What Does Citrix Server Mean?
Citrix Server refers to Citrix’s line of desktop
virtualization products: XenDesktop and XenApp. These products allow IT
departments to host centralized desktops and applications, respectively. These
products enable users to access applications from anywhere, no matter what
hardware they are using, including tablets. Citrix touts XenApp and XenDesktop to
cut IT costs and increase security while providing a standardized environment.
Techopedia Explains Citrix Server
Citrix is best known for its desktop virtualization products: XenApp and XenDesktop. The company markets these products as a way for IT departments to lower the total cost of ownership by centralizing their applications as well as supporting multiple devices. With a Citrix Server, companies only have to upgrade an application or operating system once instead of rolling out new versions to individual users. XenDesktop virtualizes a desktop – usually Windows, but it can also be a Mac or Linux desktop. XenApp only virtualizes single applications.
The advantage of a Citrix Server is that organizations with heterogeneous environments can have the same applications. Users with Windows, Mac and Linux desktops can have a standard environment. Citrix also offers mobile clients and touts its virtualized desktops to support mobile BYOD users. Fields such as medicine, which have strict compliance rules like HIPAA, can increase security by storing confidential data on the server instead of a laptop that can be lost or stolen.