Providing employees with access to their desktops from remote locations has become an essential part of keeping employees productive and businesses operating during the Covid-19 crisis. Many businesses quickly set up  Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions to allow employees to connect to corporate systems. However, such offerings may have a number of limitations such as slow performance, lack of access to certain applications (apps), as well as  security and privacy concerns.

In an effort to provide a more secure and reliable alternative, Citrix Systems has announced that it is extending its remote personal computer (PC) access solution to the cloud, making it available as part of its Desktop Service and Desktop Essentials products. The move aims to enable organisations of all sizes to deliver a familiar virtual desktop and experience that allows employees to safely access apps, information and resources that may be needed to work remotely.

The company asserts that this is an ideal time to implement Virtual Desktop Infrastructure and other digital workspace technologies that can deliver a secure and productive experience for employees working from home.

Citrix goes on to explain that its Remote PC Access allows information technology (IT) organisations to quickly and easily deliver a full virtual desktop experience to employees by installing a small client Virtual Desktop Access giving users secure access to their Windows or Linux PCs from anywhere, using almost any device. Remote PC Access does not require a VPN and enables security measures like multi-factor authentication to keep confidential content secure, affirms the company. 

Already included in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Advanced or Premium and Citrix Workspace Premium Plus,  Remote PC Access is now offered as part of the company’s Virtual Desktops Essentials and Virtual Desktops Service products.

The Virtual Desktops Service allows companies to deliver remote PC access to physical desktops as well as virtual desktop infrastructure located on-premises or in a public cloud. The Virtual Desktops Essentials is a month-to-month service option available on Azure Marketplace and can also be delivered to Azure-hosted virtual desktops.