Case Study: Haaga‑Helia University of Applied Sciences achieves flexible, cloud‑based virtual desktops and data‑center labs with Citrix

Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences Educational institution virtualized desktops and computing laboratories

Haaga‑Helia University of Applied Sciences, serving about 10,000 students across multiple campuses and roughly 700 staff, needed a flexible, modern computing environment that mirrors real‑world IT infrastructure for its information technology programs. The institution faced challenges from geographically dispersed user groups, complex laboratory setups, and unwieldy legacy approaches (disk images and removable drives) that couldn’t deliver realistic, manageable lab environments or fast IT maintenance.

Haaga‑Helia implemented Citrix CloudPlatform alongside Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp to deliver virtual data centers, virtual desktops and thin clients, giving each student a network‑managed, true corporate data‑center experience accessible remotely. The solution supports up to 500 simultaneous lab users, reduced workspace dependency, faster software updates and easier maintenance for classrooms and staff workstations, and has improved pedagogical flexibility and student access while proving more cost‑effective than equivalent physical hardware.

Haaga-Helia

Olavi Kurttio

IT-Manager