquiries.