As part of their coverage of Citrix Synergy,Virtual Strategy Magazinerecorded a video interview with Simon Crosby, the CTO of our VMD division, at Citrix Synergy. In this interview Simon talks about our virtualization products Citrix XenDesktop, XenServer and about great partners like Marathon Technologies.

Thanks to VSM for the link back to the Synergy Underground site as well.

This is a continuation of an earlier post on XenApp Platinum related video interviews from Citrix Synergy.

As part of Synergy Underground project, we interviewed many of the people in the XenApp booth in the TechLab to talk about the different features and components of Citrix XenApp Platinum.

(Each of these videos were shot and streamed live to the Underground site via a Nokia N95 cell phone. The convenience and ability to stream live video directly to the net is the trade off for the lower audio and video quality. Read this post for an explanation of the process and a video on how the live streaming worked.)

Smart Auditor for Citrix XenApp with Kiran Kulkarni

Citrix Edgesight Monitoring for XenApp with Sean Connelly

Citrix EdgeSight for Load Testing with James Millington

As part of Synergy Underground project, we interviewed many of the people in the XenApp booth in the TechLab to talk about the different features and components of Citrix XenApp Platinum.

(Each of these videos were shot and streamed live to the Underground site via a Nokia N95 cell phone. The convienience and ability to stream live video directly to the net is the trade off for the lower audio and video quality. Read this post for an explanation of the process and a video on how the live streaming worked.)

Here are three of those video interviews -

Jay Tomlin on Smart Access

David Wagner talks about the new User profile Manager Tech Preview

Victor Thu talks about Easy Call
(low audio in first half)

Synergy 2008 was a great event, and I wanted to introduce you to a group of people, among the many other people, who have done their part in making all the magic happen at Synergy. They have been the crew year after year that have made all of our events possible. Missing this year was Donnie Page, but he had the best excuse, something about his wife having a child or something, congratulations to you and your family, which now includes a new baby girl, we missed you. I was in awe at how organized this team was and how quickly they went about getting everything setup, not to mention the long hours. Thank you all for the great job well done, and please help me add anyone to the list that I may have missed, you guys rock!

Brian Miller
Fabian Wright
Doug DeLucca
Greg Sanders
Ray Stanton
Jesse Lazcano
Riley Cooper
Chris Schultz
Mike Delaguardia
Brian Moss
Mike Rossi
Mike Morris
Cory Ohm
Kpayah Tamba
Allen Furmanski
Pedro Llugano
Jose Rios
David Moxey

Here are a couple of photos I took during a well deserved night out for dinner:

Synergy 2008 turned out to be an incredible event, it was an Expo, an iForum, IT 2.0 , and it was Geek Speak Live all in one. I had my reservations at first, as I really didn't like the idea of moving it from October to May, which in my point of view, put it in the same time slot as so many other events. I knew that this had the possibility of making people having to choose which event to go to during this time. I would like to thank all of you that were able to attend, and I hope that it was all that you expected and more.

Here are some photos I took during the first day registration:

Citrix has grown its position in the industry and in the community, we hope to hear from you, as we would like to know how we can make things even better, please let us how we can make Citrix and our involvement go to places never thought possible.

Thanks for attending and we hope to see you next year!

On behalf of the Synergy Underground team, we would like to thank you all for tuning in and watching.
We hope that we have given you a uncensored glimpse into the goings on at a Citrix Event,
and what better event to kick it off with other than at this years Synergy!

Please say hello to the Synergy Underground team:

John Fanelli
James Rabey
Chris Fleck
Barry Flanagan
Vishal Ganerwiala
Adam Marano
Sunil Kumar
Gus Pinto
Rich Crusco

We would like to take this Underground idea to the next level, so please feel free to let us know what we can do to make it even better. What did you like, what didn't you like, what should we have done, what shouldn't we have done, or just what ever you think.

Thanks again and stay tuned for more!

Continue to the synergy underground:
http://community.citrix.com/underground/

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them or glorify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things."

