Online Event – Virtual Desktops: From Wow to How

Posted in: C-Level, Communicate, Deskside, Events, Words by thirdoctet on February 28, 2011 | No Comments

Special Online Event with Citrix and Intel

March 16th at 11AM PST / 2PM EST: “Virtual Desktops: From Wow to How” shows you the amazing capabilities and real-world applications of desktop virtualization for any user, on any device. This 1-hour session features a Q&A to help you get started. Register today and you could win a MacBook Air or a signed Dilbert® cartoon. Compliments of Citrix.

Learn how to make desktop virtualization a reality!

Introducing Microsoft Online Services

Posted in: Application Delivery, C-Level, Deskside, Green Technology, Messaging, Offers, SaaS, Storage, Third Octet News, Virtualization, Words by thirdoctet on July 28, 2010 | No Comments

In today’s competitive global market, businesses need technology that enables flexibility and cost-effectively adds value to their organization. Internet-based hosted services provide a way to meet these objectives. They deliver feature-rich productivity tools to users while helping to relieve the burden of managing and maintaining business systems—freeing up IT departments to focus on initiatives that can deliver true competitive advantage.

Microsoft has a long history of developing and delivering innovative software and services for businesses and individuals. Designed to meet your unique business needs, our software-plus-services vision brings together the best of rich on-premise applications and flexible online services to give you ready access to the latest messaging and collaboration tools – without costly deployment and time-consuming maintenance. Microsoft Online Services reliably delivers 99.9 percent scheduled uptime and carries a financially backed service level agreement.

Let Our IT Resources Work for You

Microsoft Online Services gives your business the powerful productivity capabilities of Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, Microsoft Office Communications Server, and Microsoft Office Live Meeting —all hosted online and all up and running quickly and easily without the upfront costs of an on-premise deployment. The suite of productivity tools enables your workers to communicate and collaborate effectively, while enabling your IT team to focus on more business-critical tasks. And with services hosted by Microsoft, you can have peace of mind knowing that experts are managing your IT and that your services will be available when you need them.

Features and Benefits

Microsoft Online Services makes it easy for you to leverage and rapidly deploy familiar Microsoft server products as flexible services.  These hosted services—the Business Productivity Online Standard Suite—include the following:

Provide employees access to e-mail, calendar, and contacts from virtually anywhere, at anytime, on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices—while helping to protect against malware and spam. Exchange Online can be rapidly deployed, flexibly expanded, and is designed to be securely administered using a powerful yet easy-to-use Web-based console.

Share documents, contacts, calendars, and tasks in a single location. Based on Microsoft Office SharePoint_® Server 2007, SharePoint Online delivers rich collaboration capabilities that enable team members to flexibly and efficiently collaborate, find organizational resources, search your intranet site, and manage content and workflow.

Connect with colleagues and customers through real-time meetings, training sessions, and events using only a PC with an Internet connection. Hosted Web conferencing services from Microsoft Office Live Meeting give your employees the power to collaborate wherever they are, to set up project meetings, brainstorm ideas, and collaborate on whiteboards without the cost and hassle of travel!

Enable users to find and rapidly connect with the right person from the applications they use most. Office Communications Online provides streamlined access to rich presence and instant messaging capabilities that are centrally managed by IT and work seamlessly with a range of Microsoft Office system programs.

How It Works

Each Microsoft data center, located strategically throughout the world, houses a highly reliable complex of equipment that provides seamless connectivity to the Microsoft Online suite of services. This global network of geo-redundant data centers provides around the clock access to your business-critical collaboration services, and helps keep your data safe.

 With Microsoft Online Services, your IT staff retains control over the services offered to your end users. Microsoft Online Services work seamlessly with Microsoft Active Directory, so you can continue to manage user policies centrally and control which services are available via your existing users. A single administrative panel—with consoles for provisioning, usage, monitoring, and support—enables simple and centralized management. And your users can enjoy the convenience of a single sign-on to access all their hosted services.

Visit www.microsoft.com/online today for your free 30 day trial, or contact us for more information.

Start putting our IT resources to work for you!

