Benefits of Desktop Virtualization
Customers share successful deployments of VDI with Cisco and Citrix.

Cisco VXI with Citrix XenDesktop Demo
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Cisco and Citrix Partnership
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Cisco VXI with Citrix
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Why Cisco and Citrix
Give your IT Organization the efficiency, scalability, and security required for successful virtual desktop deployments. Cisco Desktop Virtualization solutions, combined with industry-leading Citrix XenDesktop software, can accelerate desktop virtualization and VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) adoption.
Citrix NetScaler 1000V Is Now Available
Cisco integrates Citrix NetScaler into its Cloud Network Services architecture.
Learn MoreCisco VM-FEX vs Traditional vSwitch
Citrix XenApp hosted shared desktop performance on Cisco UCS. (PDF - 1.02 MB)
Download WhitepaperDeliver Superior User Experiences
The Cisco UCS B200 M3 Blade Server now supports 182 Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 virtual desktops. (PDF - 1.20 MB)
Read MoreThese solutions help enable IT to provide users with a productive, mobile, and highly secure work environment anywhere on multiple devices. They do so through a set of scalable, simplified, and cost-effective data center infrastructures tailored to different delivery models, use cases, and scalability requirements.
Cisco UCS and Desktop Virtualization
Delivered as a core building block of Cisco Desktop Virtualization solutions, the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) is ideally suited for hosting desktop and application virtualization by providing:
- Simplified operations for greater agility
- Massive modular scalability
- Lower operations and infrastructure costs
- Superior deterministic performance
Desktop IT managers can now benefit from the combined strengths of Cisco UCS and Citrix XenDesktop. Deploy and easily scale virtual desktops, free of the guesswork traditionally associated with sizing, installing, and expanding virtual infrastructure.
Customers of all sizes who want to implement desktop virtualization can confidently deploy a "day-1" infrastructure that provides an optimized balance of memory, I/O capacity, and CPU processing power. The result is a price-to performance ratio that delivers significantly lower incremental costs as virtual desktop seats are added.
With Cisco and Citrix solutions, desktops can easily be delivered as a service from a single integrated platform. Now IT can quickly scale up and down desktop services on demand to meet changing business needs and proactively protect against unplanned downtime.
More Information
Cisco Validated Designs for Desktop Virtualization with Citrix XenDesktop
- Citrix XenDesktop on FlexPod
- Citrix XenDesktop 5.6 on FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud 2.0
- Citrix XenDesktop on Cisco UCS with EMC
- 4000 Seat VDI with Citrix XenDesktop 5.6 & XenApp 6.5 on Cisco Unified Computing System and EMC VNX
- Cisco Solution for EMC VSPEX Computing for 500 Citrix XenDesktop Users
Cisco Reference Architectures with Citrix XenDesktop
- Citrix XenDesktop on Cisco UCS with Cisco Storage Accelerator
- Citrix XenDesktop on Cisco UCS with EMC VSPEX C500
- Citrix XenDesktop on Cisco UCS with EMC VSPEX C2000
- Citrix XenDesktop Built on FlexPod Citrix XenDesktop Using Citrix XenServer, Cisco UCS, Cisco Nexus 5000, and NetApp Storage
- Citrix XenDesktop Built on FlexPod
- Citrix XenDesktop Built on FlexPod Using Cisco UCS, Microsoft Hyper-V, and NetApp Storage
- Citrix XenDesktop Using Cisco Unified Computing System, Microsoft Hyper-V, and NetApp Storage
- Deploying Citrix XenDesktops
- Implementation of Citrix XenDesktops on Cisco UCS, VMware vSphere, and NetApp Storage
- Cisco Desktop Virtualization Solution with Nimble Storage: Reference Architecture
Desktop Virtualization Services
Smooth the transition to a Cisco Desktop Virtualization solution by getting the expertise and best practices you need every step of the way.
Unified Computing and Servers
Deploy, host, and manage virtual desktops on a simpler, more secure and scalable data center infrastructure.
Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers
Simplify, secure, and scale from pilots to enterprise-wide production VDI deployment.
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers
Accelerate small-scale VDI deployments.
Cisco UCS Manager
Simplify provisioning and management of desktop virtualization deployments.
Voice and Unified Communications
Benefit from a portfolio of endpoint devices and collaboration software that provide the flexibility to support a wide variety of different workgroup needs.
Cisco UCS Base and Expansion Packs for Desktop Virtualization
Smooth the transition to a Cisco Desktop Virtualization solution by getting the expertise and best practices you need every step of the way.
Cisco UCS 6200 Fabric Interconnects
The Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects provides both network connectivity and management capabilities to all attached blades and chassis.
Cisco UCS 5100 Blade Server Chassis
The Cisco UCS 5100 Series Blade Server delivers a scalable and flexible architecture for current and future data center needs.
Cisco UCS B200 M2
The Cisco UCS B200 M2 Blade Server is a half-width, 2-socket blade server with substantial throughput and scalability.
Cisco UCS B250 M2
The UCS B250 M2 server uses Intel's latest Xeon 5600 Series multicore processors to deliver superior performance and efficiency.
Cisco UCS B230 M2
The Cisco UCS B230 M2 Blade Servers deliver the performance and reliability of the Intel Xeon processor E7-2800 product family with up to 32 dual in-line memory module (DIMM) slots, in a compact half-width form factor.
Cisco UCS B200 M3
The Cisco UCS B200 M3 Server harnesses the power of the Intel Xeon E5-2600 processor product family, to deliver exceptional levels of performance, memory expandability, and I/O throughput for nearly all applications.
Cisco UCS Virtual Interface card
Deploy a high-performance, converged network adapter with the Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card (VIC). This adapter provides acceleration for the various new operational modes introduced by server virtualization.
Cisco Wide Area Application Service (WAAS)
Provides comprehensive WAN optimization and application acceleration solution for Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp.
Cisco Identity Services Engine
Provides policy enforcement across the network with a context-aware, identity-based platform that gathers real-time information from the network, users, and devices.
Additional Resources



