Citrix & Virtualisation
Citrix DaaS: Cloud-Managed Desktop Delivery for South African Enterprises
24 March 2026 · Justin Lavers · 4 min read
What Is Citrix DaaS?
Citrix DaaS (Desktop as a Service) is the cloud-managed version of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. Instead of running the management plane on-premises, DaaS shifts the Delivery Controller, database, and Director components into the Citrix Cloud — while your resource locations (the servers that host applications and desktops) can remain wherever they need to be.
For South African organisations, this means virtual desktops and applications can be hosted on local infrastructure, in Microsoft Azure (including Azure South Africa regions), on AWS, or on Google Cloud Platform — all managed through a single Citrix Cloud console.
DaaS is not a replacement for on-premises Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD). It is a hybrid option. Organisations can run resource locations on-premises alongside cloud-hosted resource locations, managed through one control plane.
Why DaaS Matters Now
Two developments make DaaS relevant for South African enterprises in 2026.
First, the Citrix LAS migration deadline on 15 April 2026 is forcing every on-premises Citrix customer to re-evaluate their licensing. Citrix has consolidated its product portfolio into bundled subscriptions — Citrix Universal Hybrid Multi-Cloud (UHMC), Citrix Platform License, and Citrix for Private Cloud. DaaS entitlements are included in the UHMC subscription, meaning organisations migrating to the new licensing model already have access to cloud-managed delivery.
Second, hybrid work patterns are now permanent across South African industries. Healthcare workers accessing patient records from satellite clinics, financial services teams operating across Johannesburg and Cape Town offices, and government departments serving regional offices all need secure desktop access that does not depend on a single data centre.
What DaaS Delivers
Citrix DaaS provides cloud-managed infrastructure for:
- Application and desktop delivery — Publish individual applications or full Windows desktops to any device with Citrix Workspace app installed - Multi-cloud resource locations — Host workloads on Azure, AWS, GCP, or on-premises hypervisors (Citrix Hypervisor, VMware vSphere, Nutanix AHV) - Autoscale — Automatically power-manage virtual machines based on demand schedules and session load, reducing cloud compute costs during off-peak hours - Monitor and troubleshoot — Web Studio and Monitor dashboards provide real-time session data, machine health, and user experience metrics from a browser
The March 2026 DaaS updates introduced Web Studio column reordering, scripted tasks in Monitor, autoscale improvements with the PoolSizeExcludesMaintenanceMode setting, and multi-select filter support — all incremental improvements to operational efficiency.
How OAS Supports DaaS Deployments
OAS has been a Citrix Platinum Partner since 1987. As the highest tier in the Citrix partner programme, this grants access to advanced technical training, priority support, and preferred pricing.
For DaaS specifically, OAS assists with:
- Migration planning — Assessing existing CVAD environments and designing the move to cloud-managed delivery - Hybrid architecture — Configuring resource locations across on-premises infrastructure and Azure South Africa regions - LAS migration — Handling the April 2026 licensing transition alongside a DaaS deployment to minimise disruption - Ongoing management — Proactive monitoring and support through OAS managed services
Getting Started
If your organisation runs Citrix on-premises and the LAS migration is on your roadmap, DaaS is worth evaluating as part of that transition. Moving the management plane to Citrix Cloud simplifies ongoing operations without requiring a full infrastructure migration.
Contact OAS to discuss your current Citrix environment and whether DaaS fits your deployment model.