Windows 7 Migration, Rethink the Desktop

Posted in: Application Delivery, C-Level, Communicate, Deskside, Virtualization, Words by thirdoctet on July 14, 2010 | No Comments

Citrix XenDesktop™, the leading desktop virtualization solution, gets your company to Windows® 7 faster at far less cost. By centralizing the control of desktops and apps in the datacenter you can roll out updates instantly across the enterprise. XenDesktop includes application virtualization for app compatibility and allows you to leverage your existing desktop and server infrastructure. The benefits of virtualization continue long after your company is up and running on Windows 7. Once you’re out of the costly, frequent refresh cycle, you’ll discover how easy and cost effective it is to keep your entire enterprise up-to-date.

Citrix XenDesktop 4 Wins InfoWorld 2010 Technology of the Year Award

Posted in: Application Delivery, C-Level, Deskside, Industry News, Virtualization, Words by thirdoctet on January 14, 2010 | No Comments

1/14/2010 » Santa Clara » Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTXS) today announced that Citrix® XenDesktop™ 4 has been honored as an InfoWorld 2010 Technology of the Year Award winner. Selected by InfoWorld Test Center editors and reviewers, the annual awards identify the best and most innovative products on the IT landscape. Winners are drawn from all of the products tested during the past year, with the final selections made by InfoWorld’s Test Center staff. All products reviewed by the Test Center are eligible to win.
Read more…

Thinking of switching from VMware to XenServer or Hyper-V? Think Project Open Door from Citrix.

Posted in: C-Level, Industry News, Virtualization, Words by thirdoctet on October 14, 2009 | No Comments

BOSTON » 10/14/2009 » Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS) today announced a new program called Project “Open Door” that offers advanced virtualization management along with free support, training and conversion tools to customers switching servers from VMware ESX or vSphere to Citrix® XenServer™ or Microsoft® Windows® Server 2008 Hyper-V™. With more than 70 percent of enterprise customers now using multiple hypervisors in production(1), demand for the Hyper-V and Citrix XenServer virtualization platforms continues to grow. In fact, over the past 30 days the number of large enterprise customers who have activated XenServer for production use has more than doubled, and now represents 20 percent of the Global Fortune 500.  Project Open Door makes it easier for customers who want to switch out existing VMware servers for the rapidly growing XenServer and Hyper-V platforms, offering advanced virtualization management for both environments, along with free support, training and conversion tools to make the transition as simple as possible.

“XenServer and Hyper-V are clearly the fastest growing virtualization platforms in the industry today, each appealing to a different set of users,” said N. Louis Shipley, group vice president and general manager, XenServer Product Group at Citrix. “With the price of virtualization continuing to rise from other vendors, more and more enterprise customers are switching a portion of their production servers to the Citrix and Microsoft virtualization platforms. Project Open Door helps these customers achieve more agile datacenters by offering them advanced virtualization management through our Citrix Essentials for XenServer and Hyper-V solution, as well as assistance in making the transition smooth, easy and cost-effective. With more virtualization choices than ever, we encourage customers to shop around and make the right choice for their environment.”

Read more…

Citrix Drives Mainstream Adoption of Desktop Virtualization with XenDesktop 4

Posted in: Application Delivery, C-Level, Deskside, Industry News, Virtualization, Words by thirdoctet on October 7, 2009 | No Comments

SANTA CLARA, CA » 10/6/2009 » Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTXS), today announced Citrix® XenDesktop™ 4, a groundbreaking new product designed to make virtual desktops a mainstream reality for hundreds of millions of corporate employees for the first time ever. Unlike first-generation solutions that were applicable only to a narrow set of users, XenDesktop 4 with its new FlexCast™ delivery technology is the first product in the industry to support every major desktop virtualization model in a single, integrated solution – a breakthrough that enables improved ROI, simplified management and extends the benefits of virtualization to every employee in the enterprise. XenDesktop 4 further simplifies desktop computing by integrating all the capabilities of Citrix XenApp™, enabling customers to deliver on-demand applications to physical or virtual desktops as a seamless part of their overall desktop strategy. To ensure every user gets a high-definition experience at all times, XenDesktop 4 also includes significant enhancements to its industry-leading HDX™ technology. It also builds on the company’s 20-year partnership with Microsoft, simplifying the management of virtual desktops through Microsoft System Center, and adding multiple enhancements that further extend the value of Microsoft Windows and Windows Server platforms. In total, XenDesktop 4 adds more than 70 new features, significantly enhancing its performance, security and readiness for large, enterprise-wide deployments.

