In the spirit of "keepin it simple", so simple that even a caveman can do it, I engaged the help of a few of our best CTPs (Child Technology Protégés),actually technology savvy elementary school kids to help produce a small video showing off some Citrix technology with mobile devices. So those of us that aren't smarter than a 5th grader should still be able to follow along We had a lot of fun making this video, but the interesting part was that the kids actually GOT IT! The video features Citrix Ready products from partners Sprint and Celio. Three use cases are expressed in the video:

• Mobile Health Care Users
• Traveling Road Warriors
• Mobile Field Technicians

Hope the video helps generate some ideas on how you can use Citrix to simplify you mobile deployments.

We will dive deeper into some of these use cases as part of a video series on Citrix TV so you can get a little more familiar with each, and some of the products used. If the kid thing works, we may need to have a sequel

One of the new exclusive Windows 7 feature is the use of search connectors. Users have the ability to search remote file repositories on the local network or web using Windows Explorer. I've created a Windows 7 search connector to search content into the Citrix Knowledgebase.

Download the CitrixKB CitrixKB.zip search Connector and add http://support.citrix.com and http://api.bing.com to your trusted sites in your Internet Explorer. (Tools -> Internet Options -> Security)

Now you can start your Windows Explorer, click Citrix on the left favorite pane and enter your search string.

The Citrix Cloud offers users the ability to experience the power of Citrix solutions without having to setup and configure their own environemnt. The Citrix Cloud demo environment utilize a number of key Citrix solutions including Citrix XenServer, Citrix XenApp, Citrix NetScaler and Citrix Access Gateway.

Users can register for a demonstration account good for a 2 hour session, or expires 24 hours from the time of the registration. Currently the Citrix Cloud offers demos for the PC's & Mac's plus Citrix Receiver on iPhone and Citrix Receiver for Windows Mobile Professional devices. You can use the link below to register for a demo account from you PC or your mobile device.

Registration URL http://www.citrixcloud.net

When you're ready to meet your local Citrix Field team let us know and we will set up a time to show you why Citrix has always been and will always be the leader in simplified virtualization!

 
Actually, 201,745 to be exact. That's the number of downloads we've had for the Citrix Receiver for iPhone since we launched on March 30th. That's the day Citrix started down the path of re-defining Mobility not as a singular device but as a strategy. I'm so excited to be at the center of it all. Around here, most folks call me Pete so please don't hold back. I'm the Product Manager for Mobility... one of a handful of folks here at Citrix that is driving our mobile strategy.

I remember back to late December in 2008 when my Director reached out to me and asked if I would take the lead on the Citrix Receiver for the iPhone. Like many of you my first response was "... why would someone run a session on a screen that's 320x480?" I accepted for the sake of the challenge and intrigue. Then I bought myself an iPhone. The light bulbs went off immediately and I saw the possibilities unfold before me. Then Blackberry Storm and Google Android devices started gaining headway and I was hooked. The development from the Engineers at Citrix Labs enabled me to see this was much bigger than the iPhone and "an app for that...". We needed a strategy and the technology that could let customers use these powerful devices to access virtual applications and virtual desktops. With the right software and peripherals, these "tech toys" could be more powerful than a full-featured PC when accessing applications and desktops hosted on ample servers in the data center.

Since then, we've adopted a fast prototyping and engineering model that utilizes short and multiple iterations. This allowed us to speed up delivery of Receiver for iPhone. Now, over 200,000 downloads later, we begin to see the fruit of our labor. Using this same successful model established just over a year ago we are realizing the benefits again with the Receiver for Windows Mobile devices which will be released this week. The end goal is to release Receivers for mobile devices that exhibit much of the same usability features and functionality as the Receiver for iPhone. In the coming months I look forward towards introducing new Citrix Receiver platforms. Stay tuned to my blog and that of Vinny Sosa for more information as the strategy unfolds. Here's to 200,000 and beyond!

Follow me on Twitter @PeteYaguno

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Registration is now open for this years Autumn 2009 CUGtech event in Geilo, Norway on Oct 7th through Oct 9th. It looks like there might also be a discount for the event by registering as a member.

