Bob Calderoni (Citrix)
Citrix is to start getting preferential treatment from Google Cloud as the duo sign a new partnership for desktop-as-a-service (DaaS).
Under the global agreement, Citrix will launch a DaaS offering on Google Cloud, while the latter will become a preferred and strategic cloud partner for the virtualisation vendor.
Citrix claimed it will now build a foundation of its cloud services on Google Cloud, starting with a purpose-built management plane that will enable cloud hosted desktops to stream any application on any endpoint device.
"This partnership will leverage Google Cloud’s cloud-native services and backbone network using advanced software-defined networking and edge caching services to deliver the fastest and consistent experience, transactional simplicity and high performing DaaS," explained Vishal Ganeriwala, Citrix's vice president of product marketing, in a blog post.
According to Ganeriwala, the management plane will be available for preview in the next few months.
"Cloud migrations can get a bit bumpy, but Citrix and Google are working to provide you with a smooth path to success with new enablement resources and technical capabilities,” he added. "Coming soon, you’ll be able to leverage our new migration and deployment guides for step-by-step guidance on your journey to Google Cloud with Citrix."
The vendor said it is also expanding its Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service capabilities on Google Cloud, including Customer Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK), app layering support and shielded virtual machines support, among others.
Citrix recently forged another technology alliance, this time with Nutanix for cloud deployments and hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI).
From a leadership perspective, the vendor has seen changes at the local level to its channel, with VMware's Neels du Plooy taking over, and globally when Bob Calderoni stepped up as interim CEO and president to replace the outgoing David J. Henshall.
