CITRIX ON-DEMAND ACCESS


Citrix software gives people unlimited secure access to business information—on demand. It doesn’t matter where you are, what access device you’re using, what networks you connect through, whether the applications are hosted on PCs or servers, or what kind of business information you need. Citrix access infrastructure ensures that you can securely, easily and instantly access that information—anywhere, anytime. Citrix customers save millions in IT costs, achieve new levels of business agility, are confident that enterprise information is accessed securely, and improve the productivity of their employees.

This is all made possible by Citrix access infrastructure software. Citrix is the leader in this market today because it is the most trusted vendor with the most complete and secure infrastructure for on-demand access. In fact, nearly 50 million people use Citrix software every day. CIOs and their IT organizations use the Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite to deploy applications much faster than ever, significantly reduce the costs of providing access to complex, heterogeneous IT environments, and increase business productivity because everyone can get the information they need from anywhere, anytime, using any device, over any connection. Citrix is well on its way to achieving its mission— to make every organization an on-demand enterprise where information is securely, easily and instantly accessible.


PCS Initiative

PCS recognized early on that the technology industry was quickly evolving and staying at the forefront is key to the competitiveness of any company. In 1996 PCS identified the surge of interest in the thin client/server computing market and launched it’s Thin Client initiative using Citrix. It became an expert in installing and supporting Citrix's technologies including Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), WinFrame, MetaFrame, and NFuse. Since then business demands have grown and PCS has adapted to solve the current IT challenges of today. Businesses require employees have secure access to data from anywhere at anytime. This is a difficult challenge considering current heterogeneous loosely coupled computer networks. Applications and data are spread throughout the network on different LAN's, servers, and PC's. Using Citrix's Access Infrastructure, PCS can quickly extend your company's computer network to allow access to data on-demand. PCS has implemented Citrix solutions into organizations ranging from a few to literally thousands of users. Our customer success stories range from the simple 5-user organization to a 3000-seat multi-server corporation and everything in between. Over the years, we have amassed a great store of knowledge and experience from the large numbers of installations we have performed. Today, PCS is a Citrix Gold Partner and a Citrix Authorized Learning Center (CALC).

Precision Computer Services delivers innovative and strategic access infrastructure solutions for our customers. We provide a variety of services that range from acting as a trusted advisor for planning access strategies to helping mutual customers acquire, build and support access infrastructure solutions. Our multifaceted role includes:

• Acting as a trusted advisor to customers on business issues and technology solutions

• Helping customers define an access strategy that is central to their business strategy

• Educating customers on how access infrastructure is the embodiment of an access strategy

• Identifying sales opportunities for the Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite

• Conducting regular account planning exercises with Citrix sales teams

Precision Computer Services is also a Citrix Certified and Education Professional member providing the educational resources necessary for customers to successfully incorporate access infrastructure solutions in their enterprise. We have access to and can deliver Citrix authorized courses and exams. Delivering world-class training to Citrix customers and partners enables the successful adoption of the Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite into a variety of enterprise access scenarios.

Please give us a call so we can discuss how we can implement on-demand data access technology for your business. For more information, please contact us. 

To demo an application run by Citrix click on the links below.

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CITRIX TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW




What is Access Infrastructure?
Citrix access infrastructure is a single, integrated and consistent access infrastructure for the on-demand enterprise that:

• Gives workers secure, easy and instant access to enterprise applications, information, processes and people, no matter where they are located, from anywhere, at anytime, using any device, over any connection.

• Enables IT staffs to manage heterogeneity by enabling the centralized management of applications, simplifying their deployment, monitoring and measurement.

• Ensures that only the right people have access to the right resources to protect the security of enterprise information assets.

Citrix access infrastructure is packaged and sold as the Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite. Each component product - MetaFrame Presentation Server, MetaFrame Secure Access Manager, MetaFrame Password Manager, and MetaFrame Conferencing Manager - solves a particular access challenge for an organization, while all of the components work together seamlessly to power the on-demand enterprise. By implementing an access strategy with access infrastructure, CIOs can transform their organization into an on-demand enterprise that offers secure, easy and instant access to information, improving business agility and driving growth.

