In the past 12 years, Third Octet has focused largely on Citrix and, without question, we’ve proven our capabilities to design, deliver and support Citrix-based solutions across almost every vertical and with companies of all sizes – from Fortune 100 to tiny brick and mortar.  We are, without a doubt, masters at Citrix and Workspace Craft, as exemplified by our partner status (Platinum Specialist), multitude of customer success stories and, notably, Citrix Partner of the Year for Canada award in 2017.

Yet, for many existing or potential clients, being an expert at Citrix means our expertise in other areas is at a deficit.  This perception couldn’t be more wrong.

Recently, during a client discovery meeting where the topic was Microsoft Azure, the VP of IT for the client commented, “you are the Citrix experts, what could you possibly know of Microsoft Azure?”  Certainly, the question had validity, but also showed the lack of awareness many clients have of the scope and breadth of Citrix solutions, and their integration with Microsoft.  This was not the first time, nor will it be the last, where our perceived sole expertise in Citrix potentially inhibited our ability to work deeper with clients when Citrix was not the appropriate solution.

Surely, this unawareness could be attributed to a legacy perception of what Citrix is – think published desktops and applications – rather than knowledge of today’s current Citrix technology solutions and capabilities – such as Citrix SDWAN, ADC, and Cloud.  This legacy perception of Citrix can result in a negative perception of Third Octet – “you only do Citrix”.  However, even if that is the case, a traditional Citrix deployment of Apps and Desktops still requires extensive expertise outside of Citrix which, for the majority of deployments, rests on Third Octet.  To really understand the expertise required to design, deploy and support Citrix, one must think of an iceberg (or the iceberg analogy).

The tip of the iceberg is, in simplest terms, Citrix – the presentation layer, where user’s live, what Third Octet has designed and deployed and, largely, where problems are perceived to exist.  Generally, this is where everyone derives their misconceptions of what Citrix is and, importantly, where Third Octet’s skills reside.

But there is more “beneath the surface.”

In designing Citrix solutions – for example, Apps and Desktops – we focus on five key layers that encompass the overall solution:

• User Layer;
• Access Layer;
• Resource Layer;
• Control Layer; and
• Hardware Layer.

Each of these layers play a critical role in the overall success, short and long term, of the Citrix solution, and requires deep understanding of internal and external elements and impacts, many of which are not Citrix-specific.  This layered approach is what has made us master of one (Citrix) and master of all.

Over the next several weeks, join us as we walk through how our expertise in Citrix and the layers that encompass Citrix design and deployment demonstrate our expertise beyond Citrix.

Read Part II: Experts In Hardware