Citrix focuses on desktop virtualization

In a bid to drive main-stream adoption of desktop virtualization, Citrix has
resolved to enhance its focus on virtualization as a technology and will direct
all its efforts towards it. The vendor will focus on three key areas including
server, desktop, and application virtualization.

Nabeel Youakim, VP-Asia Pacific Products, Partners & Alliances, Citrix
mentioned, “Citrix has been in the desktop virtualization and application
virtualiza-tion space for a long time. However, recently we have entered into
the server virtualization market, with an acquisition of a technology called Xen.
Hence we will now reposition our company in this area.”

In addition Citirx has also announced an upgrade to Xen Desktop4. The vendor
has added a new functionality, through which virtualization can be undertaken in
many different ways. These methods include Virtual Desktop infrastructure (VDI),
FlexCast , Streaming, Hosted Shared Environ-ment, PC virtualization and
XenClient for virtualizing a desktop.

"Customers will be moving towards Windows 7 and they will have to think of
ways to deploy it either at the desktop level or within the data center. With
Xen Desktop4, customers will be swapping between different delivery models,”
added Youakim.

Talking about the opportunities for partners, Youakim mentioned that this
business will give a good opportunity to earn revenues as many customers will go
through the refresh cycle. According to a Gartner report, by 2013, Windows 7 is
going to be adopted by more than 40 percent of corporates whose corporate
desktop will be running with virtual desktop.

Citrix has set aside a target of eight to nine percent for fiscal 2009-10 and
will carry out a host of branding and re-branding exercises and will create
awareness in the market space. “SMB's with five to 20 users are going to use Xen
Desktop4 and thereafter upgrade to FlexCast model,” opined Youakim.