Citrix unveils end-to-end virtualization strategy

This announcement comes on the heels of its recently completed acquisition of XenSource, Inc., a privately held leader in enterprise-grade virtual infrastructure solutions (see today's separate press release on the company's close of the XenSource acquisition).

The acquisition positions Citrix - a longtime leader in application virtualization - as the only company to offer a comprehensive application delivery infrastructure that leverages server, application and desktop virtualization to make the entire IT infrastructure far more flexible and dynamic.

"Citrix is now positioned to be a key provider of server, desktop and application virtualization technologies, a market which IDC expects to be worth in excess of $3.4bn by 2011," said John Humphreys, program vice president, IDC.

"Citrix's new end-to-end virtualization offerings augments the company's application delivery strategy and represents the foundational components of the future application delivery environment."

"With virtualization emerging as an important concept for business and technology professionals in the Middle East, we are in an excellent position to deliver end-to-end technology for application virtualization, from the server to the desktop. Through the Xensource acquisition, we have now added the Citrix XenServer™ and Citrix XenDesktop™, which has helped us complete our strategic suite of virtualization solutions," said Antoine Aguado, Regional Manager, Citrix Middle East.

End-to-End Virtualization: From the Datacenter to the Desktop

Virtualization has become one of the most talked-about technologies in recent years because it breaks the "hard-coded" link between hardware and software, allowing individual computing components to be dynamically combined and reassembled for maximum efficiency and agility. Citrix has long been the leading provider of virtualization technologies at the user tier of computing with products that deliver mission-critical applications to end users with the best performance, security and cost savings. The XenSource acquisition allows Citrix to extend its use of virtualization into the logic and data tier of applications, improving overall customer value and enhancing its position as the market leader in end-to-end application delivery infrastructure.

With the completion of the XenSource acquisition, Citrix now adds two new product lines to its portfolio, Citrix XenServer™ for server virtualization and Citrix XenDesktop™ for desktop virtualization. Combined with the company's existing application virtualization products, these two new additions give Citrix the industry's most comprehensive end-to-end virtualization portfolio:

• Server Virtualization with Citrix XenServer. The new Citrix XenServer product line is an enterprise-class platform for managing server virtualization in the datacenter as a flexible aggregated pool of computing and storage resources. Based on the high-performance Xen virtualization engine, Citrix XenServer combines comprehensive server virtualization capabilities with unparalleled scalability, performance and ease-of-use. The new product line ranges from Citrix XenServer Express Edition, an easy-to-use single-server solution available for free download, to the more comprehensive Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition (formerly XenEnterprise).

• Application Virtualization with Citrix Presentation Server. With more than 70 million users and 99 percent of the global Fortune 500 as customers, Citrix Presentation Server™ is the industry's de facto standard for delivering Windows applications with the best performance, security and cost savings. Presentation Server stores all Windows applications in a single central store in the datacenter, then delivers them to end users on-demand via innovative application virtualization technology. Server-side app virtualization stores applications on the server and virtualizes the presentation layer to end users, while client-side app virtualization streams applications to the desktop and runs them in a protected virtualization environment at the end point.

• Desktop Virtualization with Citrix XenDesktop. Citrix XenDesktop, scheduled to ship in the first half of next year, will be a groundbreaking new product line designed to overcome the challenges of cost, complexity and user experience that have prevented virtual desktops from becoming a mainstream enterprise reality in the past. Citrix XenDesktop will be the industry's first comprehensive, fully integrated desktop delivery system, moving beyond the limitations of existing virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) point solutions to ensure the simple, secure, fast delivery of Windows desktops to any office worker over any network. Citrix XenDesktop will combine a powerful desktop delivery controller (based on Citrix Desktop Server™ with native ICA® protocol support), Xen virtualization infrastructure for hosting any number of virtual desktops in the datacenter, and virtual desktop provisioning to stream a single desktop image on-demand to multiple virtual machines in the datacenter (based on Citrix Provisioning Server™).

Strong Alignment with Microsoft

Citrix's end-to-end virtualization strategy includes a strong shared partnership with Microsoft and a commitment to continued innovation on the Windows platform. The two companies share a strategic relationship in server and desktop virtualization designed to ensure broad interoperability between the Citrix XenServer and Citrix XenDesktop products and the upcoming Microsoft Windows hypervisor, code named "Viridian."

This relationship complements and broadens the longtime successful partnership between the two companies in the application virtualization, application networking and branch office infrastructure markets.

New Product Availability

Citrix XenServer is available today from certified resellers worldwide. Citrix XenDesktop is scheduled for general availability in the first half of 2008. Customers can download a free Citrix XenDesktop Tech Preview Kit today from: http://www.citrix.com/xendesktop. The Tech Preview Kit will give customers and partners a preview of the Citrix's technologies that will enable them to successfully deliver virtual desktops from the data center. The current Citrix Desktop Server product will become a fully integrated feature of the new Citrix XenDestkop when it ships next year.

About iForum 07 - The App Delivery Expo

Now in its tenth year, the Citrix App Delivery Expo is the industry's largest conference focused entirely on application delivery infrastructure, bringing together thousands of business leaders, IT managers and technology leaders from around the world. Application delivery infrastructure best practices will be highlighted in more than 60 sessions, including keynotes and general sessions from analysts at Gartner, Forrester, IDC and Yankee Group, as well as industry leaders like Accenture, Dell, Microsoft, HP, IBM, Intel, Oracle and SAP. The conference also features 15 enterprise customer presentations, vendor exhibits, technology labs, hands-on technical workshops, panel discussions, and product demonstrations. The event will present thought leaders and cutting-edge technology behind some of the hottest trends in the market, including virtualization, desktop delivery and application networking. Held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, from October 22-25, 2007, the Citrix App Delivery Expo will also feature keynotes by Citrix executives including Mark Templeton, president and CEO.