Citrix Workspace is a platform that provides secure, remote access to a variety of resources including apps, desktops, and content from any location and device. These resources may include cloud-based apps, mobile and local apps, web-based applications, and browser apps, as well as Citrix DaaS (Desktop as a Service) offerings.
Due to its endless features, it is rapidly becoming one of the most used business suites. Most employees working in the companies fear that their boss can see them through the Citrix workspace. But is true? Is it safe and can Citrix Workspace spy on you? Does it also work as employee monitoring software? Keep reading the article to find your answers about Citrix spying.
Quick Summary
Citrix workspace is not meant for spying on employees. However, it does provide the employer with the opportunity to monitor their remote employees and track their work hours productivity, internet usage, and much more.
Can Citrix Workspace Spy On You?
If you are wondering, can my boss see what I’m doing on Citrix then let me tell you that yes, your boss can see all the activities that you do within the Citrix ecosystem. For example, which app you have opened, your browsing history, and much more.
Ok so does this mean Citrix Workspace can track you? No, don’t worry Citrix workspace isn’t spyware so it can’t track you. It won’t monitor your activity on your personal computer. Even if you have installed the Citrix Workspace on your personal device, your boss cannot see anything that you do on it. All they can see is the stuff you do on inside the Citrix window so Citrix Workspace can be considered safe.
This means that even if the Citrix Window is minimized and running in the background still your boss cannot monitor your activities on your computer.
If you are worried about whether Citrix can access your camera then let me tell you that your webcam can be accessed by the virtual apps running within the Citrix Workspace. The apps that mostly need your camera access are virtual team meeting platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, etc.
If you are afraid that Citrix can use your laptop webcam as a spy camera to record your personal activities then you are wrong. Don’t worry it’s not going to happen. Also these days on all laptops you get a notification light next to the webcam which glows when the camera is in use.
With this, you can easily tell if someone is accessing your camera remotely to see your activities or not.
Overall, Citrix can see the activities that you do on their platform and inform your employer about it. This means your company or your boss can see your Citrix activities. In the following section of the article, I am going to share with you how Citrix Workspace can spy on you.
How Can It See My Activity?
Following are the ways how Citrix Workspace can monitor your activities and report them to your employers.
1. Track Work Hours
Citrix can help the company to track their remote employees’ work hours. This is a great feature for employers as they can track their employees working from home effectively with the help of this tool. It can help them determine whether the remote employee is working or just procrastinating.
2. Monitor Remote Employee Productivity
Besides tracking the work hours of the remote employees, the company can even monitor their work-from-home employee productivity with the Citrix workspace.
It shares the productivity report with the employer which tells about the internet and application usage of the employee. It even gives an overview of time consumed by your workers on neutral, productive, and unproductive websites.
3. Monitor Internet & Application Usage
Citrix even allows the employer to check their employee’s internet usage. Besides that, it even tells them what apps they have used on the Citrix dashboard. This means whenever you browse the internet or use any app on your Citrix Workspace dashboard then your boss will know about it.
4. Monitor Employee Storage Device Usage
Apart from showing what activities the employees are performing on their Citrix dashboard, the Citrix Workspace also enables the boss to see their worker’s USB activities. This means it shows them what device was connected to their computer, and also shows them what files are being transferred to the plugged-in devices.
Final Verdict
As you have seen, Citrix Workspace can see everything you do on your Citrix account. However, it cannot be considered spyware and the reason behind that is it cannot see what you do on your personal computer outside of your Citrix account. Also, you are already aware that your employer is watching your activities through Citrix so you cannot consider it spying. Because spying is something when someone monitors your activities and you are not aware of it.
However, still, I would recommend you use the Citrix application on your office device and not on your personal computer. Why take risks?