Register here to participate at CUGtech Autumn 2009

• You will have to pay directly to the hotel when checking out Friday, using creditcard or cash.
• Register as a member now and get 50% discount for the membership valid thru 31/12-09.
• Only members can attend Master Classes, and get the special member price for the conference.

Click below to continue to registration:
http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/register/

Here is a nice view of the Geek Wonderland where the event will be hosted.

Geilo, Norway

Click below to learn more about the event:

CUGtech Autumn 2009: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/
Location: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/location/
Transport: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/transport/
Speakers: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/speakers/
Agenda: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/agenda/
Master Classes: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/master-classes/
Register: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/register

Get ready for another European Geek Out event at this year's CUGtech event being hosted by Citrix Users Group Norway on Oct 7 through Oct 9 at the Dr. Holms Hotel in Geilo, Norway

This will be HARDCORE technical stuff with some of the best geeks in the world!
Shawn Bass and Benny Tritsch are coming! So are Alex Yushchenko, the founder and master of PubForum! We also have our danish friend Rene Vester from DKCUG on the speakers list! From Citrix we will have speakers from Citrix Support and Citrix Consulting, and from US our dear friends Rich Crusco and Rick Dehlinger are coming.

If you don't know about Citrix Users Group Norway, climb out from under that rock you have been living under, and come and join us at one of Europe's premier independently run Citrix Users Group events.

Click below to learn more:

CUGtech Autumn 2009: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/
Location: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/location/
Transport: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/transport/
Speakers: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/speakers/
Agenda: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/agenda/
Master Classes: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/master-classes/
Register: http://cug.no/cugtech-autumn-2009/register/

Stay tuned for more announcements about when registration will be made avaialble

Today we announced another key addition to our portfolio of HDX technologies within XenDesktop, enabling high definition virtual desktops - HDX 3D.

Before we get into too much detail, in my experience it's always sensible and logical to consider the broader context to gain perspective and not get lost in the marketing. For me this is about extending our leadership position in delivering user experience that we have built with HDX technologies over the last 20 years.

HDX offers several other capabilities such as multimedia, USB, voice collaboration, etc that users for virtual desktops can use wherever they are. Michael Harris produced a really nice short video that explains the HDX areas of competence. What's key to understand is that to deliver the best experience for many rich content types, on diverse devices that may be accessed from a myriad of locations, one must leverage the existing environment in an optimal manner. HDX with adaptive orchestration leverages the client, network and server to optimize the experience of users based on the content and infrastructure that is available.

This inherent flexibility in the architecture of HDX technology is key to delivering a more efficient and predictable user experience. For example if you send multimedia content directly to the client in it's original format for optimal playback when the bandwidth is good, and render on the server when bandwidth is poor you leverage your bandwidth efficiently allowing other applications to also consume bandwidth. Similarly if your technology can identify repetitive patterns within multiple bitmaps on a screen you can avoid retransmitting bits saving network bandwidth. Additionally if your technology can dynamically adapt to changing network conditions, you remain efficient as parameters that you can't control change. These unpredictable conditions become even more important as you traverse the internet to connect to clouds. So having an arsenal of technologies to handle so many variables that have been matured over the years is critical to delivering a user experience that will allow IT to feel confident in the service levels they are delivering for Desktop Virtualization.

Extending HDX to graphical intensive applications over any kind of network- HDX 3D

HDX 3D is a new technology that addresses the needs of professional graphics users in industries such as Engineering, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Aerospace and Automotive. Professional graphics users requiring 3D graphics apps such as AutoCAD or Catia can now use virtual desktops to do all their work.

When we collaborated with our customers on the design of this technology, they reminded us that with the forces of globalization in play, more and more designers and engineers would be working offshore all over the world. This made it abundantly clear to us that in order to meet customer needs WAN performance was going to be a critical component. If WAN optimization was not a top priority from the outset, many of the cost benefits would be negated through poor performance and increased WAN circuit costs. So the mission for our engineers was very clear.

The results

Our test engineers reported back that they could deliver a great user experience on WAN connections with latency of up to 150ms. Even 3D graphics over 1 Mbps became possible! I was pleased, but wanted to understand how this compared to hardware based solutions that have generated a lot of excitement in the industry. Our engineers decided to contrast performance against the PCoIP protocol leveraging the proprietary Teradici hardware solution. Note that VMware has publically stated that they plan to offer a software only version of the PCoIP protocol. Logically speaking, the same technology without the benefit of hardware assist, one would expect this version to be of inferior performance. To be fair, we have not tested the software only version of PCoIP yet.

The methodology on the LAN was to auto-spin in Catia and measure bandwidth usage starting at full image quality for each product and incrementing down to the lowest quality. For the WAN, a WAN emulator was used to introduce latency and repeat the test to auto-spin Catia and observe which appeared to spin more smoothly. Manual rotation was also performed to see what it felt like from a user perspective.

In summary we found that PCoIP with the benefit of proprietary hardware consumed 10X more bandwidth than HDX 3D and HDX 3D produced a smoother user experience.

Based on our tests, PCoIP didn't handle latency and WAN conditions well. So, if you are a designer and need to design a 3D model, from our tests we don't see how you would be able to have a predictable work experience that is efficient and cost effective on a real world network with a distributed workforce. Once again, this was the proprietary Teradici hardware assisted version of PCoIP. This does not bode well for the software version, especially if compromises have been made in quality and predictability to mask bandwidth requirements.

So what should one make of all this?

Firstly, as a technologist, I think it's interesting to see VMware building (or OEM/partnering for) their own protocol; because as a former customer of VMware, I have never understood their position on recommending multiple protocols for different scenarios. They have mentioned extending Microsoft RDP, using Suns ALP for WAN, adopting the Net2Display standard and partnerships with hardware vendors such as Teradici etc. How is all the complexity of so many options and expecting customers to figure out how to integrate them as one predictable experience going to work? Now I wonder if VMware is still going to have multiple technologies to try and build a HDX like portfolio and expect customers to figure out how to interface it all? PCoIP is only a piece of a puzzle - just like a protocol is only a small part of the equation.

However as Citrix has learned over the last 20 years as one of it's core competencies working with 200,000 plus customers, it's so much more than just a protocol. Some of those key lessons are.

• HDX is an integrated set of technologies that are intended to offer the best possible user experience under any network circumstances.
• HDX does not rely on just one approach to graphics and multimedia remoting, because one size does not fit all.
• HDX has unique technologies that can leverage the client resources to offer a local like user experience at a fraction of the bandwidth and server cost.
• When HDX determines that server side rendering is the most appropriate method to deliver the content, it uses a number of technologies to optimize the bandwidth and server CPU usage.
• HDX also includes adaptive orchestration which is a system that makes smart decisions on what techniques to apply under different conditions. Adaptive orchestration sets HDX apart from the competition because it can offer the best possible user experience for the user.

Additionally, I think one of the most important points that is often overlooked is that HDX technologies are Hypervisor and hardware agnostic. Citrix does not lock you into a proprietary hardware solution or Hypervisor. We understand that customers want Hypervisor and hardware choice combined with mature and proven user experience delivery technologies that are being extended to further the reach of Desktop Virtualization. I believe that pragmatic IT decision makers and engineers understand those are critical elements to protect their existing and future investments.

Finally, we would have demonstrated HDX 3D at VMWorld, if we could - if we were allowed the space to do so...... However check out http://hdx.citrix.com

Hi Everyone,

We will be soon updating the m.iphone.citrix.com site with the latest documentation, in the meantime I would like to take a moment and introduce you to the Citrix Receiver for iPhone v1.0.3 Admin guide.

This document will come handy when planning for iPhone deployments in your company. Inside you can find:

• Product Requirements

• How to configure iPhone secure access via:
  • Access Gateway Strandard Edition
  • Access Gateway Advanced Edition
  • Access Gateway Enterprise Edtion
  • Citrix Secure Gateway

• How to provide access information to end users

• Basic troubleshooting steps

• Known Issues

Download the Citrix Receiver for iPhone Admin Guide

best,
Gus
twitter.com/guspinto

Hi all,

Just a quick note to let you know that the latest release of the Citrix Receiver for iPhone (v1.0.3) is now available on the Apple AppStore. This version has just become available on the Australian Apple AppStore (on the 25th August 2009), so for those in other timezones, you may need to wait until the 25th as well.

This version adds support for Citrix Access Gateway Advanced Edition and completes the support for all Access Gatway Editions (including Secure Gateway).

Enjoy!

Regards,

Adam

Okay, I'm the first to admit it's been quite a while since I updated my Facebook status, so I never thought I'd say this ... but I'm tweeting. And yes, I said "tweet"...it only took me about a week to stop saying "twit".

But the good news is that there's a lot to talk say about our relationship with SAP and I'm not doing this alone. Joining me will be the rest of the Citrix/SAP alliance team and together we'll be updating our fellow followers on the latest and greatest happenings within the relationship.

There's some really exciting stuff coming down the road...don't you want to be one of the first to hear (or read) about it? 

Come on! Get in with the in crowd. Follow us on Twitter! 

Also, don't forget to check out the Citrix Community page for SAP. On this page we've consolidated all related blogs, news, videos, etc... from Citrix, SAP and third-party sites in our feeds section to provide a one-stop-shop for all things on the alliance.

We want to know how you're using Oracle in your Citrix environments. Let us know in the Community Verified area within the Citrix Community page for Oracle.

It's easy to use and takes only seconds of your time. On the right side of this page you'll see the following section:

All you have to do is select the "Vote" button next to the response that most closely represents your Citrix experience. From there you'll see a listing of all of the Oracle apps other community members have posted...paving the way for you to add your input...or if you can't find the app you're looking for, take the road less travelled and submit a new product! Simply identify the Oracle application and Citrix product and you're done!

You should be finished in less than a minute and in the end you'll have shared your experiences with the rest of the Citrix Community. Your input and implementation validation may help other members take a step in the right direction by selecting Citrix solutions to work alongside Oracle apps. Not bad for a minute's work, right?

So what are you waiting for? Enquiring minds want to know. Visit the Citrix Community page for Oracle and share your compatibility knowledge.

...and one more thing, don't forget to follow us on Twitter!

We've been working hard on the next major release of Citrix Receiver for iPhone, although our team is confident we did a good job implementing the first few releases, we decided to continue innovating. With that been said, our next major release will be focused on a highly improved user experience, and many innovative features!

During an usability study we have acknowledged 20 pixels of "waisted" space within the XenApp session, and 20px in a mobile device is like gold, specially when you only have a 320 x 480 viewable area.

I'm talking about the iPhone Status bar.

This bar indicates, time, carrier, signal strength, wireless mode, battery, bluetooth, etc... The status bar is visible most of the time, except in rare occasion, like when playing full screen movies, pictures, games, etc.

Today I would like to turn to you to help me make a decision on how to regain those 20px back, after all, we are designing this product for you, and getting your input this early is very valuable to us.

The question is pretty simple, we have 3 option, Solid (as is today), Translucent (see thru), Hidden. Which one do you like the most?

Best regards,
Gus pinto
twitter.com/guspinto

Back in 2007 Citrix was one of the first companies to introduce a software-based WAN optimization client to address this need. Initially called WANScaler Client, our software client has evolved and is now called Repeater Plug-in for Citrix Receiver.

As the name implies, the client is now packaged as plug-in for Receiver for Windows. As with all plug-ins, you can use Citrix Dazzle and Citrix Merchandising Server to easily distribute the software to remote users. Once installed, the software appears as the acceleration plug-in under the "Advanced" tab within Receiver and immediately begins accelerating all application traffic.

Not using Citrix Receiver yet? Don't worry. Repeater Plug-in is available as a MSI that can run standalone without Receiver.

Repeater Plug-in for Citrix Receiver supports the same set of acceleration features as the previous WANScaler Client. This includes TCP flow control, compression and application protocol acceleration for CIFS, FTP, HTTP and now MAPI - also added in Branch Repeater 5.5. The plug-in is compatible with leading VPN solutions including Citrix Access Gateway. With Access Gateway we actually accelerate the traffic within the secure SSL tunnel. In fact, just this week we published a performance report showing how you can Turbocharge Access Gateway by up 50x. Check it out.

With the release of Citrix Receiver for iPhone 1.02 including AG and RSA support, the ability to securely deliver any app, anywhere, is closer than ever to reality ( we already cover WinMo, Symbian and close to BlackBerry and Android ). One question I have been pondering with Martin Duursma and few others on the team is what is next ? It's great we can get to all these other Windows and RIA apps, but the app many of us use most is email. The question is, what is missing from the native iPhone email or Outlook ? What features would be most useful for a mobile app that we would use all the time from any device?

