SBC White Paper – “The Alternative to Citrix”

Ericom’s Complete Presentation Virtualization Solution – From Windows Terminal Servers and Virtual Desktops to Legacy Systems

Server-based computing (SBC) is finally achieving an accepted status as the preferred method for managed access and delivery of applications and desktops. This is due in part, to advances in networking infrastructure, as well as in the Microsoft Windows® operating system itself.

Despite this recognition, the reality is that only a small percentage of organizations that should be using SBC actually are using it. Moreover, most of those organizations are limiting the use of SBC to the departmental level, rather than applying it throughout the organization. We estimate the utilization rate of SBC at less than 10 percent of corporate desktops worldwide. That is a very low number considering all the proven benefits of SBC.

The reason for such a low adoption rate is that until very recently, organizations were trapped between having to choose an entry-level solution that did not provide

sufficient benefits and a pricey solution that was expensive and complex to deploy.  On the entry-level, Windows includes built-in support for Terminal Services, so

organizations can deploy it at very little extra cost. Unfortunately, Windows Terminal Services is appropriate only for small-size and simple deployments. Thus it was

difficult to demonstrate the value of SBC using only Windows Terminal Services.

Citrix, on the other hand, offers much broader functionality, but at both a significantly higher price and level of complexity. Just setting up a Citrix presentation demo or a proof of concept usually requires several days of onsite installation and configuration by a certified Citrix professional. This proves to be an insurmountable hurdle for many organizations, preventing SBC from taking off.

By contrast, Ericom® PowerTerm® WebConnect – the alternative to Citrix – enables organizations to implement large-scale deployments of server-based computing, while at the same time enjoying multiple cost-benefits and simplicity in architecture.  This paper discusses the merits of choosing the alternative to Citrix.