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

Continue to the Photo Album:!http://richcrusco-frameworkx.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!7CEE7FC8F528290A!296/

I hope by now a lot of you know about the new "unconference" portion of Synergy 2008, Geek Speak Live.  Part of Geek Speak Live is the Geek Speak Lounge (GSL).  Basically is an area to meet at during the Live event and meet with other members of the Citrix community and discuss and share new ideas and topics.  It's also where you can see some demos with a twist, more on this later! 

First, here's the proposed GSL layout:
 
There are 4 main demo areas.  The twist is that the demos are intended to let you experience future Citrix technology  more interactively, possibly using some applications and devices that aren't what you'd usually see us demo.

So here's the rundown:

Cool Devices - This section of  the GSL features gadgets that can be today, or may be enabled tomorrow with the ICA client to become your XenApp or XenDesktop ICA end points.  Customers are using cell phones and PDAs today to do this, but we have some new devices that are starting to change the game and starting to reach Nirvana Device status as described in Chris Flecks post.  You'll get to try them out in the GSL, in exchange for you opinion and comments on how use of such devices can add value to your business, or not!  Hopefully this demo area makes you think about app and desktop delivery in some new ways.  For a quick preview of some of the devices that will be present, check out the Nirvana Devices Invade Synergy Geek Speak Lounge post.  (Note: we originally had a BarCamp session on this topic, but due to the great response we've gotten from others willing to present, we've removed this from BarCamp.  But you can still get the hands on experience and knowledge in the GSL on this subject).

Project Alice Demo - Haven't heard about project Alice, also referred to as Reverse seamless?  It fits in very nicely with our XenDesktop story and is a sneak peak at some new technology we are working on to allow the user to leverage local applications running on the end point device in the context of their XenDesktop seamlessly.  Image having those favorite apps you have on your laptop seamlessly showing up as part of your Corporate XenDesktop environment with out needing to switch between the local desktop and XenDesktop. 

Project Apollo Games - You've probably seen some of the blogs on project Apollo.  Apollo does a great job of enabling the new graphics intensive features of next generation applications in a Citrix environment (preview at Derek Thorslund's blog).  Well this is the GSL twisted version of those demos.  We're going to have 8 Dell XPS 710 gaming systems running an early version of Apollo, remoting an action game to Wyse Thin Clients.  You've seen the CAD demos, now it's your turn to actually sit down and give the power of project Apollo some hands on time, in true Geek Speak fashion.  While you probably won't be publishing games to your end user's any time soon, you should be able translate the power of this demo into how project Apollo can help you move to the next generation of graphic intensive applications in your Citrix deployment in the future.   We'll have some of the apps Derek has blogged on with Apollo as well, for those non-gamers like myself

Apollo Media Center - To further show off some of the new video capabilities the Apollo team is working on, we will also have an Alienware Area 51 system running Media Center in the GSL.  And you guessed it, the Alienware system will be "Apollo-ized" and remoting videos out to a large screen monitor via a Wyse thin client.  Again, maybe not what you'd do in production, but you should be able to translate this demo with a twist into better ideas on how to deliver some of those training videos and other multi-media out to your users in the future.

The GSL should be a great place for you to meet with other members of the Citrix Community, discuss new ideas and hopefully come up with some new ones!

Thanks to Intel for sponoring the event, and the list of other partners supporting the GSL effort:

Alienware, Dell, Wyse, Nokia, Sprint, Celio, i-Mate, Impatica, Icuiti

We look forwared to meeting you there!

Adam

Geek Speak made to several news site (view) this week when we officially announced Geek Speak Live as part of Synergy this year.

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Geek Speak Live!, the ultimate un-conference at Citrix Synergy 2008 where tech experts, industry analysts and bloggers take the reins - picking discussion topics and facilitating the sessions. Citrix Synergy, the all-new industry conference where virtualization, networking and application delivery meet, will take place May 20 to May 23 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Sponsored by Intel, Geek Speak Live! is one of four industry events taking place at Citrix Synergy 2008. The other events include iForum User Conference, Application Delivery Industry Expo and IT 2.0 Business Symposium. GSL gives participants ultimate control, allowing them to drive the agenda and format of the event. Instead of watching traditional PowerPoint presentations, attendees will choose and vote on topics and lead group discussions. Rather than one-way lectures, GSL will feature a series of rapid-fire discussions led by widely recognized experts and thought leaders, both from Citrix and from the wider application delivery infrastructure community. Participants will meet other industry tech experts, analysts and bloggers with fresh viewpoints and compelling opinions about where technology is headed.