The native iPhone email client does a good job, but not everything. Attachment viewing is limited and sometimes crashes if the file is too big. You can't write an email and attach a file from your PC or file server. Also many company IT policies do not even allow iPhone access because of security concerns and lack of data / device control. Many of these obstacles could be overcome if the app was hosted on XenApp provided there was fast access and a great user experience. There are probably many new features that could enhance the email experience but you don't even know you want it or need it. Xobni is a good example of an Outlook value-add that I find useful even though I didn't even know I needed it before I started using it every day. So there must be mobile email features that would make your life easier, more productive, or just provide a better experience. What if you had an app that was optimized for the device real estate and mobile scenario ( ie just the functionality that you are likely to need when using your mobile device vs when using a laptop/desktop). If you could have the Nirvana app that was continuously available as a hosted app. Imagine the possibilities !    

Some things that come to mind are listed below, do you agree or have more for the list ? Please add your votes and comments.

http://twitter.com/chrisfleck

This week at our iForum Singapore event Adam Jaques and Gordon Payne demonstrated an early version of the Citrix Receiver for the Android operating system.

UPDATE August 3rd: See the announcement and demo: http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/adamj/2009/07/29/Citrix+Receiver+for+Android+Demonstration+Video

I'm excited about this, first because it's being developed in Citrix Labs, and what's more in Citrix Labs Sydney. I'm more excited because it brings Citrix ever closer to ubiquity on the smart phone - we have a client for Windows mobile, a receiver for the iPhone, an alpha receiver for the Blackberry, and soon a receiver for Android.

This is really important for Citrix and for our customers because the age of Smartphones has begun, and the mobile device, and mobile experience, will never be the same again. Citrix is helping make this happen by making the Smartphone enterprise friendly by bringing 'every' enterprise application to the Smartphone, no matter what variety; be it Windows, web or other.

For many, the Smartphone will be (or already is) the major connection to the web, the Internet and to the work environment. This brings new challenges for information and security management in every organization.

To address these challenges Citrix Labs is working closely with Open Kernel Laboratories to bring cutting edge laptop management approaches to the world of the Smartphone. In much the same way that the XenClient initiative (originally Project Independence) is bringing new capabilities for laptop management, there is an opportunity to combine the new Android Receiver, secure virtual cell technology from OK Labs, and a management infrastructure to create separate personal and enterprise cells on a given Android device. This is an ambitious goal, but one that could open up a new age of Enterprise managed mobile devices.

In a press release in May, Martin Duursma (VP of Citrix Labs) put it like this:

"Working together on mobile-to-enterprise virtualization (M2E), Citrix and OK Labs will enable handset OEMs, MNOs, or enterprises to deliver enterprise applications and content to any mobile device through an OK Labs implementation of Citrix Receiver for the OK Labs mobile phone virtualization platform," said Martin Duursma, Vice President, Citrix Labs. "Today's announcement broadens the Citrix vision of Project Independence for local desktop virtualization and desktop computing and applies it to enterprise application and desktop delivery into mobile devices."

Steve Subar (CEO of OK Labs) puts it like this:

"To address the security requirements of enterprise IT and the personalization preferences of mobile workers, mobile-to-enterprise virtualization (M2E) will enable a secure corporate cell on a mobile device where the receiver function is protected from the security breach of a personal cell. This solution will enable mobile phone users and Corporate IT to leverage best of both worlds - open, unfettered access to personal consumer applications and data with secure, controlled access to enterprise applications and desktops. In addition, M2E will make possible the centralized remote management of the corporate IT cell across all user devices."

My view - we're in for a gloriously interesting next few years with rapid changes coming from consumerization married with Smartphone technological innovation. With the Citrix receiver providing EVERY enterprise application on EVERY Smartphone, Citrix is definitely along for the ride.

Are you?