Benifits to Users

Users want access to be invisible. They just want the technology to work—to get them to the information they need, when they need it, from wherever they are, using whatever devices and networks they want. Citrix access infrastructure mobilizes people, information and business with this set of capabilities that are of primary benefit to the user:

• SmartAccess

• Smooth Roaming

• Instant Collaboration

• On-Demand Assistance

Benefits to IT Administrators

 They’re responsible for keeping information—the fuel on which the business runs—flowing, so they need to be able to monitor, measure, manage, control and optimize the use of IT resources. Citrix access infrastructure optimizes the efficiency of IT with this set of capabilities that enable IT administrators to reduce costs and increase agility:

• Robust and Resilient Foundation
• Secure by Design
• Integrated Identity Management
• End-to-End Visibility

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CITRIX ACCESS SUITE

Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server

Manage applications from a central location and access them from anywhere.
Citrix® MetaFrame® Presentation Server is the easiest way to manage enterprise applications from a central location and access them from anywhere. The foundation of the MetaFrame Access Suite, Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server is the world’s most widely deployed presentation server for centrally managing heterogeneous applications and delivering their functionality as a service to workers, wherever they may be.

MetaFrame Presentation Server is certified to run on Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Server and Windows Server™ 2003, and supports virtually any custom or commercially packaged Windows or Web application. MetaFrame Presentation Server provides an exceptional foundation to build highly scalable, flexible, secure, manageable access solutions that reduce computing costs and increase the utility of any information system.

Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server offers three editions that address the needs of organizations of all sizes.

MetaFrame Presentation Server enables the Global On-Demand Enterprise. Global enterprises require secure access to their application infrastructure across geographies and time zones to achieve business goals, but are often distracted by the challenges of managing and controlling IT resources. MetaFrame Presentation Server helps enterprises align business goals with IT capabilities by providing powerful management tools that enhance administrative efficiency and increase system control.

The SmoothRoaming capability of MetaFrame Presentation Server allows wired and wireless users to be more productive by giving them uninterrupted reliable mobile access to applications and information when they switch from one device or location to another, or lose and regain network connectivity.

MetaFrame Presentation Server raises the usability and performance of browser and multimedia applications to the level of local execution. A range of capabilities dramatically improves the speed of streaming audio and video, animations and images while lowering bandwidth requirements, thus improving the user experience while controlling network resources.

MetaFrame Presentation Server provides a Secure Platform for Regulatory Compliance
To assist organizations in meeting internal standards and complying with government and industry regulations, MetaFrame Presentation Server gives IT architects the ability to design compliant systems, and gives IT administrators greater control over security.

A centralized licensing architecture enables MetaFrame Presentation Server to reduce IT complexity. New licensing management simplifies usage and tracking, and eliminates the need to install, activate and manage individual MetaFrame Presentation Server licenses.
 

CITRIX
Citrix Systems, Inc. is the world leader

Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server for UNIX

Access UNIX applications securely and remotely from any device.
Citrix® MetaFrame® Presentation Server for UNIX® is the easiest way to access UNIX applications securely and remotely from any device.  With Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server for UNIX, remote, mobile, and local users in heterogeneous environments can access UNIX and Java™ applications from any device, over any connection, and no longer need multiple desktops or software emulation packages.

Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server for UNIX supports Sun Microsystems’ Solaris™ SPARC 9, Sun Solaris Intel, Hewlett-Packard’s HP-UX®, and IBM’s AIX®, and now includes new features to extend performance, usability and security.

Citrix MetaFrame Secure Access Manager

Get secure remote access over the Web to any application, information or service
Powering the on-demand enterprise, organizations rely on the Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite to provide a secure, single point of access to enterprise applications and information.  Citrix MetaFrame Secure Access Manager, a core building block of the MetaFrame Access Suite, is the most cost-effective way to get secure remote access over the Web to any application, IT service, or information source.

Citrix MetaFrame Secure Access Manager provides secure, single-point access over the Web to any enterprise resource, including client/server, legacy, and Web applications, Internet and intranet sites, streaming media, documents, network file services, and XML-based Web services.  With a powerful set of easy-to-use, wizard-driven configuration tools, IT administrators can enable organized, browser-based access to the IT infrastructure – configured for each user’s business needs, with secure connectivity over the Web.

Citrix MetaFrame Password Manager

Validation by Security Experts Reflects Citrix Engineering Effort
Citrix MetaFrame Password Manager, which provides password security and enterprise single sign-on (SSO) access to secure applications, received praise from Foundstone, Inc., recognized industry experts in security strategy. Following an independent assessment, Foundstone reported on the industry-leading security attributes of Password Manager, citing the product’s “solid approach to security” and stating that it “conforms with best practices Foundstone has seen in the software industry.” This success is the result of Citrix’s extraordinary commitment to technology research and development. The Citrix R&D team invested 39,000 hours prior to the first market release of Password Manager in September 2003 to fortify the SSO capabilities of MetaFrame Password Manager and provide a multi-layered security architecture and enterprise-class security.