“2010 will be a watershed year for desktop virtualization, ushering in a new era that will revolutionize the way we work, live and play,” said Mark Templeton, president and CEO, Citrix Systems. “25 years ago, the personal computer turned the world upside down, radically improving individual productivity and communications. That world is about to change again. People today need to work in entirely new ways, powered by the connectivity of the internet, an explosion of new devices, and the limitless promise of the web. And they need to do it without being confined to ordinary desktops that are locked to an office, a device, or a network. Desktop virtualization has the power to make all this possible. That revolution begins here, today. And it starts with the new XenDesktop.” (see video message from Mark Templeton)

Read more…

McAfee, Inc. to Acquire MX Logic and Provide Industry’s Most Comprehensive Security-as-a-Service Portfolio

Posted in: C-Level, Communicate, Industry News, Messaging, Security by thirdoctet on July 30, 2009 | No Comments

Company to Add More than 40,000 Customers, Four Million End Users and 1,800 Partners

Care of McAfee.com; SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 30, 2009 – McAfee, Inc. (NYSE:MFE) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately owned MX Logic, Inc. for approximately $140 million in cash at closing, with an earn-out of up to an additional $30 million in cash if certain performance targets are met. MX Logic is a leading global provider of cloud-based email and Web security and email archiving and continuity services. Adding MX Logic’s technologies and services will provide McAfee with the most comprehensive cloud-based security portfolio in the industry, one that combines leading global threat intelligence technologies from McAfee with its Security-as-a-Service solutions:Global Threat Intelligence

• McAfee® Artemis protects more than 33 million nodes through real-time cloud-based intelligence
• McAfee TrustedSource^™ analyzes data from more than 100 billion messages per month
• McAfee SiteAdvisor^® provides consumers with a safer search, surf, and online shopping experience by serving 1.9 billion ratings every day

Security-as-a-Service

• McAfee Total Protection Service, endpoint protection via Security-as-a-Service, protects more than five million users with centralized management in the cloud
• McAfee Vulnerability Assessment, Web application and network vulnerability assessments via Security-as-a-Service, provides real-time validation against industry standards including Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
• McAfee SECURE helps keep consumers safe from cybercrime by scanning more than 80,000 merchant Web sites daily and serving more than 126 billion impressions since 2008. Additionally, McAfee vulnerability scanning services protects more than 250,000 Web sites.
• MX Logic protects 40,000 customers with more than four million end users with email and Web security and email archiving and continuity services
• More than 1800 MX Logic channel partners provide a strong Security SaaS partner ecosystem to cross sell McAfee Security SaaS solutions and develop co-branded and bundled offerings
• MX Logic data centers in Asia Pacific, EMEA, Japan and the United States protect a geographically dispersed customer base with the capacity to expand into new customer segments and global markets

“The acquisition of MX Logic will reinforce our position as a leader in Security-as-a-Service, and brings world-class email and Web defense, including archiving and business continuity services, extending our proven expertise in providing cloud-based services to our customers,” said Dave DeWalt, president and chief executive officer, McAfee. “MX Logic aligns with the McAfee vision to lead Security SaaS by bringing industry-leading technologies and a strong partner ecosystem.”

Following completion of the proposed acquisition, McAfee will offer the most comprehensive and dedicated security portfolio in the market with the broadest set of delivery options including appliances, software, in the cloud or hybrid deployments. This approach will give businesses in all market segments the flexibility to purchase these solutions as standalone offerings or to mix and match these deployment choices to meet their exact needs.

“We view McAfee as the leading dedicated security company and a pioneer in Security-as-a-Service,” said John Street, chairman and chief executive officer, MX Logic. “We will now be even better equipped to help our customers address the complex challenges associated with blocking spam, phishing scams, viruses in the cloud, and enforcing email policies to prevent sensitive data leaks.”

