Citrix Drives Synergy With Its Partners

During the opening keynote, Citrix CEO Mark Templeton outlined a number of initiatives and product enhancements that he said were designed to ease the ongoing transitions “between life and work.” Templeton noted that people consistently intersperse their work life with their personal life, and part of the Citrix agenda is to “ensure a seamless continuum that gives you the shortest distance between work and life.”

Among the highlights, “GoToAssist,” the company’s on-demand, cloud-based support tool, is providing extended support for Android devices, after support for the iPad was added last week. Templeton received additional audience applause when he told the gathering that Android support is now being delivered free of charge.

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Templeton also announced the availability of the Zenith-2, which adds additional speed, security, resolution, and WAN optimization to the initial Zenith device, developed two years ago in partnership with Wyse.

Citrix “VDI-in-a-Box” offers full HDX experience in a highly scalable design that can then be transitioned via license upgrade to full XenDesktop. The product won Best of Show at this week’s Interop conference in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile XenClient has been extended to secure mobile VDI for corporate laptops. Increased management capabilities were also added through the Citrix corporate acquisition of Virtual Computer (VCI). Added features include advanced security controls and automated backup. The product is also an additional benefit for customers holding XenDesktop licenses.

AppDNA is designed to support migration of Windows OS and a variety of web applications, either on a physical-to-physical basis or on a physical-to-virtual basis. This product, in particular, is well-positioned, given the forthcoming end-of-life for Windows XP and the arrival of Windows 8, Templeton said.

Templeton also gave a keynote shout-out to Citrix’s existing alliances with Microsoft and Cisco. The company is experiencing 80 percent growth in joint desktop virtualization with Microsoft. Templeton also added that Citrix was heavily involved in the reference design for Cisco VXI, through the two companies’ five-year strategic alliance.

The event, which kicked off on Tuesday, continues through Friday.