Enterprise Single Sign-on
Citrix® MetaFrame® Password Manager is the most efficient enterprise single sign-on solution for accessing password-protected applications – whether those applications are locally installed on the user’s device or running in the Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite environment.

Designed to work seamlessly with all products in the Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite, Citrix MetaFrame Password Manager provides password security and enterprise single sign-on access to Windows®, Web and host-based applications.

Users authenticate once with a single password, and MetaFrame Password Manager does the rest, automatically logging into password-protected information systems, enforcing password policies, and even automating end-user tasks, including password changes. MetaFrame Password Manager makes connecting to applications faster and more secure, and can lower help desk support costs by as much as 25 percent.

Solving Your Business and IT Challenges:

• Simplifies end-user computing
  Users log on once with a single password and MetaFrame Password Manager authenticates the user to all other password-protected applications.

• Increases network security
  MetaFrame Password Manager eliminates the need for employees to save multiple passwords by centralizing and automating password management.

• Reduces help desk calls
  With MetaFrame Password Manager, routine password-related events are automated and invisible to the end user – eliminating many unnecessary help desk calls.

• Offers broad platform support
  MetaFrame Password Manager supports Windows, Web and host-based applications, running in Citrix and non-Citrix environments.

• Makes implementation easy
  With powerful configuration tools and no new hardware or software required, MetaFrame Password Manager is easily configured for your existing environment.

Citrix MetaFrame Conferencing Manager

Work collaboratively on the same applications and documents.
Organizations depend on the Citrix® MetaFrame® Access Suite to provide a secure, single point of access to enterprise applications and information on demand.  Citrix MetaFrame Conferencing Manager, a key product in the MetaFrame Access Suite, is the most productive way for teams, regardless of their individual locations, to work concurrently and collaboratively on the same applications and documents.

Citrix MetaFrame® Conferencing Manager adds intuitive application conferencing to MetaFrame  Presentation Server that eliminates the geographical distance between team members, increases the productivity of meetings, and allows easy collaboration. For the first time, teams can now share application sessions, work together on document editing, and conduct online training regardless of the location of individual team members or the access devices or network connections they’re using.

Citrix MetaFrame Conferencing Manager responds to the growing mobile and remote worker populations that need to stay connected and work in a productive and interactive fashion. Our customers tell us that 49% of their employees perform at least some work outside of the company office and 20% of their employees are remote workers who perform more than half of their work outside the office.

Citrix Access Gateway

Provide secure access to private resources over public networks
The Citrix® Access Gateway is an innovative and superior alternative to IPSec and traditional SSL VPNs – a secure, always-on, single point-of-access that is simple and cost-effective to deploy and maintain.  Citrix offers the Access Gateway as a compelling stand-alone access solution and as a complementary access solution to the Citrix portfolio of products and services, in both cases providing capabilities to leverage the strategic power of access.

As the single point of access, this gateway greatly reduces the complexity and cost involved in managing several different access scenarios.  

• For users, the gateway allows access to information technology (IT) resources in the same secure way, either in front of or behind the firewall, and gives them the same experience regardless of their location.

• For administrators, both the appliance and the client are quick and easy to install and configure, and also reduce the need for some types of additional security mechanisms.

The burden of multiple, piece-part solutions
Until now, providing users with the right form of access has been a burden for organizations, requiring that they manage multiple solutions to fulfill today’s diverse needs for secure remote access. To meet this challenge, organizations have used an amalgamation of products, typically SSL VPNs for simple application access and IPSec VPNs for complex application access.  However:

• IPSec VPNs are too costly to support and upgrade.

• SSL VPNs, on the other hand, solve most of these IPSec VPN problems but also have brought a conglomeration of piece parts, Web proxying, Webification, port forwarding and network extension, that still do not support all applications and still require a limited IPSec deployment.

The optimal situation would be a single solution for all forms of secure remote access for all users. This is where the Citrix Access Gateway comes in.

The power of a single, complete solution
The Citrix Access Gateway provides users with the desk-like remote-access experience of a costly IPSec VPN, but also eliminates support costs for IT upgrades with a URL-distributed client that automatically updates when the user connects to the network. In addition, the Access Gateway:

• supports any application, thick client-server or industry-strength Web application, in its native form, with no changes, custom connectors, or development work whatsoever.

• supports all protocols, traverses firewalls and hides the IP addresses of the remote network to inhibit the traversal of worms.

