Case Study: Welsh Government achieves work-anywhere flexibility and major cost & energy savings with Citrix virtual computing

Welsh Government makes Citrix virtual computing its policy

The Welsh Government, which employs about 5,500 staff and manages a broad public-services portfolio, needed to modernize a legacy, distributed desktop estate to become more efficient, flexible and standardized. Key objectives were to enable a “work anywhere” model, reduce office space and IT infrastructure, cut power consumption and emissions (including datacentre use), lower ICT costs, and speed deployment of enterprise applications.

Working with Citrix and systems integrator Atos, the government deployed a private‑cloud Citrix environment (XenDesktop, XenApp, NetScaler and related tools) across the PSBA Wales network to 50+ locations. The solution enabled hot‑desking and remote working, a 60/30/10 thin‑client/laptop/PC operating model, rapid rollout of SAP/CRM/records systems, and WAN optimization; it extended workstation life to six years (saving an estimated £3m), improved responsiveness and productivity, and delivered reported sustainability gains (about 11.7% carbon reduction and a 96% drop in energy use), while reducing network and travel costs.

Welsh Government

Crispin O'Connell

Deputy Director