Claranet targets enhanced hosted desktop experience using Citrix technology

Claranet is to build on its membership of the Citrix Service Provider (CSP) programme by using Citrix XenApp® to deliver enhanced security, low-bandwidth optimisation for limited or mobile connections, and a like-for-like Windows 7-style end-user experience. This comes as Bring Your Own Device and mobile working trends increase demand for remote access to corporate data and applications.

“With organisations increasingly keen to accommodate more flexible working patterns to boost productivity, the ability to replicate employees’ desktop experience, with full access to data and applications, is a crucial factor in enabling employees to work effectively on any device, wherever they are,” said Michel Robert, Managing Director of Claranet UK.

“Equally important for businesses is having confidence that the data and applications being accessed are secure. Claranet has an existing high-performance, customisable and easy-to-consume Hosted Desktop service, based on Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Our relationship with Citrix means we will be able to build on this expertise to provide security enhancements alongside other benefits such as more granular control over user experience, easier customisation, and reduced bandwidth consumption,” Robert continued.

Claranet’s most recent research into cloud adoption trends, completed in September 2013, showed that 71 per cent of organisations see data security and data privacy as a concern when it comes to migrating data and applications to cloud services, with more than half of those citing them each as a major concern. These concerns are in part driven by the heightened risk to data security caused by remote access through portable devices.

“In many traditional IT environments, increased security often implies greater restrictions and control of users. With Claranet’s hosted desktop service, users’ workspaces reside remotely and securely in the cloud and can be accessed from any Internet-enabled device. This makes access to an organisation’s corporate desktop - from any device, anywhere, at any time - a reality,” concluded Robert.

“With the growing trend toward businesses enabling mobile ways of working and the growth of BYOD programmes, the demand for desktops-as-a-service is set to continue into 2014. As a leading independent managed service provider in the UK and Western Europe, and a Citrix Service Provider partner, Claranet’s broad portfolio and expertise in hosted desktop services gives it a strong position to help drive adoption of DaaS. The planned enhancements to its hosted desktop platform will help Claranet to build on its experience in delivering hosted desktop solutions and establish even greater trust as a provider,” said Ken Oestreich, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Desktops and Apps, at Citrix.