The Citrix Access Gateway provides secure access to any application or network resource, both in the Citrix environment and as a standalone application.  It is the most complete, secure remote-access solution available in the market today.

Citrix GoToMyPC Corporate

The simplest way to provide secure remote access to the desktop.
Citrix® GoToMyPC Corporate™ is the easiest-to-use remote-access solution for accessing desktop resources—whether locally installed on the user’s computer or running in the Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite environment. Designed to work seamlessly with all products in the MetaFrame Access Suite, GoToMyPC Corporate provides Web-based access to all desktop resources. The product uses our advanced Web-based screen-sharing technology that works with your existing firewall and Internet infrastructure.

How It Works
Because it’s a managed service, you don’t need to change or open ports, configure IP addresses or deploy additional hardware or software. Users simply log in to the GoToMyPC Corporate website and authenticate via login and password. They are then presented with a list of all active PCs available and ready for connection. Only the PCs authorized by your IT administrator and assigned to the respective users are shown. Once users make their selection and authenticate with a second password unique to their PC, they’re granted access and can use and control their remote desktops as if actually sitting in front of them.

Citrix GoToMyPC Corporate
Citrix GoToMyPC Corporate is a secure, managed service that allows you to meet your workforce’s demand for remote access while lowering the costs normally associated with providing this service. GoToMyPC Corporate delivers:

• All the Advantages of a Managed Service Implementation costs are minimal, there’s no need to invest in hardware or software, and no changes to servers, systems or security infrastructure are necessary.

  • Less upfront investment GoToMyPC Corporate often requires less upfront investment and/or smaller monthly fees than other remote-access solutions.. In addition, other remote-access solutions require capital investment in customer premises equipment, but a network-based service requires no capital outlay.

  • Less expensive administration A managed service like Citrix GoToMyPC Corporate takes care of the administration burdens such as installing, maintaining, and tuning the underlying platform

  • Reduced costs from using desktops instead of laptops The cost benefits delivered by GoToMyPC Corporate are even greater when the hardware cost savings from equipping employees with desktops instead of company-managed laptops are factored in.
     

• Simplest solution on the market Complexity can cost you time, money and resources. The simplicity of the GoToMyPC Corporate solution directly impacts your bottom line and end-user satisfaction.

  • Simple for end-users, simple for IT — Simple to use, deploy, support, configure and control

  • Provides access to the entire desktop – no need to Web-enable legacy applications

  • Gives users an exact copy of their desktops – reduces the need to learn multiple systems

  • Remote access is not device-dependent – access from anywhere, using virtually any device
     

• Multi-level security and control A robust and all-encompassing security model is a fundamental component of our service.

  • An SSL-encrypted Web site and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption using 128-bit keys ensure the privacy of all remote connections.

  • The GoToMyPC Corporate Administration Center allows administrators to control end-user security settings.

  • Citrix Online has achieved SiteSecure Certification from TruSecure Corporation.

 

Citrix GoToAssist

The industry-leading remote support solution.
Citrix® GoToAssist™ is the industry-leading remote support solution to transform technical support into competitive advantage and rapidly lower support costs, improve end-user productivity and increase customer loyalty. GoToAssist hosts millions of remote support sessions annually for contact centers and help desks in large and small organizations, and enables them to provide world-class service, dramatically improve their incident handling capacity and change the way their organization views technical support.

How It Works
Citrix GoToAssist takes the guesswork out of technical support. With just a few clicks, your support staff can see what your end users see, and vice versa. Support staff can chat with end users in real time, guide them through a product demo, “push” a Web page or file transfer, or even take permission-based control of the end-user’s mouse and keyboard to show how to resolve a problem.

Key Benefits
With Citrix GoToAssist, companies can transform their technical-support organizations, such as contact centers, help desks and professional services, into critical competitive advantages that drive both increased revenue and profit.

• Rapid ROI: Citrix GoToAssist enables support desks to realize a rapid return on investment, which shrinks the payback period to a matter of weeks or months. Citrix GoToAssist can be implemented in days, and support staff training takes less than an hour. Customers report the following results:

  • Increased first-call resolution by up to 70%

  • Reduced incident-handling times by up to 60% relative to similar solutions

  • Lowered total call volumes

  • Thousands of dollars saved in reduced travel costs

  • Customer satisfaction consistently above 90%

• Unmatched service quality: Citrix GoToAssist incorporates patented technology which enables faster time-to-connect to the end user, faster data transfer and faster problem resolution.

