Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Implementation

Edmonton Regional Airports Authority’s (EIA) IT environment was becoming increasingly difficult to manage due to its reliance on outdated one-to-one physical desktop systems for offshore staff accessing critical internal applications. This setup lacked scalability and flexibility, hindering the organization’s ability to efficiently support its offshore operations. Additionally, the absence of detailed documentation on the current environment made it difficult to plan and execute an effective upgrade without extensive discovery and planning.

EIA required a modern, scalable solution that could provide offshore users with secure, efficient access to internal applications, improve desktop management capabilities, and reduce operational costs.

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BitSummit deployed a comprehensive Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops solution to replace EIA's existing infrastructure. The project was broken down into several key phases:

1. Discovery and Planning

• Business Requirements Analysis: Conducted workshops with EIA stakeholders to define business goals and success criteria for the new Citrix environment.

• IT Environment Review: Performed an extensive review of EIA’s existing data center infrastructure and IT architecture, identifying gaps in scalability and security.

2. Design and Architecture

• Citrix VDI Design: Designed a scalable Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops architecture that included two Citrix Delivery Controllers, Citrix Workspace App design, and Citrix User Profile Management.

• Application and Desktop Delivery: Defined a strategy for delivering key applications, including Adobe Reader, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, and Microsoft Office 365, through the new virtual desktop environment.

• Security and Access Design: Implemented Citrix's remote access architecture, allowing offshore teams to securely access internal applications from any device.

3. Implementation and Deployment

• Active Directory Integration: Configured new organizational units (OUs) and group policy objects (GPOs) in Active Directory to support the Citrix environment.

• Citrix Infrastructure Setup: Installed and configured Citrix Delivery Controllers, StoreFront Servers, and the Citrix License Server.

• User Personalization: Configured Citrix User Profile Management (UPM) and folder redirection, optimizing the user experience for offshore staff.

• Application Packaging: Packaged and deployed critical applications, including Microsoft Teams, Dynamics AX, and Office 365, ensuring seamless access through Citrix.

4. Testing and Knowledge Transfer

• User Acceptance Testing: Conducted a pilot phase with select users to validate the functionality and performance of the Citrix environment.

• Knowledge Transfer: Delivered knowledge transfer sessions to EIA’s IT team, ensuring they were equipped to manage the new Citrix environment effectively.

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Seamless Migration and Improved Access

• Enhanced User Experience: Offshore users experienced improved access to internal applications through a secure Citrix Workspace, with faster load times and a more responsive interface.
• Cost Savings: Centralized management of virtual desktops and applications reduced desktop support costs by 30%, streamlining IT operations and reducing overhead.

Scalability and Flexibility

• Scalable VDI Environment: The new Citrix infrastructure allowed EIA to easily scale their virtual desktop environment to accommodate more users as needed, ensuring long-term sustainability.
• Streamlined Desktop Management: Automated desktop provisioning through Citrix Machine Creation Services (MCS) enabled EIA to deploy new desktops rapidly and with minimal IT intervention.

Security Enhancements

• Improved Security Posture: By integrating Citrix’s secure remote access architecture, EIA enhanced data security, ensuring that sensitive applications and data were protected, even when accessed by offshore users.

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