Citrix Virtual Desktops (formerly XenDesktop) is a desktop virtualization product.
The virtualization technology that led to XenDesktop was first developed in 2000 through an open-source hypervisor research project led by Ian Pratt at the University of Cambridge called Xen Project for x86.[1][2] Pratt founded a company called XenSource in 2004, which made a commercial version of the Xen hypervisor.[2] In 2007, Citrix acquired XenSource, releasing XenDesktop version 2.0 in 2008.[3][4] The company continues to release updated versions, with XenDesktop 7.6 featuring HDX technology enhancements for audio, video and graphics user experience, as well as a reduction in storage costs associated with virtual desktop deployments as a result of improvements to Citrix provisioning services.[5][6]
In 2018, the software was renamed Citrix Virtual Desktops.[7]
The product's aim is to give employees the ability to work from anywhere while cutting information technology management costs because desktops and applications are centralized.[8] XenDesktop also aims to provide security, because data is not stored on the devices of end users, instead being saved in a centralized datacenter or cloud infrastructure.[9] Citrix developed the software for use by medium to large enterprise customers.[10][11]
Citrix Workspace is able to manage and deliver applications and desktops using a connection broker called Desktop Delivery Controller.[11][12] It supports multiple hypervisors, including Citrix Hypervisor, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V and Nutanix Acropolis to create virtual machines to run the applications and desktops.[11] The software allows for several types of delivery methods and is compatible with multiple architectures, including desktops and servers, datacenters, and private, public or hybrid clouds.[8][13][6][11] Virtualized applications can be delivered to virtual desktops using Virtual Apps.[10]