• Easy-to-use tools: Citrix GoToAssist ‘s ease of use not only enables rapid adoption of the tool throughout the support center, but also significantly reduces incident-handling time because representatives are able to quickly find and use the tools they need. Citrix GoToAssist ‘s easy-to-use tools range from remote diagnostics and fast file transfer to remote reboot with an automatic reconnect. This enables support desks to:

  • Rapidly diagnose and troubleshoot an issue

  • Propose and confirm a solution

  • Train the end user how to avoid or fix the same problem the next time

• Measurable success: Too often support desks can’t provide business-line managers with appropriate or accurate operational metrics. Citrix GoToAssist reports focus not only on traditional metrics such as average-handling time, but also first-call resolution, and they enable support desks to gather immediate customer feedback at the end of the support session rather than months later.

• Industry-leading security: Citrix GoToAssist provides a highly secure connection with 128-bit, end-to-end AES encryption. This means that the data is always encrypted throughout the entire support session, unlike with other support solutions. Citrix GoToAssist also enables full HIPAA and GLB compliance, giving healthcare and financial end users peace of mind.

What value does Citrix GoToAssist provide?
Citrix GoToAssist is most useful for customers who need to:

• Handle increasing call volume without also increasing support budget and staff

• Reduce handling time for longer, more complex incidents

• Enable support desks to efficiently resolve incidents for novice end users

• Support business-critical applications and environments either for external customers or distributed employees

• Better and more accurately measure end-user satisfaction and incident-resolution rates

Citrix GoToMeeting

The easiest, most cost effective and secure way to meet and collaborate online.
Citrix® GoToMeeting™ is the easiest-to-use online meeting solution for sharing desktop resources – whether locally installed on the user’s device or running in the Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite environment. Citrix makes it easier for everyone to benefit from the value of frequent Web-based meetings by enabling individuals to easily meet, present and collaborate online.

How It Works
Citrix GoToMeeting allows anyone with a PC and Internet browser to host or attend an online meeting within seconds. Meeting organizers simply start a meeting instantly or schedule a meeting for a future date. Online meetings can be started or scheduled with a click of the mouse from the installed GoToMeeting taskbar icon, the GoToMeeting Web site, Microsoft® Outlook® or popular instant-messaging applications. Meeting attendees don’t need pre-loaded software to participate – they can attend by simply clicking on a URL sent from the meeting host or by going to the GoToMeeting Web site and clicking the “Join a Meeting” button. Once all invited attendees are in the meeting, the presenter can instantly share any file or application on the desktop, regardless of where it resides.

Key Benefits of Citrix GoToMeeting
Citrix GoToMeeting is focused on giving users a no-hassle way to conduct the frequent meetings that occur in everyday work life. The product’s simpler-is-better approach to online meetings makes any user an expert in hosting or attending Web based meetings. Compared to other online meeting products on the market, Citrix GoToMeeting is the:

• Easiest to use and administer. The streamlined interface makes it extremely easy for organizers and meeting attendees to meet right away. With a feature-rich administration center and an intuitive user interface, deployment takes minutes and no end-user training or configuration is required, thereby reducing total cost of ownership.

• Most cost-effective online meeting product. Citrix GoToMeeting pricing is All You Can Meet™. This means you get unlimited meetings for one flat fee, with no limits on meeting duration and no “overage” charges. Meeting attendees join meetings for free and do not need to have GoToMeeting accounts to participate.

• Best investment. Companies quickly realize a return on investment as their employees use online meetings more frequently, dramatically increasing productivity, reducing travel costs and boosting sales by enhancing interaction with customers and prospects online.

• Most secure. Citrix GoToMeeting’s secure communication architecture uses industry-standard SSL and U.S. government-standard 128-bit AES encryption to ensure that confidential meeting information remains private. Security is built-in and no configuration is required by users or administrators.

Who Can Benefit from Online Meetings?
Almost every department in your organization can benefit from online meeting and collaboration technology. Bringing visual communication to everyday conversations increases customer satisfaction, reduces customer acquisition expenses and positively impacts your bottom line. Hundreds of companies use Citrix GoToMeeting everyday. Consider the following examples:

• A sales professional qualifies prospects more quickly, reduces the sales cycle and closes more deals by conducting online presentations and product demonstrations with prospective customers.

• A development team creates and revises a project plan, then schedules a subsequent online meeting with others for additional input.

• A financial group reviews sensitive data with group members, clients, employees, investors and financial analysts.

• A trainer educates new customers located in different geographic regions about a product’s latest features and documentation – without traveling.