Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops

Why Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops?

Traditional VDI infrastructure often doesn’t deliver desktop-quality experience. Competing solutions lose performance over WAN. Lack of control over cloud-managed platforms doesn’t meet regulated industry requirements.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) is the most mature VDI solution on the market. HDX protocol delivers the best user experience even at 200ms latency. Full control for enterprise and regulated industries.

How does it work?

Delivery Controllers

Central management:

• Session brokering
• Machine catalog management
• Policy engine
• Load balancing
• Database integration

Virtual Delivery Agents (VDA)

On each machine:

• HDX stack
• Policy enforcement
• Session management
• Peripheral redirection
• Installed on desktops/servers

HDX Protocol

Optimized delivery:

• Adaptive transport (EDT/TCP)
• Thinwire graphics
• Audio/video redirection
• USB passthrough
• Client-side rendering

Key Features

Virtual Apps (Session-Based)

• Multi-user Windows Server
• Published applications
• Seamless windows integration
• Shared resources
• Lower infrastructure cost

Virtual Desktops (VDI)

• Single-user Windows 10/11
• Persistent and pooled
• Dedicated GPU
• Full desktop experience
• Complete isolation

Provisioning Services (PVS)

• OS streaming
• Single golden image
• Instant rollback
• Massive scalability
• Write cache management

Machine Creation Services (MCS)

• Snapshot-based provisioning
• Hypervisor native
• Easy management
• Linked clones
• Fast deployment

Architecture Components

Management Layer:

• Delivery Controllers
• Citrix Director
• Citrix Studio
• License Server
• SQL Database

Access Layer:

• StoreFront
• Citrix Gateway (NetScaler)
• Workspace app
• Web client

Resource Layer:

• VDAs (agents)
• Hypervisor
• Storage
• Profile management
• App layering

Hypervisor Support

Hypervisor	Support Level
Citrix Hypervisor	Full (integrated)
Microsoft Hyper-V	Full
Nutanix AHV	Full
AWS	Full
Azure	Full
GCP	Full

Who is it for?

• Enterprises with full control requirements
• Regulated industries (finance, healthcare, government)
• Organizations with on-premises data mandates
• IT teams with VDI expertise

Benefits

For IT: Full control, proven platform, extensive customization

For users: HDX best-in-class experience, any device, seamless apps

For business: Data security, compliance, 25+ years maturity

Specifications

Deployment	On-premises, hybrid
Provisioning	PVS, MCS
Protocol	HDX (ICA)
HA	Native clustering

FAQ

How does CVAD differ from Citrix DaaS? CVAD is full on-premises with own management. DaaS has control plane in Citrix Cloud - less to manage.

What is HDX? High Definition Experience - protocol stack optimizing graphics, multimedia, USB, audio over WAN.

PVS or MCS - which to choose? PVS for massive scale and OS streaming. MCS for simplicity and hypervisor-native approach. PVS requires more expertise.

How many users per session-based server? Depends on workloads - typically 20-50 users per Windows Server. Sizing requires testing.

Do I need NetScaler? For remote access - yes (Citrix Gateway). For internal-only can use StoreFront directly.

What licenses are available? Per user/device, concurrent. Editions: Standard, Advanced, Premium. Perpetual + support or subscription.

Can I migrate to DaaS? Yes. Shared VDAs - just point to Citrix Cloud Connectors. Gradual migration possible.

How long does deployment take? POC: 2-4 weeks. Production: 2-3 months for medium enterprise.

Does CVAD support Windows 11? Yes. Multi-session and single-session Windows 11 are supported.

What about support? Citrix support for software. nFlo offers design, deployment, optimization and CVAD support.