Following the closing of the proposed acquisition, the MX Logic team will report to the McAfee Software-as-a-Service business unit, headed by Marc Olesen, senior vice president and general manager.

The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2009, contingent upon regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. McAfee expects the impact of the acquisition of MX Logic to be breakeven to slightly accretive in 2010 on non-GAAP earnings-per-share and more dilutive to GAAP earnings-per-share. For the remainder of 2009 we expect the impact of the acquisition to be $0.01 to $0.02 dilutive to non-GAAP earnings-per-share and more dilutive to GAAP earnings-per-share. Non-GAAP earnings-per-share will exclude the impact of amortization of acquired intangibles, stock-based compensation expense and other nonrecurring costs or charges. For additional information, please reference the acquisition landing page at http://www.mcafee.com/us/about/corporate/mcafee_mxlogic.html and the McAfee Security Insights Blog at http://siblog.McAfee.com/.

About McAfee, Inc.

McAfee, Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee is committed to relentlessly tackling the world’s toughest security challenges. The company delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems and networks around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the web more securely. Backed by an award-winning research team, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. http://www.mcafee.com.

About MX Logic, Inc.

MX Logic is a leading global provider of managed email and Web security, archiving, and business continuity services that deliver enterprise-grade performance without enterprise-level complexity and cost. Its easy-to-use, award-winning services reduce risk and liability, lower overall IT costs, and increase productivity. MX Logic services are available through its industry-leading partner network. For more information, visit www.MXLogic.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains forward-looking statements, which include those regarding future plans that McAfee has for the MX Logic business, expectations of McAfee regarding the combination of MX Logic’s products and services with McAfee products and services, the expected closing date of the acquisition, the expectations as to the opportunities resulting from the acquisition of the MX Logic business, expected plans that McAfee has for the integration of MX Logic’s products and business and the expected impact of the acquisition on McAfee financial results for 2009 and 2010. Factors that could cause the actual results or outcomes from the acquisition to be materially different from those anticipated include, among others, the inability to complete the acquisition on acceptable terms, or at all; the inability to integrate successfully MX Logic within McAfee or to realize synergies from such integration; costs related to the acquisition of MX Logic; the customer response to, and acceptance of, the combination of MX Logic’s products with McAfee products; the economic environment of the industries in which McAfee and MX Logic operate. In addition, actual results are subject to other risks and uncertainties that relate more broadly to overall McAfee business, including those more fully described in McAfee filings with the SEC, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and its subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to McAfee as of the date hereof, and McAfee expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

NOTE: McAfee and any additional McAfee marks herein are registered trademarks of McAfee, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. McAfee Red in connection with security is distinctive of McAfee brand products. All other registered and unregistered trademarks herein are the sole property of their respective owners. Product specifications subject to change at any time without prior notice. © 2009 McAfee, Inc. All rights reserved.

Federal budget provision could boost hardware spending

Posted in: C-Level by thirdoctet on February 24, 2009 | No Comments

Care of ITWorldCanada.com; A temporary tax break allowing companies to write off 100 per cent of their hardware and software purchases is getting a positive reaction from the industry, but a BDO Dunwoody CGA cautions that companies spending without a business case are just bankrupting themselves more quickly.

A provision in the recent federal budget allowing companies to write off 100 per cent of computer hardware and software for the next two years offers an opportunity for companies to look at replacing expensive-to-maintain legacy systems, according to Marc Perrella, vice-president of IDC Canada Ltd.’s technology research practice.

Read the entire article at its source.

