UBEC Delivers Desktops in the Cloud with Citrix®

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – February 22, 2022 – Just like work, education has moved to a hybrid model. And União Brasileira de Educação Católica (UBEC) is enabling it with Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTXS). Using the company’s desktop-as a-Service solution, the educational group provides more than 25,000 students and 2,700 employees across Brazil with simple, secure and reliable access to everything they need to connect and learn in the classroom, dorm room and anywhere in between. 

UBEC saw the benefits of desktop virtualization long before the pandemic forced it. “To deliver physical equipment to the student was a complex task, because it demanded time and money due to the difficulty of formatting and creating new images of the machines,” said Marcos Eduardo Oliveira e Silva, Coordinator of Infrastructure, UBEC. 

Modernizing IT

To simplify it, UBEC undertook a complete redesign of its network infrastructure and moved to the cloud. With the help of Citrix Platinum Solution Advisor Brasoftware, the association implemented Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Service™, a complete DaaS offering that enables quick deployment of high-definition cloud desktops and provide unified, secure, and reliable access to the systems and information needed to get work done, wherever it needs to get done.

The solution serves as the foundation for the secure digital workspace UBEC has built to provide employees and students with access to the academic and administrative portals and tools and applications they need to engage and be productive from any device, anywhere.

Enhancing the User Experience

With Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Service, UBEC students and employees can tap into the resources they require, including mission critical applications such as ERP and those that demand high computational performance like AutoCAD, Photoshop and Eclipse, using either personal devices or equipment provided by their institution. And IT can reliably deliver them and optimize their performance using Citrix ADC™.

This, according to Silva, has had a positive impact on users and their productivity.

“We can offer a more attractive experience via Citrix, due to the quality and high performance of the virtual work environment and its ability to support more robust applications,” he said. 

It has also been a positive for IT. “Before, users faced problems that, at times, lasted days,” Silva said.  With Citrix ADC, UBEC has gained agility and speed in responding to issues as a result of the operational consistency and holistic visibility the solution provides.

Improving Security

It has also improved its security posture, thanks to the identity-aware Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) capabilities baked into Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Service. “Citrix technology enables an extra layer of protection for our internal systems and reduces the chances of attacks,” Silva said.

Previously, UBEC used technology to provide remote access to data and applications that did not allow or block file transfers. “This new environment grants access using the profile of any student, professor or administrator to the applications, files and resources intended for them,” Silva said.

Delivering Results

While prompted by the pandemic, the hybrid model for learning has created benefits that can carry educational organizations forward.  And with Citrix solutions in place, UBEC is already capitalizing on them.

“We have a more consolidated and stable environment, resulting in a huge productivity gain, with access control resources and centralized management of all environments, which is important for business continuity,” Silva said.

UBEC is among hundreds of educational organizations around the world using Citrix solutions to accelerate their digital transformations and enhance learning. To learn more about the success they are having, click here.