Cisco 4000-Seat Mixed-Workload Desktop Virtualization Solution


Cisco Reference Architecture-Based Solution for Enterprise VDI Scale-Out


Citrix XenDesktop on FlexPod


Cisco Desktop Virtualization Solution with Citrix XenDesktop


Reference Architecture-Based Design Citrix XenDesktop Built on FlexPod


Reference Architecture-Based Design Citrix XenDesktop Built on FlexPod Citrix XenDesktop Using Citrix XenServer, Cisco Unified Computing System, Nexus 5000, and NetApp Storage


Reference Architecture-Based Design Citrix XenDesktop Built on FlexPod Using Cisco Unified Computing System, Microsoft Hyper-V, and NetApp Storage


Cisco UCS Solution Accelerator Pak Configurations for Citrix Desktop Virtualization Workloads

Citrix and Cisco: Delivering the New Workspace

Solution Guide for Cisco UCS SmartPlay with Citrix





Cisco Desktop Virtualization Solution with Nimble Storage: Reference Architecture


Cisco UCS Storage Accelerator Solution: Optimize Your Desktop Virtualization Infrastructure


Cisco UCS VDI Solution: Scaling Without Sacrifice


Cisco Unified Computing System, Citrix XenDesktop, and Atlantis ILIO


Cisco WAAS Optimized for Citrix XenDesktop

Cisco, Citrix, Microsoft, and NetApp Deliver Simplified High Performance Infrastructure for Virtual Desktops


Citrix CloudPlatform Version 3.0.4 on the Cisco UCS B200 M3 Blade Server

Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Built on Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers, Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches, and VMware ESXi 5.0: Reference Architecture and Deployment Guide

Desktop Virtualization Solution for Citrix XenDesktop from Cisco and EMC


Desktop Virtualization with Citrix XenDesktop on FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud

Network Quality-of-Service Design for Citrix Multi-Stream ICA


Raising the Bar on Desktop Virtualization


Speed XenDesktop on the WAN

Cisco UCS with Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp: Accelerate Desktop and Application Virtualization Deployment





Geometric Engineering Services Company Achieves Efficiency with VDI


Oaks Christian School uses Cisco Desktop Virtualization Solutions to improve educational services for students, faculty, and parents


Park Hill School District Provides Next-Generation Learning to Students


Richland School District Graduates to Low-cost, Any-device Desktops on Demand


Salford City Council uses Cisco UCS and FlexPod to deliver community cloud services to staff and customers


Seattle Children's Hospital Deploys Desktop Virtualization with Unsurpassed Performance


Shanghai Telecom builds high-quality public VDI infrastructure with Cisco FlexPod solution


University of Tennessee Addresses Business Applications and Operational Requirements
