Browser-based applications are clearly popular because they spare IT organizations the trouble of having to create a dedicated client. The challenge, of course, is that a browser is one of the least secure ways to deliver an application.
To address that issue, Citrix has unveiled Citrix Secure Browser. The service makes use of Receiver software that Citrix originally developed for Citrix XenApp to secure any browser whether any other Citrix software is installed or not.
Calvin Hsu, vice president of product marketing for Windows App Delivery at Citrix, says widespread support for HTML5 is making it possible for Citrix to expand the reach of its ability to secure browsers beyond its own software. To that end, Citrix WorkSpace Cloud Secure Browser can be accessed as a hosted service provided by Citrix or via Citrix XenApp Secure Browser software that can be installed on any device. The service is priced at $20 per user per month, while a perpetual software license costs $150 per user or device. There is also a software development kit available for free for any customer using Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop software.
Hsu says it only takes a few minutes for the average IT administrator to configure a Web application to support Citrix Secure Browser. Once enabled, that application then makes use of a protocol developed by Citrix to secure the interaction between the client and the application. More often than not, says Hsu, the overall application experience also improves because the Web application is no longer relying on the HTTP protocol.
The core software that Citrix uses to create Citrix Secure Browser already has the benefit of being proven security technology. The issue that Citrix is responding to now is finding a way to make that security software more readily accessible to a broader base of customers.