Did You Know Zebra Workstation Connect and Citrix Workspace are Fully Compatible?
These days Android™ is the operating system (OS) of choice powering the workflow software, decisions, and daily tasks for millions of mobile workers around the world, many of whom are using Zebra devices. However, nearly every back-office business system is still based on Windows®, and I suspect they will be for a very long time. This has created a disconnect in critical workflows, and we know it can be disruptive to your business and the customer experience in many ways.
So, are you ready for some good news?
Thanks to the collaborative innovation of Zebra Technologies and Citrix teams, we have found a way to extend business critical applications, virtualized desktops and more to your front-line workers’ Android mobile computers via the Zebra Workstation Connect and Citrix Workspace solutions. This includes the Windows and Linux desktop apps access still needed by many front-line workers.
This is a huge breakthrough that I hope will provide some relief to you, your IT teams, and your front-line workers, as Zebra Workstation Connect now offers an enterprise mobile-driven desktop experience that is fully integrated with Citrix Workspace. We’re excited we were able to figure out a solution to this very real problem we know you’ve been dealing with since Android became the predominant mobile OS.
How the Zebra-Citrix Integration will Connect Workers’ Android Devices with any Business-Critical Apps
If you’re not ready to migrate your desktop Windows/Linux OS business apps to Android, or you want to give workers a way to securely access all desktop applications without having to give them desktops or laptops, no problem. Just plug in compatible Zebra Workstation Connect cradles at workstations around your hospital, clinic, store, factory, warehouse, or restaurant and follow the steps that a Zebra sales engineer or partner will walk you through to get it set up.
Make sure you tell them you want to extend your existing applications to these Android-powered workstations so they can tell you how to get Workstation Connect synced with Citrix Workspace. This connection is key to ensuring your front-line and other mobile workers can securely access apps. It also enables them to perform heavier data-entry tasks, navigate information-rich, data-sensitive systems, and interact with multiple apps simultaneously.
Once everything is connected and ready to go, a worker will simply have to dock their Zebra Android mobile computer in the nearest Workstation Connect cradle and, using Citrix Workspace static and dynamic shortcuts presented on their home screen, login to a secure session and access to their assigned applications to start completing any required tasks.
To be clear though, once the Android device is docked in the Workstation Connect cradle, the worker will really be using a full-size keyboard, mouse and external display to access information, perform more data-intensive activities and complete critical tasks. The mobile device-powered experience will look and feel like a desktop, even though there is no physical desktop tower anywhere in sight. And the combined solution can be managed remotely, which reduces your IT and financial resource requirement compared to workstations equipped with actual desktop PC towers.
Seem too good to be true?
If you’re going to be at HIMSS 2022, stop by our booth #1759 to check it out. Or you can set up a demo with either your Zebra or Citrix representative.
You can read more on what Citrix has to say about this collaboration here:
Empower frontline workers with Citrix and Zebra
And I shared more about how Workstation Connect works in this blog post.
The only thing that’s different now is that your front-line staff can virtually access any business-critical apps, full virtual desktops and back-end systems on the go or on a fixed workstation powered by their mobile devices – just as your back-office staff does on their desktops or laptops. Everyone will be in complete sync, and you won’t necessarily have to rush to migrate apps to Android.
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Lesly Gonzalez
Lesly Gonzalez is currently an Advanced Product Manager for Enterprise Mobile Computing (EMC) at Zebra Technologies responsible for Emerging Solutions, which includes Workstation Connect. She has more than 15 years of experience in new product development and management including telecommunications, enterprise software and hardware products.
Lesly holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in innovation from Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM). She also holds a master’s degree in business administration from Hult International Business School.