The text above wasn't quite written by me, it shipped with my new Mac, if you have one, open finder and take a closer look at TextEdit's icon.

Although the thought above wasn't written by me, it reflects exactly how I feel today.

• Geek Speak

An experiment, that is sure enough in its infancy. Although for years censorship surrounded the hallways of Citrix now we have a direct channel to allow our customers, partners, employees and most passionate geeks to speak up - speak whatever they want good or bad.
The ability of criticize or praise is within everyone's heart, however those speak their minds open the path for those who listen, and smart ones take advantage to improve when the road of improvement is presented.
I could make my above statement easier if removed the metaphors and simply say. We are open to hear from everyone our greatness and weakness - now more than ever we are open to act upon it and make the wrong, right.
Thanks for all those who helped us put together Geek Speak, for helping make it a naked conversation with our most important audience.
We will shape Geek Speak based on things we've learned, expect to see us rattling the cages in Vegas next year.

• Synergy Underground

Another learning curve for both our team and Citrix, over 17,000 views in 3 days, 190 updates on our twitter feed, tons of live shots on Qik, over 70 veedios.
More than numbers Underground was a concept, the concept of change - no agendas, no holds bar format. Go out there be yourself show people what you see, give you very own view of the conference, while helping those outside to share the same experience.
We put together this little site together in two days, next time we will spend more cycles creating a more unique experience, more information, better formatting, more contributors and heck of a lot more fun!
If there's anything I highly regret is not being able to cover breakout sessions and keynotes, but since this Synergy is behind us, I won't spend my time in sorrow, instead I will make sure we focus and deliver what our visitors have asked us.

• In Sum

I can't thank everyone enough for putting their time and effort on pulling off Geek Speak and Underground. If you want to know the ones I'm actually speaking of, here they are: Adam Marano, Barry Flanagan, Chris Fleck, Vishal Ganeriwala, Sunil Kumar, John Fanelli, James Rabey, Myself and Rich Crusco.

Learned from our audience: Less PPTs showing how our products work and more Demos of them in action during Breakout sessions, Let's always give out our do's and don'ts when it comes down to showing the capabilities of our products.

This was an event like no one I've been before, it started a revolution and will continue to do so during our next years to come.

See you all in Vegas.

Cheers,
Gus Pinto

It was great to see all of the many people that came to Geek Speek Live, and it was even more incredible to see that it turned out to be a standing room only event! Not that I didn't want everyont to have a seat, of which we apologize to you for underestimating the amount of people who would be attending. We knew that there was a need and demand for people to have a voice and dialog with Citrix community, but who would have guessed that it was going to be this big

Here are some photos I took on day 1 of Geek Speak Live

I want to thank everyone who was involved in Geek Speak Live, the people who envisioned it, the people who helped make it a reality, the people who set it up, the speakers, the sponser (Intel), and of course the attendees.

We look forward to any and all feedback you have to making this and even more impressive event, so please, if you have any ideas or feedback please let us know how we can make it even better.

Thank You All!

Here is your chance to preregister for Citrix Synergy 2009 in May 2009, Las Vegas

If you can only attend one conference this year, Synergy, the event where virtualization, networking and application delivery meet, is your best choice. Synergy combines multiple events to provide a holistic view of today's hottest technologies, along with the business and technological savvy you need to succeed in challenging times.

Continue to Citrix Synergy 2009 Pre-Registration: http://www.citrixsynergy.com/about.php?id=5

Overview | Where virtualization, networking and application delivery meet

Synergy 2009 has been completely reconceived as the industry's premier thought leadership event where virtualization, networking and application delivery meet. While other conferences provide broad topics of general interest to attract as many attendees as possible, Synergy remains tightly focused on virtualization, networking and application delivery, and will provide you with the steps you can take today to enable a simpler and more cost efficient computing environment for your company.

