Can Citrix DaaS replace a physical workstation for CAD engineers?

All answers to this question.

We transitioned our entire design team to Citrix DaaS using Azure N-Series instances (which have NVIDIA GPUs) and the results were transformative. The key is the HDX 3D Pro protocol. It uses deep compression and hardware-based H.264/H.265 encoding to make the remote session feel local. My engineers are doing complex Revit assemblies from their laptops at home, and as long as they have at least 15-20Mbps, the lag is non-existent. The biggest benefit wasn't just remote work; it was the fact that opening a 2GB file now takes seconds because the "desktop" is in the same data center as the file server.

   Answered 2024-11-24 by Margaret Higgins

Does the cost of the cloud GPU instances outweigh the cost of buying physical workstations every three years?

   Answered 2024-11-26 by Kevin Scott

• Kevin, the "sticker price" of the cloud might look higher, but you have to factor in the electricity, cooling, and IT support time for those 150 physical towers. With DaaS, we only pay for the "High Power" GPU mode during work hours (8 AM to 6 PM). We use "Autoscale" to shut down the expensive instances at night and on weekends. Over a three-year cycle, we actually saved about 15% on total cost of ownership, and our engineers are much happier with the flexibility of working from anywhere.

     Commented 2024-11-28 by Richard Allen

We use the "Thin Client" approach with 10-year-old PCs acting as terminals for the DaaS sessions. It’s a great way to recycle hardware.

   Answered 2024-11-30 by Karen Young

• That's a smart move, Karen. Using DaaS to extend the life of old hardware while providing "supercomputer" performance is a classic Citrix win.

     Commented 2024-12-02 by Jessica Long