Citrix XenDesktop 3 Enhances Multimedia Experience, Doubles Scalability and Adds Streamed Desktop Support

Posted in: Application Delivery, C-Level, Deskside, Industry News, Virtualization by thirdoctet on February 5, 2009 | No Comments

SANTA CLARA, CA » 2/4/2009 » Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTXS), the global leader in application delivery infrastructure, today announced Citrix® XenDesktop™ 3, the newest release of its market-leading desktop virtualization solution. XenDesktop 3, a key component of the Citrix Delivery Center™ product family, incorporates several of the company’s new Citrix® HDX™ technologies (see separate announcement today), giving virtual desktop users a richer “high-definition” experience with enhanced support for multimedia, audio and video. XenDesktop 3 also dramatically improves scalability, hosting twice as many virtual desktops per server as previous versions. And with version 3, XenDesktop becomes the first product on the market to deliver Microsoft® Windows® desktops from a common set of centrally managed images that can be run either in the datacenter (hosted), or directly on a PC or thin client device (local). This new capability gives IT organizations far more flexibility, reducing desktop management costs by making efficient use of distributed processing power across both servers and end point devices.

HDX Brings “High-Definition Experience” to Hosted Virtual Desktops
Widespread adoption of desktop virtualization requires the ability to deliver a high-performance, personalized experience for hosted virtual desktops that is as good as an installed desktop on a local PC.  To enhance this experience, XenDesktop 3 adds the new Citrix HDX MediaStream technology, which accelerates multimedia performance by sending compressed streams to endpoints and playing them locally. XenDesktop 3 also incorporates Citrix HDX Plug-and-Play technology for transparent support of MP3 players, digital cameras, smart phones, scanners and other local devices, as well as Citrix HDX Broadcast technology for reliable, high-performance acceleration of virtual desktops and applications over any network, including high-latency and low-bandwidth environments.

Twice the Number of Hosted Virtual Desktops per Server
XenDesktop 3 includes several enhancements that dramatically improve virtual machine density and efficiency in the datacenter, allowing customers to host up to twice as many hosted virtual desktops per server as previous versions.  These new optimizations cut server acquisition costs in half and dramatically reduce ongoing management and power consumption costs, allowing significantly larger deployments than before at no additional cost.

Manage Centrally, Run in the Datacenter or at the End Point
With version 3, XenDesktop becomes the first solution on the market to deliver both hosted virtual desktops and local streamed desktops from a single image store, leveraging the same delivery infrastructure. Most virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions on the market offer only hosted virtual desktops, in which each desktop runs inside a virtual machine in the datacenter. Adding support for local streamed desktops lets XenDesktop administrators stream desktops from the same golden master images, and execute them locally on any network-connected endpoint capable of running a desktop operating system. This powerful combination adds significant flexibility and cost savings, allowing IT to centrally manage desktops for office workers and run them wherever it makes the most sense, leveraging the distributed processing power of both servers and endpoint devices.

Enhanced Profile Management and Smart Card Support
XenDesktop 3 also includes a variety of new features to support simpler management, easier user personalization and enhanced security. Most significant among these new features is fully integrated user profile management, making it far easier for IT to provide a consistent, personalized experience for each unique user every time they log in. Version 3 also includes broad support for smart card security authentication systems which are widely adopted throughout government, financial services and healthcare organizations.  XenDesktop not only enables this added level of security for gaining general access to the desktop environment, it also ensures that this information is seamlessly and transparently passed through to individual applications within each virtual desktop. Additional details regarding all the new XenDesktop 3 functionality can be found at http://www.citrix.com/xendesktop3.

“The release of XenDesktop 3 will accelerate virtual desktop adoption by driving down costs through centralized management and delivery. With HDX Technology, we are providing users a true high-definition experience for their desktops, addressing a critical requirement for broad user acceptance,” said Raj Dhingra, group vice president and general manager of the Desktop Delivery Group at Citrix. “Through these innovations, we are transforming the way desktops are delivered and managed, offering a secure, high-performance and personalized desktop for our enterprise customers.”  

“Microsoft and Citrix have been delivering value to desktop customers for more than 20 years. Our joint VDI offer provides customers with the best in class virtual desktop experience through Citrix XenDesktop 3; integrated management across existing physical and virtual desktops with Microsoft System Center; and cost-effective virtualization with Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V,” said Scott Woodgate, director, desktop virtualization, Microsoft.

Pricing and Availability
Citrix XenDesktop 3 will be generally available from authorized Citrix partners in February 2009, and from the Citrix website at http://www.citrix.com/xendesktop. Suggested retail pricing begins at $75 per concurrent user.