Have you ever needed to demo Citrix XenApp to a colleague or customer ? Or perhaps just needed a reference connection to validate a client is working properly ? You may have also have wanted to check out Citrix Dazzle based on a demo account vs your production environment.
Now you can easily check out a live demo XenApp system hosted in the Cloud. You only need to enter your email to get your own credentials to check out a variety of apps that run as expected. ( not canned Flash demos ) . You can also simply send someone the link for them to get their own credentials, as well including links to client downloads if required. The current system will provide access from PC's Mac's, WinMo and iPhone's ( any where, any device ).

Give it a try and spread the link @ http://CitrixCloud.net

http://twitter.com/chrisfleck

Long before Neo said "whoa" ... civilizations throughout history have relied heavily on the wisdom and information provided by oracles.

In The Matrix, the Oracle says "if you can't find the answer, then I'm afraid there may be no tomorrow for any of us." Well, maybe that's a bit extreme in this case... but with the amount of information available within the Citrix Community page for Oracle, I don't think we'll have to worry about finding out.

Not only will this site provide a variety of information and wisdom on the Citrix and Oracle relationship, but you will also have to opportunity to contribute and become an "oracle" yourself. You can even view Oracle apps working on the iPhone with Citrix Receiver. Consider this page a library of resources for all things Citrix and Oracle...or a "shrine of information" so to speak.

From this page you'll have access to news, blogs, community discussions, and Tweets from the Citrix and Oracle communities as well as third-party sites. This information is aggregated into a single area within the page and provides all related information in a simple-to-use format. You can also follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute information.

Got questions? Related discussion forums are also consolidated within this page. Review existing discussion postings and threads to find answers to commonly asked questions. You can even join in the discussion and post new threads. Got knowledge? Become a contributor! The true nature of community is to share information. Remember, it takes a village...or a community in this instance.

We also want to know if and how you're using Oracle in your Citrix environments. Let us know in the Community Verified area. It's easy to use and takes only minutes of your time. Simply identify the Oracle application and Citrix product and you're done!

According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, "each man is a hero and an oracle to somebody." So be a hero within the community and become an oracle for the Citrix & Oracle relationship! Participate in the Citrix Community page for Oracle.

Hi Everyone,

I'm glad to report that Apple has approved the release version 1.0.2 of the Citrix Receiver for iPhone. The app is now available to the general public via AppStore on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

If you have previously installed Citrix Receiver 1.0.0 or 1.0.1, an update request will be displayed next time you visit the AppStore on your device.

If you don't currently have the Citrix Receiver for iPhone installed on your device, you can download it here.

What's new on Citrix Receiver 1.0.2?

• Support for Netscaler v9.1 (AGEE)
• Enhanced support for NetScaler v9.0 (AGEE)
• Bug Fixes
  

For help setting up your XenApp Environment to support iPhone connections, download the Citrix Receiver for iPhone Admin Guide.

You can visit our Support Forums for help as well as the Citrix Receiver for iPhone Community Site for technical details.

best,
Gus

twitter.com/guspinto

Today Citrix and Microsoft announced an expanded Desktop Virtualization partnership. I'll let the announcement speak for itself and we'll start to release more specifics on the solution over time, but I did want to share my perspective. I think this is good for our customers because Citrix is enabling choice by allowing them to leverage existing or planned investments and extends the reach and usability of those investments. Let me attempt to clarify what I mean.

The reality is, that many customers use or need a combination App-V, Systems Center, Citrix Application Virtualization both online and offline. I always felt that this caused some artificial confusion about what to choose. For example if I need to stream 64 bit apps with Citrix technology, and I need to stream applications which have services via App-V technology then I can now do both side by side in an integrated fashion. Your existing investments (e.g. the sunk cost of packaging, sequencing, testing and validating the applications) are protected and you can plot your course as you see fit together with Citrix and Microsoft.

I know this question will come up so I will also answer it directly based on the data in front of me. Does this mean Citrix is stopping Application Virtualization development? Well, now that I have the advantage of having access to status reports I don't have to speculate anymore. I know for a fact that there are a number of enhancements that our development teams are working on, so these enhancements continue in preparation for the next XenApp release. Moving beyond just the next release of XenApp, we plan to continue to invest to enable delivery of Windows applications as a service.

