Introduction

The Internet truly revolutionized computing for businesses. Instead of thinking in terms of connecting one office to another for sharing information and applications, we are connecting everyone to the Internet cloud. With this paradigm shift, telecommunications and computing no longer have geographical barriers. The global marketplace is available to everyone to use for e-commerce and e-business even as an extension of their internal networks.

Citrix NFuse was developed to provide an Internet portal to applications. Using NFuse, a company can personalize the way that applications appear to users who launch them from a Web browser.

NFuse is not the only way that applications can be used across the Internet. Virtual private networking (VPN) enables the native ICA client to function across the Internet. A Windows 2000 Terminal Services server without Citrix MetaFrame XP can provide browser-launched applications with the Terminal Services Advanced Client.

Business Reasons for Providing Applications Across the Internet

Since its inception, the World Wide Web has exploded in popularity as both a research instrument and a business communications tool. Web technologies have become a major driver for businesses due to their simplicity and availability to such a large user base. Using Web technologies not only across the Internet but also for internal business applications such as intranet sites provides a way to access resources efficiently. The ability to provide application availability over the Internet has become commonplace among businesses for a variety of reasons. Using VPN technology with Citrix MetaFrame XP provides remote access for users who work while...