Geek Speak Live! will also feature a Gadget Lab where attendees can interact with a wide-range of technologies focused on application delivery. The lab will include graphically intensive, interactive software that will be delivered using application virtualization, as well as the latest small footprint portable devices, prototype devices from Intel and "BYOG" (bring your own gadget) where attendees can demonstrate their own gadgets and favorite tools.

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If you have not yet registered for Synergy, you can click here to to complete your registration. I look forward to seeing you at Synergy and Geek Speak.

cheers,

Gus Pinto
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Desktop Virtualization and Citrix XenDesktop!

Time to rethink traditional desktop deployment. It's too expensive and kills productivity. Is desktop virtualization the answer? It's a hot topic, and we're going to look at it from every angle at Synergy.

Explode desktop virtualization myths
You've done the research, and you're convinced that desktop virtualization will:
 
• Solve your lifecycle management issues
• Reduce your storage requirements
• Improve the end user experience
• Enable your company's green computing initiatives
 

You'll be surprised at what you don't know about desktop virtualization. Learn more about it at Synergy - and find out why it may be just a first step.

XenDesktop: Make it all work together without losing your mind
IT moves at warp speed. You've got to keep your options open to ensure the best options for your business - with no vendor lock-in - as technologies and standards evolve. Come to Synergy and explore the open architecture of the all-new Citrix XenDesktop, which definitely plays well with others and provides out-of-the box integration. Stop by the Tech Lab in the Expo Hall, and watch how it works: XenDesktop dynamically assembles a unique desktop from pristine components for each user, every time they log on.

Whether you're tasked with evaluating the technology, deploying a solution - or explaining its benefits to the board - you'll find sessions at Synergy covering all the cutting edge content on desktop virtualization.

Continue on to Citrix Synergy

Hot Topics and Solutions in Application Delivery!

This track will bring together both hot topics and realistic approaches for making everything from the datacenter to the desktop work in the real world.

What in the World... Is a Dynamic Datacenter?
Server Virtualization - A "Natural" For Natural Disasters (and other DR Scenarios)
Why You Should Care...About Unified Communications
Critical Care: Optimizing and Protecting Web 2.0 Applications
Rethinking the Datacenter
Service-oriented Architecture: Positive or Negative for Application Delivery?
"Portable Personality": Making Users Device-Independent
Transformation with Virtualization: New Approaches to Data Security
Fighting New Threats, Enabling New Business
The IT Talent You Need Today and Tomorrow
The Hot Seat: Three Views of Desktop Virtualization
End-to-End Virtualization: Risks and Rewards
Insights along the Path to the "Xen" Garden
The Leading Edge: Virtual Appliances

Continue on to Citrix Synergy

The Latest on Citrix Products from A to Xen!

Sessions in this track will give attendees the latest scoop on Citrix products - from Access Gateway to XenServer.

Forgive us for Bragging... About the Best Windows App Delivery Solution Ever!
Happy End Users? With XenApp, It's No Longer an Oxymoron
Going the Distance: 50x Faster App Delivery to Branches with WANScaler
Branch Offices Get Up to Speed with XenApp
Top 10 Tips for Providing the Best Application Experience with EdgeSight
Testing 1-2-3, Testing 1-2-3: Automated Load and Regression Testing for XenApp
Go with the Flow: Using Workflow Studio to Deliver a Dynamic Datacenter
NetScaler: It's Not Just for Load Balancing Any More
Shhh! There's a Secret Weapon against Web Application Attacks
Make App Delivery Your Policy with AppExpert
Balancing Act: Achieve High Server Availability with NetScaler
Know All, See All with EdgeSight for NetScaler
Shift into High Gear with NetScaler Acceleration for Web Apps
XenApp and XenServer - Better Together
Easy as 1-2-3: Integrating Apps and Communications with EasyCall
Attention Techies! Learn to Configure New Access Gateway, Enterprise
Better than Lunesta: Implement Access Gateway and Stop Losing Sleep over Access Security
Your Technical Blueprint for the Dynamic Datacenter
Server Workload Streaming - The Next Best Thing to Cloning
Customers Are Talking...About Provisioning Server for Datacenters
Check Out the New Kid on the Block -- Citrix XenDesktop
App Virtualization with Isolation and Streaming - the Fastest Route from Server to Client
Managing User Profiles for Desktop and Application Delivery
Design Considerations for XenApp Implementations
Taming the Printing Beast with "Printing Virtualization"

Continue on to Citrix Synergy

Strategic Considerations for the Business IT Professional!

Sessions in this track will cover how application delivery and its underlying technologies - virtualization, application networking and optimization are transforming the IT industry and IT organizations. Topics in this track are intended for senior IT leaders.

