Nutanix InstantON VDI to Accelerate Citrix Desktop Virtualization

Nutanix, Inc. announced InstantON VDI for Citrix, a solution that simplifies and accelerates virtual desktop (VDI) deployments for midsized enterprises or larger.

InstantON VDI includes XenDesktop VDI Edition, the company’s enterprise cloud platform with AHV featuring Citrix Systems, Inc.‘s Machine Creation Services (MCS) integration and three years of support, all at a list price of $415 per desktop.

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Combined with low cost endpoints, such as Raspberry Pi-based devices, the total cost of the InstantON VDI solution will be less than that of a physical desktop. The integrated solution reduces the burden on small IT teams to source and manage the infrastructure to support VDI deployments, reducing the deployment times to an average of four hours.

With smaller IT teams and lower budgets, midsized enterprises are often challenged to implement new solutions to enhance end user experiences. InstantON VDI allows these companies to take advantage of cost-effective, validated solutions for application and desktop virtualization so they can minimize the risk associated with implementing complex new technology within their datacenter. With a list price of $415 per desktop, InstantON VDI reduces strain on the IT budgets of organizations.

As a complete application and desktop virtualization solution,
InstantON VDI for Citrix gives customers:

Turnkey and low-risk solution – end-to-end solution including XenDesktop VDI Edition, the company’s enterprise cloud platform including the AHV hypervisor and the firm’s connector for Citrix MCS and three years of support.
Enhanced value – using AHV virtualization technology, businesses are no longer required to separately purchase and manage server virtualization, freeing their budgets and personnel to focus on business driving activities
User experience at any scale – mid-sized enterprises benefit from responsive desktops and applications starting with as few as 300 users and linearly scaling to the thousands
Faster deployment for validated solution – average four hour deployment for XenDesktop on the company’s enterprise cloud platform
Reduced TCO – by combining the company’s enterprise cloud platform with solutions from Citrix, customers can scale deployments as demand requires, eliminate costly virtualization licenses and reduce IT complexity.

Firm’s enterprise clouds have been chosen to power as many as hundreds of thousands of hosted virtual and shared desktops with Citrix. These customers benefit from a hypervisor-agnostic environment, which allows them to deploy the infrastructure that best suits their needs, including the Citrix Ready verified AHV. Starting with XenDesktop 7.9, customers can deploy desktops and application servers on AHV using the company’s connector for Citrix MCS.

“Virtual desktop implementations have been inaccessible to many midsized enterprises which lack the resources to manage complex infrastructure deployments and costly virtualization licenses,” said Bill Burley, VP and GM, workspace services, Citrix. “Midsized businesses shouldn’t be penalized simply because they don’t have the budget of a Global 2000. With InstantON VDI, joint Nutanix and Citrix customers gain access to an industry leading solution for VDI at a price point they can afford, but without the complexity of traditional datacenter infrastructure.“

“As a rapidly growing not-for-profit organization, we quickly realized our existing infrastructure was unable to keep up with our expansion plans and DR strategy, but finding a new solution that could meet our demands within our budget was a challenge,” said Mark Hindle, head, technology, Relationships Australia NSW. “The tightly integrated solution from Citrix and Nutanix which leverages AHV was the perfect solution for our business, marrying performance, scalability and reliability at a price point that doesn’t require us to skimp on other projects that are critical to our growth.“

“The Global 200,000 covet cloud and consumerized applications just as much as the Global 2000, but they’re often locked out by complexity and cost,” said Sunil Potti, chief product and development officer, Nutanix. “Through Citrix, these businesses receive consumerized applications, while the Nutanix enterprise cloud platform delivers the cloud-like infrastructure experience they desperately need. By joining together for InstantON VDI, the Global 200,000 has far fewer barriers to unleashing greater end-user productivity and access from anywhere.“

InstantON VDI for Citrix will be available for ordering in June 2016. Customers with as few as 300 users can take advantage of this solution.

“The team here at Farmers Insurance Federal Credit Union has seen firsthand how easy it was to deliver high performance desktops with Citrix XenDesktop and Nutanix enterprise cloud platform,” said Rodney J. Perkins, director, IT, Farmers Insurance Federal Credit Union. “We have been in awe at how fast it was to get it up and running and how little it takes to manage on a daily basis. It has allowed us to shift our attention from the datacenter to our end-user needs.“

“Nutanix InstantON VDI for Citrix is exactly what the industry has been waiting for to move forward with their VDI projects. It provides customers with a simple, fast and cost-effective way to deliver virtual desktops,” said Mike Strohl, CEO, Entisys360, Inc. “Our customers have started small and scaled with a Nutanix and Citrix solution, while realizing the mobility and productivity of application and desktop virtualization.“

“Midmarket organizations are keen to reap the mobility and productivity benefits of application and desktop virtualization and delivery, but are easily overwhelmed by the perceived complexity involved in sizing and deploying VDI,” said Mark Bowker, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. “The joint Nutanix and Citrix solution using XenDesktop, XenApp and Nutanix Enterprise cloud platform running AHV hypervisor will help midsized and larger businesses simplify and accelerate VDI and application delivery deployments, putting factors such as user experience and mobility success in the forefront.“