Matthews Homes has provided multiple ways of accessing the company network while away, on travel, vacation, or business trips.
I will over the course of a few articles attempt to detail each access method with instructions in the use of each.
In addition you can help us to help you, while traveling. Before you depart on your trip give us as much notice as possible as to when traveling where you are traveling and which hotel/motel you are lodging. IT can call ahead and determine their internet capabilities and see if we can help make your stay as smooth as possible from a technological point of view. In I.T. we have a saying we often use amongst ourselves. If we are not building houses, we don’t get paid. If our customers can’t access the data, houses won’t get built.
Matthews Homes has three very different technologies for accessing our data services while out on the road or at home.
This article will detail the benefits and reasons for using Citrix. In My next article I will talk about Webmail and last our Virtual Private Networking (VPN) technologies.
What is Citrix
Citrix is a technology that can allow remote users to connect to applications that are actually installed on a remote computer located here in Stockton. Citrix uses a mix of technology that results in that remote application looking and behaving just as though it was installed on your local machine.For example, if an application needs to be made available to a group of team members who are off site, the application can be installed on a Citrix server and access will be given to the users who need to use it. Those users can then go to a certain web address, log in with their normal network login credentials and click on an icon on that page for that application. It will then appear as though the remote application will start and run on your remote computer, when the application is actually being executed on the Citrix server and screenshots and mouse/keyboard inputs are being sent back and forth between server and client. You would be "remote controlling" the application running on the server from their computer so the application need not be installed on the local machine. The remote application can be minimized / maximized / resized just like any other local application. Using drive mapping, files can be also be opened on and saved to the local computer that the user connected from.
Accessing Citrix
To reach our Citrix server from anywhere in the world; follow the instructions below.
Open up your Internet Browser. Navigate to one of the following.
http://citrix.matthewshomes.com/
http://www.matthewshomes.com/
Look for “Employee Login” in the lower left hand corner.
Once the citrix page loads you will see this login page.
Installing the Citrix Client
(Only needs to be done once per computer accessing Citrix)
If you have never used the Citrix client you will have install this software by clicking the “Metaframe Presentation Server Client for 32-bit Windows” link outlined above.
Once you click on this link you will see a few basic steps as outlined below.
Click on the “Run” button
You may or may not see this step. Click “Run” again.
You will see this screen.
You may or may not see this screen, click “Yes”
Click Yes
Click “OK”
Close your browser and navigate once again to the Matthews Homes Citrix site.
Logged In
Once you log in, you will see a set of Icons configured with applications you are currently authorized to run. You may or may not see as many as listed on the screen shot.
Double click on the application you wish to run. You may see a slight delay, DO NOT CLICK A SECOND TIME. It could take over a minute to load depending on number of users using Citrix, the internet connection you are using or even the Stockton Corporate internet connection could be busy, so please be a bit patient.
WARNING
PLEASE ALWAYS LOG OUT WHEN THROUGH WITH YOUR CITRIX SESSION
Citrix is a fast efficient method to deliver applications to you from remote locations. If you ever need help or have questions please contact IT.
I will over the course of a few articles attempt to detail each access method with instructions in the use of each.
In addition you can help us to help you, while traveling. Before you depart on your trip give us as much notice as possible as to when traveling where you are traveling and which hotel/motel you are lodging. IT can call ahead and determine their internet capabilities and see if we can help make your stay as smooth as possible from a technological point of view. In I.T. we have a saying we often use amongst ourselves. If we are not building houses, we don’t get paid. If our customers can’t access the data, houses won’t get built.
Matthews Homes has three very different technologies for accessing our data services while out on the road or at home.
This article will detail the benefits and reasons for using Citrix. In My next article I will talk about Webmail and last our Virtual Private Networking (VPN) technologies.
What is Citrix
Citrix is a technology that can allow remote users to connect to applications that are actually installed on a remote computer located here in Stockton. Citrix uses a mix of technology that results in that remote application looking and behaving just as though it was installed on your local machine.For example, if an application needs to be made available to a group of team members who are off site, the application can be installed on a Citrix server and access will be given to the users who need to use it. Those users can then go to a certain web address, log in with their normal network login credentials and click on an icon on that page for that application. It will then appear as though the remote application will start and run on your remote computer, when the application is actually being executed on the Citrix server and screenshots and mouse/keyboard inputs are being sent back and forth between server and client. You would be "remote controlling" the application running on the server from their computer so the application need not be installed on the local machine. The remote application can be minimized / maximized / resized just like any other local application. Using drive mapping, files can be also be opened on and saved to the local computer that the user connected from.
Accessing Citrix
To reach our Citrix server from anywhere in the world; follow the instructions below.
Open up your Internet Browser. Navigate to one of the following.
http://citrix.matthewshomes.com/
http://www.matthewshomes.com/
Look for “Employee Login” in the lower left hand corner.
Once the citrix page loads you will see this login page.
Installing the Citrix Client
(Only needs to be done once per computer accessing Citrix)
If you have never used the Citrix client you will have install this software by clicking the “Metaframe Presentation Server Client for 32-bit Windows” link outlined above.
Once you click on this link you will see a few basic steps as outlined below.
Click on the “Run” button
You may or may not see this step. Click “Run” again.
You will see this screen.
You may or may not see this screen, click “Yes”
Click Yes
Click “OK”
Close your browser and navigate once again to the Matthews Homes Citrix site.
Logged In
Once you log in, you will see a set of Icons configured with applications you are currently authorized to run. You may or may not see as many as listed on the screen shot.
Double click on the application you wish to run. You may see a slight delay, DO NOT CLICK A SECOND TIME. It could take over a minute to load depending on number of users using Citrix, the internet connection you are using or even the Stockton Corporate internet connection could be busy, so please be a bit patient.
WARNING
PLEASE ALWAYS LOG OUT WHEN THROUGH WITH YOUR CITRIX SESSION
Citrix is a fast efficient method to deliver applications to you from remote locations. If you ever need help or have questions please contact IT.
