Citrix Systems
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Citrix Logo 170x170.gifCitrix Systems Template:Nasdaq is a U.S. high technology company, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with subsidiary operations in the UK, Australia and India. Citrix is primarily a software company, but does have a hardware offering since its acquisition of Net6 in late 2004, and of NetScaler/Teros in 2005. Citrix offers a suite of products that are intended to provide secure access to applications and content from a wide range of clients. Current products include:
- Citrix Presentation Server (formerly Citrix MetaFrame)
- Citrix Access Gateway (hardware offering based on an acquired Net6 product)
- Citrix Advanced Access Control (formerly MetaFrame Secure Access Manager, NFuse Elite)
- GoToAssist, GoToMeeting and GoToMyPC
Former products include:
Citrix was founded in 1989 by ex-IBM developer Ed Iacobucci in Delaware. The first office was set in Richardson, Texas, but moved shortly thereafter to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company's first product was Citrix MULTIUSER, which was based on OS/2. Microsoft licensed the source code of NT to Citrix, and in 1995 Citrix began to sell WinFrame, a stand-alone system based on Windows NT 3.51 (MultiWin). Development of WinFrame 2.0 was derailed in early 1997 when Microsoft withdrew the license to NT 4.0 from Citrix, although later negotiations led to Microsoft agreeing to license Citrix technology for Windows NT Server 4.0, resulting in Windows Terminal Server Edition. Citrix agreed not to ship a competing product, but retained a set of "enterprise-level functionality" which it could sell as an extension to Microsoft's products. This toolkit was initially sold under the name 'Metaframe.' This complementary relationship continued into the Windows 2000 and XP eras, with Citrix offering Metaframe XP and Presentation Server.
In 2005, Citrix bought two San Jose based companies - Netscaler and Net6. This let Citrix diversify into the SSL VPN market space and Application Delivery solutions.
Additionally, Citrix is a business partner of Microsoft and is developing products that will link directly into the Microsoft Active Directory Domain Security Model.
Citrix was awarded the Microsoft ISV of the year award for the second time in three years in 2005.
Mark Templeton is the current President and Chief Executive Officer.
Citrix products are now widely used in both public and private sectors, although they are often deployed as a tactical rather than a strategic choice. Claimed benefits include reduced direct and indirect costs (TCO), savings on application costs, reduced user downtime, improved user support and security, and so on..
External links
Citrix Education