Tech Brief: Citrix Workspace
Overview
Citrix Workspace is a digital workspace solution that delivers secure and unified access to apps, desktops, and content (resources) from anywhere, on any device. These resources can be Citrix DaaS, content apps, local and mobile apps, SaaS and Web apps, and browser apps. Citrix Workspace allows you to deploy applications and desktops faster and helps you organize and automate the most important details that your users need to collaborate, make better decisions, and focus on their work.
Citrix Workspace includes many features to provide users access to their digital workspace.
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Resource Aggregation
Citrix Workspace integrates Citrix Cloud Services that enables users to access all the desktops, applications, and content (resources) available to them. Citrix Workspace provides access from multiple resource or content locations to users from anywhere on any device.
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Virtual Applications and Desktops Aggregation
Citrix Workspace aggregates current on-premises deployments of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops alongside a Citrix DaaS resource location.
Web and SaaS Aggregation
Web and SaaS applications are integrated into the Citrix Workspace and are secured by the Secure Private Access Service.
Remote Browser Isolation service Aggregation
Citrix Workspace integrates the Citrix Remote Browser Isolation service to isolate web browsing and protect the corporate network from browser-based attacks.
Citrix Analytics
Get insights into your environment with the Citrix Analytics Service for all your Citrix Workspace users.
User Interface
Citrix Workspace provides several features centered on the user interface to allow Citrix Workspace to be agnostic to a device but continue to ensure consistency across multiple devices.
Cross-platform Client Support
Using the Citrix Workspace App, Citrix Workspace provides a unified and consistent user experience across web, desktop, and mobile devices to end users.
Favorites
Within Citrix Workspace, end users can use the Favorites feature to mark applications or desktops as a favorite.
App Categories and Folders
Displays application categories and folders for applications.
Activity Manager
Provides users a quick look at the apps and desktops they have running. Users are able to shut down and log off from virtual sessions directly from the panel. The Activity Manager empowers users to manage their sessions and in turn, reduces help desk tickets and associated costs.
Search
Provide search abilities to the Citrix Workspace across all resources provided.
Single-Sign on to All Resources
Many resources require another form of authentication, often with an identity different from the users primary workspace identity. Citrix Workspace provides users with a seamless experience with single sign-on to secondary resources.
Customizations
Citrix Workspace allows admins to customize the appearance of end user workspaces.
Basic Customizations
Citrix Admins can customize the color and logo of the digital workspace.
Policy Driven Themes
Citrix Admins can create, customize, and prioritize multiple themes for the many business units of their organizations. Citrix Admins can provide each employee a more personalized workspace experience within the workspace.
EULA for Login
Citrix Workspace enables Citrix Cloud admins to personalize Citrix applications with their own pre-login custom message or license agreement for end users.
Resource Filtering
Virtual Desktops and applications can be filtered based on client properties, resource type, or keyword through Contextual Access where Citrix ADC is used as the primary identity provider.
Availability and Resiliency
Citrix Cloud services are designed with industry leading practices and offer several features to achieve a high degree of service availability and resiliency. Services are built to operate in multiple regions and data centers in multiple public cloud providers across the globe.
Offline Resilience
Service Continuity removes or minimizes the dependence on the availability of components involved in the connection process. This feature allows users to continue to launch their virtual applications and desktops whatever the availability of the Citrix Cloud service.
Service Monitoring
Citrix has a dedicated Site Reliability team that provides 24x7 service monitoring. This team provides rapid recovery and timely restoration of services along with maintaining business critical operations.
Auto-Upgrade
Citrix Workspace is an evergreen service. Citrix admins never need to upgrade the Citrix management components including feature and security updates.
Configuration
Workspace App Deployment Option
Administrators can set the preference to the way users open applications and desktops whether it opens in the native application, the browser, or lets the user choose the method.
Select View
Citrix Workspace view defaults to the home screen, however administrators can set a users workspace to open either in Applications or Desktops
Deploy Workspace App
Citrix Workspace can deliver the native Citrix Workspace App installer to end users at logon.
Start Menu Integration
Citrix administrators can publish applications, SaaS applications, and desktops in the Start Menu or as desktop shortcuts when using the Citrix Workspace App for Windows.
StoreFront to Workspace Migration
The Citrix StoreFront to Workspace URL migration feature is available to customers who currently deploy Citrix StoreFront to deliver Citrix Virtual Applications and Desktops. Using the Citrix Global App Configuration Service for Citrix Workspace, Citrix administrators can deliver the Workspace service URLs and Workspace app settings through a centrally managed service which provides the option to configure StoreFront URL to Workspace URL mapping.
Authentication and Access
Long Lived Token and Password (preview)
Citrix Workspace can use a secure token persisted on an end users device to reduce the frequency of logon prompts. By default, the token expiration date is set for 30 days.
SAML Authentication
Citrix Workspace supports using SAML to manage end user authentication allowing you to choose the provider of your choice provided it supports SAML 2.0.
Third Party IdPs
Citrix Workspace supports using both Azure Active Directory and Okta to manage end user authentication to their workspace.
Smart Card Authentication
Citrix Workspace supports the use of Smart Cards for end user authentication. Note that Smart Card authentication for Citrix Workspace requires a SAML configuration with an IdP that supports the requirement.
Domain Pass-Through Authentication
When launching an application or desktop from a domain-joined Windows client, users aren’t prompted for their password launched from Citrix Workspace.
Default Domain
Citrix Workspace pre-populates the Windows domain within the Citrix Workspace logon form.
Two-Factor Authentication OTP
Citrix Workspace provides a cloud-hosted Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP) option for organizations using a Windows Active Directory as the primary identity. The TOTP micro-service adds multifactor authentication to the Workspace experience,
Internal and External Detection
Citrix Workspace, on launch, can detect if users are accessing the workspace via an internal or external connection and route them appropriately.
On-premises Citrix ADC as the IdP
Citrix Workspace can use an on-premises Citrix Gateway as an identity provider to manage user authentication to end users workspaces allowing for nFactor authentication.
Federated Authentication Service (FAS)
With FAS enabled, users can sign into their Citrix Workspace through a federated identify provided such as Okta, Azure AD, Google IdP). Users enter their credentials only once to access their Citrix DaaS hosted resources.
Change Expired Password at Logon
Within Citrix Workspace users are prompted to change their expired password at logon.
Change Password at Anytime
Citrix Workspace provides the ability for users to reset their password from the Citrix Workspace App interface after logon.
Contextual Access
Citrix Workspace offers contextual access via the Citrix Gateway Service to enterprise Web and SaaS applications which are based on the end user network location via an advanced policy infrastructure.
Citrix Workspace Demo’s are available to Citrix employees and partners via the Demo Center portal.
In this article
- Overview
- Resource Aggregation
- User Interface
- Customizations
- Availability and Resiliency
- Configuration
-
Authentication and Access
- Long Lived Token and Password (preview)
- SAML Authentication
- Third Party IdPs
- Smart Card Authentication
- Domain Pass-Through Authentication
- Default Domain
- Two-Factor Authentication OTP
- Internal and External Detection
- On-premises Citrix ADC as the IdP
- Federated Authentication Service (FAS)
- Change Expired Password at Logon
- Change Password at Anytime
- Contextual Access