Your Genomic Analysis Platform Already Solves Remote Application Delivery
Delivering enterprise applications to users is a solved problem, and for many organizations, that solution has been Citrix. It’s the de facto choice for centralizing and securing remote application access, especially for Windows environments. With the right IT support, it gets the job done.
But if your analysis workloads are increasingly Linux-based, and you’re deploying modern containerized applications, it’s worth asking: is there a better, simpler way?
VSWarehouse isn’t just a warehouse for your genomic data. It’s now a full application delivery platform, purpose-built for modern, containerized Linux apps. And it’s already included in the system you deploy for variant analysis and automated workflow management.
Let’s take a closer look.
The Citrix Model: Enterprise-Grade, Windows-Centric
Citrix provides a robust solution for delivering centralized applications to users across an enterprise. It’s built around Windows Server infrastructure and works well for environments where Windows-based applications dominate. You get features like:
- Centralized user authentication and access control
- Per-user sessions and application delivery
- Support for remote desktop and app-based streaming
- Integration with Active Directory and enterprise security policies
But achieving that comes with some weight:
- You need to manage Delivery Controllers, license servers, and StoreFront infrastructure
- You rely on Windows Server environments and licensing
- You manage per-user or per-device CALs and Citrix licensing structures
- You need skilled IT support to maintain and troubleshoot the deployment
For many organizations, that investment makes sense. But if you’re delivering Linux-native applications, the cost and complexity may not be aligned with the actual needs of your user base.
VSWarehouse 3: Application Streaming, Built into the Platform
We designed VSWarehouse 3 to make it easy to run VarSeq, but we quickly realized that the same infrastructure solves a broader problem: how to deliver powerful Linux-based applications to users with minimal friction.
Here’s how it works:
- Web App Mode: Run tools like containerized VSCode as dedicated web servers. Each user gets their own instance, launched inside the platform and delivered through a clean embedded web interface.
- Desktop App Mode: Launch full Linux GUI applications like VarSeq in containers with a lightweight desktop environment. We stream the session securely to the user’s browser using optimized noVNC technology. The result feels like a native remote desktop, but focused entirely on the application.
Each launched app container gets CPU and RAM reserved, defined by the workspace admin. When your main server is at capacity, VSWarehouse 3 automatically dispatches the session to a remote agent.
These remote agents can be:
- Additional on-prem Linux servers (connected via SSH)
- Dynamically provisioned cloud instances (managed through cloud APIs)
For the end user, nothing changes. The application launches, connects, and runs with full fidelity, whether local or remote.
From Bundled Feature to Citrix Alternative
VSWarehouse isn’t positioned as a separate app streaming product. This is simply part of the platform: available as soon as you install it on your own Linux infrastructure.
| Feature | Citrix | VSWarehouse |
| Platform | Windows-first | Linux-native |
| Licensing | Separate, per-user/device/app | Included |
| App Isolation | Per-session | Docker container |
| App Types | Windows | Linux GUI and web apps |
| Auth Integration | ActiveDirectory/SAML | ActiveDirectory/SAML/local |
| Scaling | Manual or licensed | Automatic via SSH or cloud (Azure and AWS) |
| Setup Complexity | Multi-server infrastructure | Single Linux install with optional agents |
If your primary apps are Linux-based, and your goal is secure, scalable, per-user access to them, you may already have what you need.
Built for VarSeq, Open for More
We use this system to deliver VarSeq to users across teams and deployment configurations. But it’s just as capable of running other tools:
- VSCode with custom plugins
- Chromium or Firefox for specialized web tools
- OnlyOffice for document editing
- IGV for a familiar genome browser experience (see recent blog post)
- Internal or third-party tools packaged in containers
Each application can be configured per workspace, with different user roles and shared folder options. You get a secure, scalable app platform, tightly integrated with your data.
Conclusion: Citrix Isn’t the Only Way Anymore
VSWarehouse 3 gives you a secure, scalable, Linux-native way to deliver applications. If you’re already deploying it for genomic analysis and data warehousing, you’ve got the platform to replace remote desktop infrastructure for Linux workloads.
No extra software. No Windows licensing. No specialized IT stack.
Launch apps. Analyze data. Let the platform handle the rest.
Want to see this in action? Contact us at [email protected], and we can set up an evaluation so you can try it out.