Hey everyone! I'm currently interning and tasked with finding a modern solution to replace our existing hypervisor and remote access setup. Our current environment includes a 3-node VMware ESXi cluster that services multiple customers, each with their own Domain Controller and application servers, using Citrix for remote desktop and app delivery, along with Veeam for backups.
We plan to transition away from both VMware and Citrix to build a secure platform for our clients to access their own remote desktops and applications. I've been exploring options like Remote Desktop Services (RDS), Microsoft Entra Application Proxy, RD Gateway, RD Web, and Azure Virtual Desktop—but I'm hitting some roadblocks.
The main issues I'm facing are:
- A lot of the available documentation seems outdated or fragmented.
- RDS combined with Entra may only support pre-auth instead of true end-to-end SSO.
- Azure local + AVD seems great, but isn't suitable for a true multi-tenant hosting scenario as it's single-tenant.
I have a bunch of questions:
1. Is RDS still a valid replacement for Citrix in 2026 for a multi-tenant setup?
2. What's the best way to securely publish RDS to external users?
3. Can we achieve seamless SSO from Entra ID into an RDS session?
4. Are people shifting towards hybrid or cloud solutions like Azure Virtual Desktop?
5. If you were tasked with this today, what architecture would you choose?
Honestly, I feel like I'm missing the big picture and just keep finding outdated solutions. Any real-world experience, architecture examples, or recommended research directions would be super helpful. Thanks!
5 Answers
It sounds like you're in a challenging position! Yes, you've got the right idea about making it a multi-tenant solution, but with the current isolation model, that's just the first step. Keep exploring options for a comprehensive solution.
That's a pretty hefty responsibility for an internship! I’d recommend adding retraining your employees to your plans for transitioning as well. Good luck with everything!
Yeah, it’s a big project, but it’s mainly a research task with a proof of concept, not a full migration. I just need to demo a good replacement for VMware and Citrix.
You might want to check out Omnissa HCS as a potential solution. They used to be part of VMware's EUC group and now work independently, supporting multiple hypervisors and cloud environments.
Are you just looking to publish applications, or whole desktops? That'll influence your approach significantly.
I’m looking to publish whole desktops.
If you're replacing Citrix, consider what used to be VMware Horizon (VDI) – now sold to Omnissa. They might just have what you're looking for!
Exactly! We want to move towards multi-tenancy, but right now, clients are isolated. Also, we’ve recently moved to Hyper-V, and I'm digging into the right solution since they've lacked the time to explore.