About Citrix
Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) is the global leader and the most trusted name in Application Delivery Infrastructure. More than 215,000 organizations worldwide rely on Citrix to deliver any application to users anywhere with the best performance, highest security and lowest cost. Citrix customers include 100 percent of the Fortune 100 companies and 99 percent of the Fortune Global 500, as well as hundreds of thousands of small businesses and prosumers. Citrix has approximately 8,000 partners in more than 100 countries. Annual revenue in 2008 was $1.6 billion.

For Citrix Investors
This release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance.  Those statements involve a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks associated with revenue growth and recognition of revenue, products, their development and distribution, product demand and pipeline, economic and competitive factors, the Company’s key strategic relationships, acquisition and related integration risks as well as other risks detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Citrix assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.

# # #
Citrix®, XenDesktop™, HDX™ and Citrix Delivery Center™ are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Citrix NetScaler 9 Cuts Data Center Costs in Half for Delivery of Enterprise Web Applications

Posted in: Application Delivery, C-Level by thirdoctet on November 13, 2008 | No Comments

Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CTXS), the global leader in application delivery infrastructure, today announced Citrix® NetScaler® 9, the industry’s most advanced solution for radically improving the efficiency and TCO of web-based applications. As web applications multiply across corporate datacenters, most companies waste an estimated 50 percent of the cost of running these applications due to highly inefficient use of server and network resources. Eliminating this unnecessary overhead has been largely impractical in the past because the inefficiencies of each unique web application are simply too complex and dynamic for network and server teams to understand without deep application-level knowledge. NetScaler 9 eliminates this tradeoff by combining the industry’s most advanced optimization technology with powerful new application intelligence that automatically recommends the optimal configuration for each unique web application. As a result, NetScaler 9 can reduce the cost of delivering enterprise web applications by up to 50 percent – running applications like Microsoft® Office® SharePoint® Server 2007, Oracle® E-Business Suite and SAP® solutions, without requiring any of their existing networking or server infrastructure teams to become application experts.“SAP is dedicated to working with partners like Citrix to simplify IT for customers,” said Joerg Nalik, Ph.D., Director, Infrastructure Technologies, SAP Labs. “Citrix recently tested NetScaler 9 at the SAP Co-Innovation Lab in Palo Alto. NetScaler AppExpert Templates and the AppExpert Visualizer demonstrably simplified configuration and provided the built-in intelligence needed to fully realize the acceleration, security and server offload benefits Citrix NetScaler delivers.”

“Previous testing of Citrix NetScaler and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 has proved that NetScaler, by accelerating WAN traffic and almost eliminating delivery overhead, can accelerate SharePoint performance by up to 500 percent, most notably for users accessing SharePoint over WAN links or across the Internet,” said Owen Allen, Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation. “Capabilities like the NetScaler 9 AppExpert Template for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 make it easy for IT organizations to implement an optimized solution.”

See end of release for additional comments of support for NetScaler 9 from Net One Systems and True Internet.
Initial Deployment: Deploy Enterprise Web Applications in 30 Minutes or Less
NetScaler 9 introduces AppExpert Templates that capture hundreds of deployment details so that web application optimizations can be applied immediately, without any manual intervention. With AppExpert Templates, network managers no longer need to master the intricacies of each application in order to realize the performance, offload, security and availability benefits during application production operations. The AppExpert Visualizer dynamically builds and displays an end-to-end view of the application delivery deployment. With the AppExpert Visualizer, IT managers get a comprehensive view of run-time health and status with ‘at-a-glance’ simplicity, improving IT staff productivity and reducing the time needed to identify problems or errors within the infrastructure or application. Enterprise IT managers can overcome the inefficiency of their web delivery infrastructure and deploy enterprise applications within minutes, cutting data center costs in half and accelerating application performance by up to five times.

“As web applications become ever more complex, IT managers struggle to get the most out of their network and server infrastructure,” said Cindy Borovick, Research Vice President for IDC’s datacenter networks service. “The new NetScaler 9 enables IT teams to quickly and easily tap powerful server offload, acceleration and security capabilities. This is an important features set that saves time while bridging the knowledge of the application for network managers.”

