Collaboration can improve company productivity by 20 to 30%, according to McKinsey. But, increased communication and cross-pollination requires a more open-access approach to tools. Which can be cause for concern as it opens up the potential risks to governance of compliance, security, record-keeping and usability.

In this blog post, we’ll show how Citrix and Microsoft 365 will keep your data safe, your company compliant and, most importantly, your employees productive.

Deploying Citrix-on-Azure with Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is a clear favourite for businesses. With more than 120 million users worldwide, it’s a versatile solution for company communication and collaboration.

But, Microsoft 365 is only the beginning. The next logical step for any organisation looking to become more efficient is to partner your Microsoft 365 with Citrix-on-Azure. Citrix and Microsoft 365 go hand-in-hand to deliver secure productivity, simplified document-sharing and greater communication. 

In short, Citrix lets your employees load up their virtual desktops from any device at any location, while giving you governance over access management and security, direct from the source. It’s complete freedom for your employees, and absolute control for you.

Take advantage of Microsoft-level security

The reality is: most organisations use a combination of on-premises business applications and cloud-hosted applications. Consequently, employees struggle to access applications unless they’re within the secure network of the office.

Citrix Virtual Apps, however, opens up access to vital business applications without creating security weaknesses. Protected by Azure’s security centre, employers can:

• Retain access control;
• Deploy system updates direct to virtual machines,
• And, proactively shut down threats with enhanced machine learning threat protection.

For employees, it means the freedom to collaborate and share information without worrying about a data hack.

User experience 

Rewind a few years, and remote working was a company’s worst nightmare. Employees couldn’t access the tools they needed outside of the office, and if they did, employers still weren’t open to the idea.

Now, remote working is a necessity for any business to remain competitive. Consequently, employees need to access applications and systems via multiple devices quickly and efficiently. 

Citrix Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) on Azure gives employees the freedom to operate as if they’re at the office, but from any location. Whether it’s an airport lounge in Brussels; a coffee shop in Paris or even the doctor’s office in London, employees can get work done. And, employers can rest easy knowing their vital data is secured at the source within Azure, not on the localised device.

Governance 

Creating your governance framework early means that your cloud-based projects are delivered with less hassle for you. It also means avoiding some of the growing pains most commonly associated with rapid growth.

With Citrix, companies can take advantage of Azure governance, deploying compliant applications using Azure blueprints. As a result, your business can easily audit applications and remain as compliant and accountable as possible.

Building on what you know 

In Azure, user experience and governance are top of the agenda. But, Citrix and Microsoft 365’s enablement means communication and productivity are improved, too. For example, Teams (and other Microsoft 365 applications like Office 365) means employees can operate in a transparent, unified way, regardless of location. This makes for a more efficient, productive workplace.

Deploying Citrix-on-Azure can seem more complex than it is. Cloud Direct are on hand to advise you through the process, helping your business collaborate more efficiently and securely, all the while retaining control of your all-important data.

Contact an expert today to find out more.