Keeping Pace with Rapid Innovation- Best Practices for IT Leadership

IT organizations have historically struggled to keep pace with the speed that the business wants to, and increasingly, has to move. Led by IDC's Senior Vice President & Chief Analyst Frank Gens, this session will present recent research on topics critical to today's IT management leadership -- and discuss best practices with IT executives who are "keeping pace".

IT's "Invisible" Silver Bullet - Application Delivery Networks

If your network is not application fluent, you are wasting money, opening security holes and certainly not ready for the next wave of change in application architecture - Web 2.0. This session, led by Gartner Research Vice President, Joe Skorupa, will pull back the curtain on a proven, but often overlooked solution - Application Delivery Controllers - that could be your "silver bullet" in helping your business improve costs, security and responsiveness to change. This session will present recent research and discuss best practices with IT executives that have already discovered, and benefited from the "silver bullet".

End-to-End Virtualization - How Do We Get Real Value, Now?

How close are we to virtualization "nirvana", will it really change IT for the better, and deliver real value to the business? The pieces seem to be falling into place with virtualization occurring throughout the enterprise - server, storage, desktops, networks and applications. This session, led by Gartner Research Vice President Mark Margevicius, will present recent research and discuss best practices with industry leader CSC from their current practices in application, desktop and server virtualization.

Continue on to Citrix Synergy

Attend Citrix Synergy and complete the entry form found in your attendee bag (see image to the left) and drop it off at the Citrix Education booth during Exhibit Hall hours. Attendees may only enter the contest once and must be present during the drawing to win. The drawing will be held in the Exhibit Hall theatre on Thursday, May 22nd at 1:00pm.

Explore our Solutions

If your mission is a better return on your Citrix investment, take a step towards the solution with Citrix Education. Technical training and certification from Citrix Education enables you and your staff with best practices and in-depth product knowledge that is critical to keeping your Citrix environment running at peak performance.

Terms & Conditions

• Citrix employees, Citrix partners and Citrix vendors are not eligible to enter.
• Contestants must provide a valuable testimonial and answer the product/service related question in order to be eligible for the drawing.
• Testimonials become the property of Citrix. Contestants:
(a) assign Citrix all copyrights and moral rights in and to the testimonial arising under statute and common law, and all other derivative rights;
(b) grant Citrix permission to publish, copy and disseminate all or part of the testimonial;
(c) grant Citrix permission to use their name for advertising or promotional purposes all without any royalty, compensation or other consideration, except where prohibited by law.
• Contestants must be present to win. Registration is limited to one entry per person.
• Contestants must agree to and sign the terms and conditions of the drawing.
• Incomplete forms will not be accepted.
• Contestants shall be responsible for any taxes due from winning the trip
• Citrix Education shall not be responsible for any losses, or damages of any kind arising in connection with or as a result of the trip, or its acceptance.

Continue at Source: Citrix Training

At Citrix Synergy, you can take the latest Citrix Exams at our on-site testing center and get a second chance to pass - free!
If needed, you'll receive an exam retake voucher for the same exam, which can be redeemed at any Prometric testing center
worldwide.

Choose from the following list of Citrix Exams available at Synergy. Click on the exam number for detailed exam information, including related certifications and preparatory recommendations:

• A01 Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition 4.0: Administration
• 256 Citrix Presentation Server 4.0: Administration
• 259 Citrix Presentation Server 4.5: Administration
• 264 Citrix Presentation Server 4.5: Support
• 306 Citrix Access Gateway 4.2 with Advanced Access Control: Administration
• 308 Citrix Access Gateway 4.5 Advanced Edition: Administration
• 309 Citrix Access Gateway 8.0 Enterprise Edition: Administration
• 731 Citrix NetScaler 8.0: Administration
• 900 Citrix Provisioning Server 4.5: Administration

Don't miss an opportunity to get Citrix Certified with the no-risk assurance of a free exam retake!
To reserve your spot for this special offer, pre-register to take an exam with us by May 16th, 2008.

Continue at Source: Citrix Training

Participate in a Citrix Hands On Technical Workshop (HOT) at Citrix Synergy and receive a coupon for 15% off of a Citrix Training Pass and you can get up to a savings of $750!

Citrix Training Pass (CTP)
The CTP program offers the flexibility to purchase the right combination of training to meet your business goals. Sold as a voucher, a CTP provides the freedom to take training courses at participating Citrix Authorized Learning Centers (CALCs) within a 12 month period.

