Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops provides virtualization solutions that give IT control of virtual machines, applications, and security while providing anywhere access for any device through Citrix StoreFront service. End-users can use applications and desktops independently of the client device's operating system and interface.

A key factor in delivering Virtual Apps and Desktops is ensuring the resilience, performance, and scalability of the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with duplication of VDI servers and services. Load balancers are an essential component of this infrastructure as they provide a central connection point for remote users, can detect infrastructure outages, offload encryption overhead, and provide additional layers of security.

In contrast to Citrix ADC (NetScaler) load balancing that is often the default choice for StoreFront services, the LoadMaster is easy to configure, offers significant cost of ownership savings, and is supported by a world-class technical team.

LoadMaster is a drop-in load balancer replacement for Citrix ADC (NetScaler) that includes pre-defined templates for common Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops environments to greatly simplify deployment and ensure optimal security and performance. LoadMaster offers significant Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings compared to Citrix ADC and is supported a technical team that regularly achieves 99% customer satisfaction ratings.

A Virtual Service template, PowerShell script, and this deployment guide was introduced with LoadMaster Operating System (LMOS) 7.2.51 to deploy a Virtual Service as a Citrix StoreFront Gateway for external publishing of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops deployments, so that internet clients can leverage Citrix's VDI. In previous releases, the LoadMaster only supported publishing to internal networks.

The Progress Kemp-approved and tested template supports authentication of clients to a Citrix StoreFront endpoint that provides access to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops resources. Clients can log in using Citrix Workspace App, Citrix Receiver, or a browser such as Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.