Get started with Citrix Workspace (2024)

This article outlines the main steps involved in setting up Citrix Workspace and related components, from beginning to end. For a summary of the phases involved, see Workflow overview.

There are other ways to transition to the full Citrix Workspace experience. The most common are by:

• Delivering Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops through workspaces.
  • If you want to access resources in your on-premises Virtual Apps and Desktops deployment through Workspace, see Site aggregation for hybrid solutions.
  • If you want to migrate to the cloud, see Full migration to the cloud.

Workflow overview

If setting up Citrix Workspace as a new customer, there are 5 broad phases of work:

1. Prepare for Citrix Workspace in Citrix Cloud.
2. Configure subscriber access and authentication.
3. Integrate services into workspaces.
4. Customize workspaces with your enterprise-specific preferences, such as logos and security policies.
5. Roll out Citrix Workspace to subscribers.

The Success Center provides additional solution-based guidance.

Phase 1: Prepare for Citrix Workspace in Citrix Cloud

Before configuring Citrix Workspace, you must sign up to Citrix Cloud and ensure that you meet the technical requirements for getting started with Citrix Workspace.

If you’re already a Citrix Cloud customer, with administrators added through Identity and Access Management, you can skip to Phase 2: Configure subscriber access and authentication.

The steps involved in Phase 1 include:

1. Signing up to Citrix Cloud.
2. Adding administrators with a Citrix Identity.
3. Setting up the infrastructure by:
   • Creating resource locations
   • Deploying cloud connectors

Configuring Citrix Identity involves a time-based one-time password (TOTP). In addition to Citrix Identity, you can configure Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Microsoft Azure AD) authentication. For more information on adding administrators and configuring authentication, see Administrators in the Citrix Cloud product documentation.

Phase 2: Configure subscriber access and authentication

Phase 2 involves configuring access controls, such as the Workspace URL and external connectivity, in Workspace Configuration.

You also configure one or more identity providers in Identity and Access Management, and then enable one of them as the primary way in which subscribers authenticate to workspaces in Workspace Configuration.

Note:

There are two ways to access Citrix Workspace. One is through the natively installed Citrix Workspace app, which replaces Citrix Receiver for simple, secure access to Citrix Cloud services and workspaces. The other way to access Citrix Workspace is through a browser with the Workspace URL. The Workspace URL is enabled by default, usually in the format: https://yourcompanyname.cloud.com.

For more information, visit Workspace access.

Configure workspace access

You configure access controls in Workspace Configuration > Access. It typically involves the following tasks:

• Configure and enable the Workspace URL.
• Configure external connectivity with Citrix Gateway.

After these two tasks, Citrix recommends that you install, and encourage subscribers to use, the Citrix Workspace app for a consistent experience of the workspaces.

Configure subscriber authentication to workspaces

Defining how subscribers authenticate to sign in to their workspaces is a two-step process:

1. Under Identity and Access Management, configure identity providers.
2. Under Workspace Configuration > Authentication, choose one of the authentication methods delivered by the identity providers you configured in the first step.

If you’re using a federated identity provider, you can also enable single sign-on (SSO) to DaaS with the Citrix Federated Authentication Service (FAS).

For more information on configuring subscriber authentication to workspaces, visit Secure workspaces.

Phase 3: Integrate services into workspaces

Integrating your services into workspaces is another two-part process:

1. Configure your purchased services in Citrix Cloud. For a list of services, visit Citrix Cloud Services.
2. Enable access to your configured services in Workspace Configuration > Service Integrations. For more information on service integration, visit Enable and disable services.

Phase 4: Customize workspaces

You can customize the subscriber experience of workspaces for different users and to meet specific organizational requirements in Workspace Configuration by:

• Customizing the appearance of workspaces, including logos and custom themes. For instructions on customizing Workspace appearance, visit Customize the appearance of workspaces.
• Choosing interaction options, such as allowing subscribers to create Favorites and automatically launching desktops. For instructions on customizing how subscribers interact with their workspaces, visit Customize workspace interactions.
• Customizing privacy and security settings. This includes setting a timeout period, creating a sign-in policy, and allowing subscribers to change their passwords from within their workspaces. For instructions on how to customize Workspace privacy and security policies, visit Customize security and privacy policies.

Phase 5: Roll out Citrix Workspace to subscribers

Citrix recommends that you verify the integrity of workspaces with operational acceptance testing and engage with our Success Center to plan how you onboard subscribers. The broad activities for this phase include:

1. Testing workspaces.
   • Verify that you can sign in through the browser and into the Citrix Workspace app.
   • Launch and use all available apps and desktops.
   • Check that you can access available folders and files.
   • Check that notifications are displaying the expected actions and activities.
   • If enabled, verify that you can access endpoint resources on mobile devices.
2. Onboarding subscribers.
   • Communicate Citrix Workspace capabilities with subscribers.
   • Share the browser Workspace URL.
   • Guide users to install the Citrix Workspace app.

For more information on testing workspaces and onboarding subscribers to workspaces, visit Citrix Workspace end-user adoption resources.