Omnissa Horizon
The platform for virtual desktops and published applications that formerly belonged to VMware — independent as Omnissa since 2024. A strong option for vSphere estates and hybrid multi-cloud scenarios.
What is Omnissa Horizon?
Horizon is a mature virtualisation platform for desktops and applications, originally developed by VMware. It comes in three deployment variants:
- Horizon On-Premises — classic, on vSphere or hyperconverged systems (Nutanix, Dell VxRail)
- Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure (first generation) — a managed service with Azure as the resource provider. The control plane of this generation has reached end of availability
- Horizon Cloud — Omnissa’s cloud-native platform with a thin Horizon Edge, generally available since August 2022
What sets it apart: Horizon is closely integrated with vSphere. Anyone already running vCenter, ESXi and VMware Tools gets a seamless extension with Horizon.
The Omnissa story — why it is no longer VMware
As part of Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware in 2023 and 2024, the End-User Computing division (EUC) — that is, Horizon and Workspace ONE — was carved out by Broadcom and sold to the investment firm KKR. The new independent company is called Omnissa and has been operating since May 2024.
What this means for you: if you still have VMware Horizon in mind — quite right, it is the same product. But the company, the support, the licences and the sales channel have run through Omnissa since 2024. Existing contracts were in most cases transferred automatically.
The strategic consequence
Omnissa can now concentrate fully on end-user computing — without the licensing and pricing upheavals that many vSphere customers are currently experiencing under Broadcom. For Horizon customers that means more focus, but also a smaller company with fewer all-round offerings.
Architecture components
The table below describes the architecture of Horizon 8 in your own data centre. In the Horizon Cloud service there are no connection servers or brokers of your own: the Horizon Control Plane handles brokering, and on site only the thin Horizon Edge Gateway remains.
| Component | Role | Counterpart |
|---|---|---|
| Connection Server | Broker, authentication, session management | Citrix Delivery Controller |
| Unified Access Gateway (UAG) | External access, DMZ gateway | NetScaler (formerly Citrix ADC) |
| Instant Clones | Sub-second VM provisioning from a parent VM | No reboot required |
| App Volumes | Application delivery in writable volumes | Citrix App Layering |
| Dynamic Environment Manager (DEM) | User profile management | Citrix WEM / Microsoft FSLogix |
| Horizon Client | Endpoint software (Windows/Mac/iOS/Android) | Citrix Workspace App |
Instant Clones are a distinguishing feature: a new desktop VM is created from a running parent VM in under a second. That allows very fast autoscaling at peak times.
Blast Extreme — the Horizon protocol
Blast Extreme is Horizon’s answer to HDX and RDP. The focus is on multimedia performance and low bandwidth consumption.
Core characteristics
- H.264 and H.265 codecs — hardware-accelerated video compression
- Adaptive Bitrate — adapting to network quality in real time
- UDP & TCP Support — UDP preferred, for lower latency
- Low-bandwidth mode — works from around 100 kbps (not advisable, but possible)
- Multi-monitor support — up to 4K across four monitors
- Teams optimisation — WebRTC redirection; the newer SlimCore media engine is in public preview for Omnissa
Offerings and licensing
| Offering | What it covers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Horizon Universal License | Subscription for the Horizon Cloud service; entitles you to any version of Horizon | Horizon Cloud architecture, Tech Zone |
| Horizon Plus | Subscription for connecting an existing Horizon 8 pod to the control plane | Using Horizon Cloud, product documentation |
| Horizon Accelerator | A paid add-on SKU: day-0 to day-2 support and insights in the Control Center | Using Horizon Accelerator, product documentation |
The market-common names Standard, Advanced and Enterprise do not appear in Omnissa’s documentation. What is documented are the three offerings above and billing by named or concurrent users.
Licensing is by named user or concurrent user. Omnissa does not publish a price list; terms are to be obtained from the vendor or a partner. On top of that: vSphere licences (for on-premises) or Azure and AWS costs (for cloud deployments). For Azure capacity, multi-session images with Windows Enterprise are documented.
Horizon vs. Citrix DaaS
The most common enterprise DaaS decision outside the Microsoft world:
Omnissa Horizon
- StrengthvSphere integration, instant clones
- ProtocolBlast Extreme (H.264/265)
- Application deliveryApp Volumes — mature
- CompanyOmnissa (KKR-owned since 2024)
- ComplexityModerate — many components, but a clear abstraction
Citrix DaaS
- StrengthMulti-cloud, HDX, peripheral support
- ProtocolHDX (EDT)
- Application deliveryApp Layering — mature
- CompanyCloud Software Group (Citrix and TIBCO)
- ComplexityHigh — deep configuration options
Rule of thumb: A vSphere shop with an on-premises focus → Horizon. Multi-cloud and peripheral variety → Citrix. The two are similar on price; the decision usually turns on the infrastructure already in place.
Cost example: 200 users on-premises
200 VDI users on an existing vSphere estate, Horizon Enterprise:
| Item | Cost/month | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Horizon Enterprise | ~4.000 € | 200 × €20 per user |
| vSphere licences | ~1.500 € | The share attributable to the Horizon cluster |
| Hardware depreciation | ~2.500 € | Servers, storage, networking (depreciated over three years) |
| Power and data centre | ~500 € | Depending on location |
| Microsoft VDA licences | ~1.400 € | Where there is no Microsoft 365 setup |
| Operations (0.5 FTE) | ~4.000 € | VMware and Horizon administration |
| Total | ~13.900 € | ~€70 per user per month |
For comparison: the same number of users on AVD with multi-session would come to around €25 to €35 per user per month. Horizon on-premises is therefore considerably more expensive, but it offers full control over data, hardware and network — which can be decisive in regulated industries.
When is Horizon the right choice?
Strong candidates for Horizon
- An existing vSphere estate — seamless integration, shared storage
- Instant clone scenarios — seasonal user peaks (schools, retail)
- An on-premises-first philosophy — data sovereignty, air-gap requirements
- Hyperconverged Infrastructure — Nutanix AHV and Dell VxRail are optimised for Horizon
- App Volumes Use Cases — dynamic application delivery without image bloat
- Workspace ONE Integration — where mobile device management is part of the picture
Horizon is not ideal when
- A pure cloud setup — AVD or Citrix Cloud are native on Azure and AWS
- No VMware expertise — vSphere expertise is a prerequisite
- Very small deployments — the fixed licence and hardware costs are too high
- A Microsoft-first strategy — AVD and Windows 365 are the natural choice
- Uncertainty about the future of Omnissa — some customers hesitate because the independent company is still young
Horizon compared with other DaaS platforms
DaaS Maps shows Omnissa Horizon side by side with AVD, Windows 365, Citrix and others — focusing on the characteristics of Blast Extreme and on vSphere integration. For questions about migrating Horizon, you will find me on LinkedIn.