Launch right into your Citrix environment with Desktop Lock

Did you know you can configure your endpoints to directly boot to a Citrix VDI? With Citrix – you have this capability at your fingertips. 

Your users rely on IT to help them get work done. From networking to applications and everything in between, administrators are the hidden heroes, making it all happen. But it’s more than just providing access to applications—it’s about creating a seamless, secure, and productive experience to keep data safe and your end users productive.

Direct boot to VDI, or desktop lock, is ideal for organizations where data protection, compliance, and simplicity are top priorities. By locking your users out of the endpoint operating system, you reduce the attack surface available for bad actors. You also keep sensitive data off the endpoint, maintaining it in administrator control inside the data center. The best part? You don’t have to compromise the end user experience either, in fact, it’s actually better.

You’ve had this technology at your fingertips for a long time thanks to Citrix Workspace app desktop lock, or boot to VDI. This has been used by Citrix customers over the years for frontline users, public kiosks, and other use cases where users need fast, secure access to VDI desktops without risking data leaks via external storage or applications. 

Enhance Security

When you’re an administrator, you have more to consider than just end user experience – you need to ensure that your data is secure. Luckily, desktop lock can help with that as well.

By preventing users from accessing the local desktop, you can ensure they only interact with the IT managed Citrix VDI – with all the granular lockdowns and security policies in place. With the centralized management offered by the Citrix platform, you can ensure your security posture is applied across your entire environment, driving consistency and keeping your data safe. With options like app protection that protect against keylogging and Zero Trust security that continually checks device posture, you can extend your security capabilities past the traditional endpoint controls.

While end user access is restricted to the virtual desktop, IT admins can have the flexibility to access the end point resources in addition to VDI for troubleshooting.

Simplify the user experience

The desktop lock feature of Citrix Workspace app for Windows enables your users to directly boot to their virtual desktop, bypassing the local operating system and simplifying the user experience. For end users, the experience of accessing their desktop is just like accessing a physical PC. Once they have logged onto the endpoint, they are instantly launched into their Citrix VDI session – no interaction with the native endpoint operating system or files at all. No opening the Citrix Workspace app, no wasting time. To the end user, it feels just like a native desktop experience.

With desktop lock, your end users can continue to use the peripherals they use day to day – like USB-based scanners, printers, and more. Windows shortcut keys are supported, which means that to your end users the Citrix VDI functions exactly like a native Windows endpoint. 

The solution can be used for dedicated PCs or in shared user scenarios, such as contact centers and kiosks where multiple users access the same endpoint and log in to their individual desktops. Look forward to a further enhanced experience of Citrix VDI boot coming soon!

Get started today!

You can get started with desktop lock today! Check out our product documentation for more details on how to implement this solution in your environment.

If you’re interested in learning more about other secure access options, Citrix supports many alternative OS endpoint vendors that include Linux thin client options and Google Chromebooks. Thin clients remove the need to manage the local Windows instance, which reduces management efforts, license cost, and attack surface all at the same time. Learn more about what vendors are supported on our website.

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