Synergy will enable you to break away from the cost and complexity of distributed computing. By making application delivery a strategic priority, you can lower TCO, improve business processes and respond to market forces with greater agility. You'll increase your skills and bring back new ideas and solutions that will enhance IT's strategic importance to your organization.

Overview | Conference Highlights

In addition to being the best event to expand your knowledge and skills regarding application delivery, networking and virtualization, Synergy is also a great place to find out what other organizations, industry experts, vendors and opinion leaders are doing. Synergy provides many opportunities to network, exchange ideas and compare notes.

Synergy is being held at a fabulous venue—the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas—which offers plenty of opportunities for relaxation and entertainment.

Welcome Reception - Monday, May 4
During its 10-year history, Synergy has always begun with a gala Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall. You will be able to greet friends, meet new acquaintances and get a first look at the many products and solutions on display.

Innovation Award
The Citrix Innovation Award recognizes Citrix customers that have implemented its solutions to drive innovation in their businesses. Presented at Synergy, the award showcases compelling, real-life examples of customers who exemplify IT agility from the datacenter to the desktop.

Solutions Expo
This large and diverse exhibition will feature exciting new products and solutions where more than 70 leading industry vendors will showcase their application delivery solutions. The Solutions Expo Hall also offers a presentation theater and a whiteboard area staffed by Citrix experts on hand to answer your detailed technical questions. At the center of it all will be the expansive Citrix booth which will include hands-on demos of Citrix technologies given by product experts.

Citrix Testing Center

Take one of our latest exams at regular price at the Citrix Testing Center, located in Grand Ballroom 109-110 (MGM Grand Convention Center), during business hours and receive an extra exam of your choice at no cost! The free exam may be used for retakes or advancement toward your desired credential. Now through Friday, May 1 pre-register to take an exam at the Testing Center and receive an extra 20% off the exam price! Testing Center Hours: Monday, May 4 - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, May 5 - 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, May 6 - 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and Thursday, May 7 - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

MGM Grand
This world-famous hotel and casino offers practically unlimited dining, relaxation and entertainment possibilities, including a spa, Parisian-style cabaret, pool club, nightclubs and lounges, and even the renowned Cirque du Soleil, which performs its theatrical extravaganza, KÀ, right in the hotel.

Here is a collection of videos from the synergy underground at Citrix Synergy 2008 in Houston, TX

Continue to the synergy underground:
http://community.citrix.com/underground/

Here is a collection of videos from keynote at Citrix Synergy 2008 in Houston, TX

Continue to the Videos:
http://www.citrixsynergy.com/conferencehighlight_keynotevideos.htm

Here is a collection of photos from day 5 activities for Synergy 2008 in Houston, TX

Continue to the Photo Album:
http://cid-ec08edacfe9c6608.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!EC08EDACFE9C6608!512/

Here is a collection of photos from day 4 activities for Synergy 2008 in Houston, TX

Continue to the Photo Album:
http://cid-ec08edacfe9c6608.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!EC08EDACFE9C6608!431/

Here is a collection of photos from day 3 activities for Synergy 2008 in Houston, TX

Continue to the Photo Album:
http://cid-ec08edacfe9c6608.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!EC08EDACFE9C6608!266/

Here is a collection of photos from day 2 activities for Synergy 2008 in Houston, TX

Continue to the Photo Album:
http://cid-ec08edacfe9c6608.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!EC08EDACFE9C6608!107/

Here is a collection of photos from day 1 CSEIT activities for Synergy 2008 in Houston, TX

Continue to the Photo Album:
http://richcrusco-frameworkx.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!7CEE7FC8F528290A!299/

Here is a collection of photos from day 3 of the setup activities for Synergy 2008 in Houston, TX

Continue to the Photo Album:
http://richcrusco-frameworkx.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!7CEE7FC8F528290A!298/

Here is a collection of photos from day 2 of the setup activities for Synergy 2008 in Houston, TX

Continue to the Photo Album:
http://richcrusco-frameworkx.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!7CEE7FC8F528290A!297/