Citrix and Microsoft have partnered to help organizations move to the cloud to accelerate the adoption of digital and virtual workspaces.
The way work is being done and will be done in the future has changed drastically in six short months. Companies had plans to expand their footprint, but those plans have had to be put on the proverbial backburner. However, plans related to working differently and in a more virtual environment were accelerated to ensure that despite the pandemic, business continues as usual. Remote working, which was earlier perceived as a perk or benefit, is now a necessity, and organizations are planning to continue with it even in a post-pandemic world.
Identifying this trend, Microsoft and CitrixOpens a new window have decided to partner to create agile workplaces, which are now the future of work. They are recreating the new and flexible workspace that organizations will move to. There is an immediate need to provide employees with seamless access to the best tools that can allow them to give their best as they work remotely.
Citrix and Microsoft plan to partner with enterprises and assist them in increasing the speed of their transition to the cloud and digital workspaces as well as virtual desktops.
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As per the multiyear partnership, Microsoft will select Citrix® Workspace as a preferred digital workspace solution, and Citrix will choose Microsoft Azure as a preferred cloud platform. This is aimed at providing one single simplified solution to both sets of clients. The entire range of offerings comprises of Citrix Workspace, Citrix SD-WAN, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft 365.
Significant shifts are being seen at employers’ end with respect to virtual working. This has led to a need for a powerful digital workspace in a secure public cloud. Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Citrix Managed Desktops, and Windows Virtual Desktops are all expected to meet this need entirely.
Organizations have already embarked on a shift to remote working by introducing tools on two essential fronts.
Employee Experience
Several new tools have been introduced to support higher levels of employee experienceOpens a new window . Rizing and SAP® launched Rizing Employee Experience Insights (EXI) to reimagine employee experience management. Similarly, to sustain workplace culture, HibobOpens a new window integrated with Microsoft Teams so that companies could ensure team bonding, inclusion, and engagement. Cloud-based intranet platforms such as UnilyOpens a new window are also driving high-value communication strategies to improve the overall experience during this crisis.
Learning and Development
As early as March this year, CornerstoneOpens a new window Institute of People Development found learners spent 27.5 million hours on their learning platform. This is six times more than the next largest online corporate learningOpens a new window provider. In a different approach to boost learning for virtual workers, GO1 Learning PlatformOpens a new window for organizations shared that organizations using Microsoft Teams could access its online learning library, which is one of the largest in the world. The GOI app brings learning content into Teams for ease of access.
Employees’ learning process will need to undergo further change as they acquire new skills. Platforms such as Project MarketplaceOpens a new window give employees the choice to assess their current skills, map themselves to relevant roles, identify career progression options, discover mentoring support, and enroll in learning programs to upgrade themselves.
The need to have a reliable remote infrastructure is not restricted to traditional and large organizations. For example, Upwork also launched its Upwork Talent Solution with the Citrix® Workspace™ since it has expertise in working with remote workers to meet the need of the right collaborative technology and security.
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Microsoft and Citrix’s partnership aims to bring all the elements of the workplace and employee experience in one solution. Organizations can now effectively integrate their remote independent employees with company tools and resources from anywhere and from any device while also ensuring rigorous security requirements. Adapting to this new way of work can become more accessible and seamless with such solutions readily available.