The Citrix Training Pass is:

• Available for authorized Citrix courses
• Redeemable at Citrix Authorized Learning Centers (CALCs) in North America
• Valid for one year from the date of purchase
• Includes all necessary authorized e-learning and ILT courseware
• Offered as Instructor-led Training and Virtual Instructor-led Training

Buy Now, Learn Later
To redeem your discount once you have the coupon in-hand, please follow these simple steps before August 31st:

1. Go to www.findcitrixtraining.com
2. Select the class date, time and location most convenient for you and click the "pre-register" button
3. Enter the promo code (found on the bottom left of the coupon) in the "promo code" field and submit your completed form
4. A representative from Citrix Education will contact you within 24 hours to complete the purchase.

*Offer valid through August 31, 2008. Not valid with any other promotions, packages or discount offers. Limit one Savings Certificate per customer per order. Applies only to new registrations.

Continue at Source: Citrix Training

This years conference Will Feature Leading Virtualization and Networking Analysts from Global Research Firms Including Forrester, Gartner and IDC

Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS), the global leader in application delivery infrastructure, today announced its featured industry analyst presenters for Citrix Synergy 2008, the all-new industry conference where virtualization, networking and application delivery meet. Industry analysts participating at the conference will discuss best practices and reveal proven tactics for success in today's ever-changing business environment, offering a holistic perspective on emerging enterprise technology. Citrix Synergy will take place May 20 to May 23 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Industry analyst sessions will highlight the latest research in application delivery, networking  and virtualization, and outline strategies for implementing and leveraging these cutting-edge technologies, including:

• Keeping Pace with Rapid Innovation - Best Practices for IT Leadership
• End-to-End Virtualization - How Do We Get Real Value, Now?
• The Hot Seat: Three Views of Desktop Virtualization
• IT's "Invisible" Silver Bullet - Application Delivery Networks
• Transformation with Virtualization: New Approaches to Data Security

Citrix Synergy has assembled an impressive lineup of industry analysts well regarded as experts in their field, including:

• Chris Wolf, Senior Analyst, Burton Group
• Mark Bowker, Analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group
• Natalie Lambert, Senior Analyst, Forrester
• Neil MacDonald, Vice President and Gartner Fellow, Gartner
• Mark Margevicius, Research Vice President, Gartner
• Joe Skorupa, Research Vice President, Gartner
• Frank Gens, Senior Vice President and Chief Analyst, IDC
• Robin Gareiss, Executive Vice President and Senior Founding Partner, Nemertes Research
  
  

Continue at Source: Citrix News Releases

Some of you may be familiar with the BarCamp concept. BarCamps are "user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants".


BarCamp.org is a great site for background on this concept. You can find the "rules of BarCamps" below.

If you are familiar with the concept of BarCamps, you know that most of them are focused on web development. There have been a few BarCamps on IT in general, investing, self help and other topics. This is just a great way to get people together to talk tech. Since so many of us are going to be at Synergy anyway, I thought this would be a great way to get together to hear from a broad range of people on a wide variety of tech topics.

Here is a video from the first BarCamp in Orlando last year -

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Geek Speak Live is a part of Synergy for the first time this year. Geek Speak will span all three days of the Synergy event, and have discussions lead by several of the Citrix Technology Professionals and other industry technologists. (James Rabey blogged about Geek Speak Live here) The goal is to extend Geek Speak Live to include community generated content and discussions with this "mini-BarCamp".


We are working on a plan to hold a "mini-BarCamp" immediately after the Geek Speak Live session on the second night of Citrix Synergy. We will set up a page (probably on CDN) that lists the speaking slots where you can sign up for a slot. Some BarCamps only allow sign up for the session slots on the day of the event, while others allow sign up on a wiki before the event begins. We are going to stick with the Wiki for this first one to give those who participate a chance to plan ahead.

The goal for this is to give the technical audience at Synergy a chance to get together to discuss whatever technical content most interests you. No marketing slides, no features and benefits, just hard core technical discussions about any IT topic that interests you and the attendees. You can run a white board discussion, present a technical presentation on your latest project, or show a demo of your newest creation with an SDK. Anyone can sign up for a slot. You may be an IT admin, a technology consultant, a Citrix technical employee, a technical employee of a Citrix partner (or competitor), or a student who loves technology and wants to share it. We do not yet know how many speaking slots there will be (that depends on the room and amount of time we get).

Once we get final approval to use some rooms at the convention center where Synergy is hosted, we will be putting together a committee to run the mini-"BarCamp" event. This committee will include both Citrix employees and members of the community. We will need volunteers to help with coordination of the event on site, food and drink setup and live blogging and video of the sessions. We are also working on setting up a network gaming area in the lounge for use after the event concludes later in the evening.

As I have stated before on this blog, feedback is the Breakfast of Champions. If you have any thoughts on this event, please post them in the comments or send me an email at citrixblogger @ citrix . com (just remove the spaces).

You can click here to register for Citrix Synergy.