As part of a new collaboration agreement with Microsoft, Citrix Systems today announced plans to support the upcoming Microsoft RemoteFX technology platform. RemoteFX, which will be available in a future release of Windows Server 2008 R2 service pack 1, will allow all virtual desktops on a single Windows Server or Hyper-V server to share the power of graphics acceleration hardware built into server and end user devices. As part of the new collaboration agreement, Citrix XenDesktop™ will expand its high-definition HDX™ technology to further enhance the capabilities of RemoteFX and extend them to a broader range of use cases and locations. By addressing the most demanding rich graphics environments, Citrix and Microsoft will continue working together to advance the state-of-the-art in desktop virtualization technology, making virtual desktops a rich, high-definition experience for all users, regardless of their device, location or role.

This collaboration is part of a broad set of announcements from Citrix that expand the company’s longtime partnership with Microsoft in desktop virtualization (see related news blog: Desktop Virtualization in 2010 Update – Citrix and Microsoft Join Forces To Simplify Virtual Desktops). By joining forces in desktop virtualization, Citrix and Microsoft can offer customers integrated virtual desktop solutions that deliver far better flexibility, ROI and user experience than any other solution on the market today.

With this joint collaboration, Citrix XenDesktop with HDX technology will be able to detect RemoteFX-capable servers and endpoints, leveraging their built-in hardware acceleration to deliver graphics-intensive, media-rich or 3D applications to virtual desktop end users.

As a result of this collaboration, Citrix HDX technology will also enable RemoteFX to extend beyond the LAN to deliver rich graphics desktops and applications to broader range of devices, networks and use cases. Customers will be able to use integrated HDX and RemoteFX technologies to deliver virtual desktops to all their users, regardless of their location or device.

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Expanding the Value of HDX – Citrix HDX technology is designed to ensure a high definition experience for all virtual desktop users, regardless of device, location or use case. It incorporates a wide range of state-of-the-art technology from the datacenter to the device, including capabilities like HDX RealTime, HDX MediaStream, HDX Broadcast and HDX Plug-n-Play. The collaboration with Microsoft will add a new set of technologies called “HDX RichGraphics with RemoteFX”, further enhancing the virtual desktop experience for customers with RemoteFX enabled servers and endpoint devices.