Assisted with solid Citrix and security expertise: – This can be reused by other municipalities

Partner and system architect Dagfinn Lunde at Sicra explains that Sicra's consultants have worked closely with IT architects from Innofactor to design a Citrix Cloud solution based on Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. Specifically, this means that Windows desktops and all applications are delivered from Microsoft's public Azure cloud service. Sicra also assisted in setting up Citrix ADC (Application Delivery Controller) and creating solutions for automating installation on endpoints.

– What is very exciting about this project is that all the municipality's professional applications, which were previously in a secure zone, are now running in Azure. Many are hesitant to do this, but what we have done together with Innofactor is a very secure way to do it, says Lunde.

Lunde explains that everything is stored in data centers on Norwegian soil. The security is better than most municipalities can achieve on their own, and a thorough job has been done to ensure that all regulatory requirements are met.

Had to think completely differently 

Lunde says that the collaboration with Innofactor has worked very well. It has been exciting to work on such a large project – a project that is too big for Sicra to have undertaken alone.

– But we are used to working with this type of solution, and we have special expertise that not many others have. I therefore believe that working in tandem in this way can be wise – and that both Innofactor and we have learned a lot from each other in this project.

Moving servers and applications to the public cloud forces you to think quite differently than when everything runs in your own data center.

– An example is that while you previously worked with physical infrastructure, more and more is now done with code. You program to make changes in infrastructure.

Have built solutions that can be reused by other municipalities

The goal of the project was to establish services that were more flexible, where the municipality had greater control over its own development. Lunde feels that Innofactor has achieved this.

– Not least, Innofactor – together with us – has built a solution that can be reused by other municipalities. Everything takes longer the first time because you have to ensure that the solution is secure enough. But once it is done, it can be reused.

Lunde says that although Citrix has faced competition from other solutions for virtual desktops, he believes Citrix has a major advantage in having 20 years more experience than some competitors.

– It is easier to manage a Citrix solution. They have a very good way of securing their applications, especially for municipalities that have many old and perhaps somewhat peculiar applications that are difficult to get to work together with other applications on a PC. Citrix gives you a very good way to simplify the infrastructure, says Lunde.