Citrix Releases XenDesktop 5.5

Submitted by vcadmin on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 15:04

Citrix Systems today announced a new version of its Citrix XenDesktop product line, which offers increase device support and business personalization. The new XenDesktop 5.5 adds the "Personal vDisk" technology acquired earlier this month from RingCube to all editions of XenDesktop, making it far easier for customers to deploy highly personalized virtual desktops at a substantially lower cost.

XenDesktop 5.5 also features the most significant enhancement in company history to its market-leading Citrix HDX user experience technology, enabling customers to deliver high-definition virtual desktops up to three times faster for both LAN and WAN users. Using XenDesktop 5.5, customers can now build true "private desktop clouds" for the first time ever, delivering virtual desktops and apps with rich voice, video and multimedia support to more than one billion end user devices, even for the most challenging remote, branch and mobile users.

What's New

  • Virtual Desktops Made Personal - XenDesktop 5.5 gives IT the ability to deliver personal VDI desktops through the innovative "Personal vDisk" technology acquired recently from RingCube.
  • Raising the Bar on High-Definition User Experience - With more than 150 new features, XenDesktop 5.5 represents the most significant enhancement ever to Citrix HDX user experience technology. Central to the release is the ability to deliver virtual desktops over the WAN to mobile workers and branch office employees up to three times faster, at a fraction of the cost. Key enhancements include six times faster printing and scanning, two times faster app launch, and flexible new Quality of Service controls to ensure superior user experience in all network conditions. The new release also features significant multimedia, voice and video enhancements.
  • Support for More than One Billion Devices -- Combined with the Citrix Receiver universal software client, XenDesktop 5.5 extends the company's already significant lead in delivering apps and desktops to the widest possible range of end user devices.
  • Unparalleled Native User Experience on Tablets and Smartphones -- Unlike competing products that offer only basic support for non-PC devices, XenDesktop 5.5 enables a rich, native experience on each unique device, including support for gestures and multi-touch features. This experience is also customized based on the type of device.
  • Millions More Laptops Supported with XenClient 2 -- XenDesktop 5.5 also includes Citrix XenClient 2 as a standard feature. XenClient extends the value of XenDesktop to millions of laptop users, enabling customers to manage desktops centrally, but execute them locally on client hypervisors rather than run directly on each laptop -- even when disconnected from the network.
  • Faster App Delivery with XenApp 6.5 - XenDesktop 5.5 includes the new Citrix XenApp 6.5 as an integrated feature. XenApp 6.5 delivers applications with the same high-definition experience as desktops delivered via XenDesktop.
  • Enhanced Support for Microsoft Technologies --XenDesktop 5.5 includes support for Microsoft RemoteFX, a key capability of Microsoft Hyper-V. XenDesktop with HDX and RemoteFX delivers a great user experience for rich content, including Aero-based Windows 7 desktops, whether executing on the server or the client device.

Availability

XenDesktop 5.5, XenApp 6.5 and XenClient 2 are available for download today from the Citrix website. Suggested pricing for XenDesktop starts at $95 per user or device for the VDI-only edition. Comprehensive desktop and application virtualization is available in the Enterprise or Platinum editions, priced at $225 and $350. XenClient 2 is available standalone as a free download from the Citrix website and included along with the Synchronizer for XenClient with XenDesktop Enterprise and Platinum.

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