I believe customers want uncomplicated, user-friendly products that simplify their lives. I know from experience that managing Desktop agent sprawl is a pain. Hence, later in 2009 App-V will be able to be plugged directly into the Citrix Receiver which will make things easier for our customers via the Receiver management framework. This will also enable more intelligent options, where via policy or connectivity one can determine the best place to determine application execution for a user, streamed or hosted. Certainly an area I am going to spend a lot of time thinking about. Additionally, Citrix Dazzle enables a new 'Pull' based interface that consumers are familiar with. Note, I don't just say it's a PNAgent replacement, I think it's a lot more if you grasp the real value. This enables a whole new delivery model, and innovative ways for IT to reach and empower it's customers that too often accuse IT of being slow and rigid. How much time is spent setting up user environments, getting inventory, reconciling and so on? By enabling user based self service, a whole new capability is available. Yes, Citrix will enable App-V to be delivered as a user self service via Dazzle, which I think will be cool, and combined with Merchandising Server, opens up the realm of the possible for delivering applications as a service. Extend these ideas out further into the Cloud and emerging license models, and I think enabling application delivery for the vast majority of applications that are Windows based to complement Desktop Virtualization is a huge deal.

In 2010 XenApp will have a connector to ConfigMgr. This means that you will be able to manage XenApp environments from the ConfigMgr console. We'll blog more on specifics on what features of XenApp management we will expose as we evolve the capability and how,  but for now it's reasonably safe to assume we will do things like publishing apps, advertise XenApp as collections etc.  The more important point right now is to understand that by leveraging XenApp, you will now be able to extend the reach of ConfigMgr to a more diverse set of platforms like Mac and Linux that may not be managed by ConfigMgr. Think of it as Citrix extending the depth of solutions that Microsoft is providing for our mutual customers.

I thought it would be fun to share some experiences from week one and some of the cool innovations I saw.
So as you can imagine, one of my first instincts, having been curious for so many years as a customer about why this, why that, reading speculation, I just had to find out! It was like I had just been given my driving license and could go anywhere. I am sure many of you know Brad Pedersen our Chief Architect, Citrix Fellow and father of ICA. It was simply awesome to have him answer so many of my historic questions, 'the inside scoop,' and spend hours brain storming about where we are/could-going/go and ME being able to shape that conversation now. I also realized that we don't hear about a lot of the unsung hero's of Citrix who are the current generation of brilliant minds here. There is some really cool stuff coming with power management, so watch this space, and some future ideas that I hope we gain traction on. There are some advanced management ideas that we are thinking about and upcoming features that will help simplify your lives. HDX/ICA will continue to get better and you will see some new capabilities in very near term releases of the protocol. I'm beginning to play with some of the future prototypes of Dazzle that I think will be really easy to use from a more diverse set of devices.

I discovered the best conference room names are in our UK offices, best example was 'Vain.'  Without the internal Citrix Wiki I would be lost, everything has a code name! It's like learning a new language. I have never been so spoiled for choice on which free soda or juice to drink. Wow, I saw people wearing shorts at work a shock to the system after Wall Street. I got a chance to spend time with Mark Templeton our CEO and many of the executive team. Prior, my interactions were watching them on stage, or brief encounters at Customer Council events. I am pleased to report they are not aliens, and are listening. I asked Mark if it was ok to disagree with him, and he promised to hit me if I didn't!

I had a great conversation with Martin Duursma who runs Citrix Labs and chairs our CTO office, where we really got into interesting future areas that are currently under research, including Cloud and Client Virtualization including Mobile devices. Some of previous work from Citrix Labs has worked it's way to product, think iPhone client. This device support is now becoming even broader, check out Keith Turnbull's blog on our upcoming Blackberry client.

I also developed a new found respect for the size of our product and how much it actually does to support a vast customer base. There is so much deep embedded knowledge in so many areas that is very hard to replicate. I don't think people on the outside really appreciate what it takes to deliver this stuff. Coupled with the fact that these teams get this space, I think we are very well positioned for the future.

So all of this is just week one, where I have spent most of my time with the XenApp team talking about futures. The great thing about being a Citrix CTO is that I get involved in providing guidance for the firm's technology direction across our product suite, so I am only beginning to scratch the surface. As I work with the rest of our portfolio teams, I can already see that we have so many pieces of the puzzle that will enable us to build innovative solutions for our customers.

I'll share more real time updates via Twitter