“SAP solutions and SharePoint will be significant components of our technology infrastructure in the future,” said Martin Gibbins, Director, IT Technical Services, AmeriGas Propane, Inc. “NetScaler and AppExpert Templates, will allow us to immediately realize significant application server offload, acceleration and security benefits, enabling us to keep costs down and simplify our infrastructure while improving our user’s experience.”

Ongoing Production: Cut Server Infrastructure and Security Costs
NetScaler 9 includes new AppExpert Rate Controls that allow IT Managers to ensure SLA’s for different classes of users. Legitimate application users can be assured of access to applications while traffic from spiders, web scrapers and botnets can be throttled back or redirected appropriately. The AppExpert Rate Controls free up IT organizations from having to over-provision the network and server infrastructure to ensure adequate service levels, bringing about a reduction in server infrastructure.

NetScaler 9 integrates powerful XML security, extending the proven ICSA-certified web application firewall to protect next-generation Web 2.0 and SOA-based applications. With the integrated XML Security in NetScaler 9, IT organizations can use in-place infrastructure to protect applications from hacker attacks and meet compliance directives, minimizing the need to deploy point XML security products or rewrite the applications themselves.

Change Management: Cut Cost and Complexity as Applications Extend and Evolve
NetScaler 9 reduces the cost of managing change and extensions to currently deployed web applications, leading to increased ease-of-use and customer satisfaction. New AppExpert Service Callouts integrate logic from external applications into NetScaler policy decisions, enabling the entire network to be more adaptive, intelligent and responsive. For example, before forwarding a client request to an application, NetScaler can query an external database of blacklisted IP addresses to determine whether the request is from a known illegitimate site or user.

URLs in modern applications are no longer static links to static pages, but are addresses to dynamic application services critical to running business. When published URLs change, the ‘ripple effect’ of these changes can cause issues with other applications and user satisfaction may take a hit. NetScaler 9 adds advanced URL rewriting to make application changes completely transparent to other applications and users, while obfuscating sensitive internal details to mitigate hacker attack.

“Customers are extremely excited about the ease-of-use features NetScaler 9 offers, which cuts implementation of web app optimization from days to minutes, saving budget dollars and lowering the bar for whomever can implement these advanced solutions. NetScaler AppExpert Templates can be deployed in 30 minutes or less, making it simpler to realize the 50 percent reduction in data center costs that NetScaler brings.” said Klaus Oestermann, Vice President and General Manager, Application Networking Group at Citrix Systems. “As web applications become ever more complex and budgets become stringent, IT managers struggle to get the most value out of their application delivery infrastructure. NetScaler improves efficiency and offers additional cost savings which IT departments need in today’s tight economy.”

A key component of the Citrix Delivery Center™ product family, NetScaler 9, whether used alone or in conjunction with the other components of the Delivery Center, dynamically adapts data centers to the complex needs of Web 2.0, SOA and other modern web applications. The new NetScaler 9 release is being featured on December 4, 2008 as part of a global, online launch event called Citrix Delivery Center Live!: Turbocharge your Datacenter.  This virtual event delivers everything normally found in an in-person event, but without the expense and hassle. This event will provide an in-depth look at the newest versions of Citrix XenServer™, Citrix® NetScaler® and Citrix XenDesktop™ and show how they can simplify IT to dramatically reduce TCO and accelerate business.

Pricing and Availability
NetScaler 9 will be available to NetScaler customers with a valid maintenance agreement on November 26, 2008.

Additional Information
For additional illustrations and a quick four-minute demonstration of AppExpert Templates, please visit: http://community.citrix.com/display/ns/AppExpertTemplates.

About Citrix
Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) is the global leader and the most trusted name in Application Delivery Infrastructure. More than 215,000 organizations worldwide rely on Citrix to deliver any application to users anywhere with the best performance, highest security and lowest cost. Citrix customers include 100 percent of the Fortune 100 companies and 99 percent of the Fortune Global 500, as well as hundreds of thousands of small businesses and prosumers. Citrix has approximately 8,000 partners in more than 100 countries. Annual revenue in 2007 was $1.4 billion.