Citrix Systems, Inc, a global leader in virtual workplace software and services, announced that it is working with IBM and VMware, Inc to deliver a highly reliable, interoperable and manageable server and client consolidation solution that helps remote offices simplify their IT environments and reduce desktop administration tasks by centralising application delivery.
The solution encompasses Citrix MetaFrame XP application serving and management software and VMware ESX Server virtual machine software, which runs on the IBM eServer xSeries 440 four- to 16-way Intel-processor based system. The solution will be available to customers by the end of the month.
Chris Norton, channel manager for Citrix South Africa, commented: "Enterprises are constantly challenged to find more effective ways to run varied, conflicting applications on the same server to save space and power, and scale their MetaFrame deployments with minimal hardware investments.
"Working together with IBM and VMware, Citrix have created a compelling solution that addresses these pain points - taking stress off the physical data centre and the enterprise IT administrator. We believe this joint solution offers customers real benefits for last mile control, while minimising data centre and server administration costs," said Norton.
A powerful technology combination, the new solution stack will allow customers to realise improved application performance, as well as simplified administration and management of application sets, user populations and server farms by optimising the performance of physical servers required to support corporate users and the time spent on hardware provisioning, backups and recovery.
Pairing the x440 with VMware ESX Server gives customers a whole new way to approach 24x7 availability and server consolidation for their Citrix MetaFrame deployments - creating a more manageable environment. Powered by IBM Enterprise X-Architecture technology, the x440 offers a "building block" approach to expansion that allows customers to pay for computing power incrementally as they need it, with support for up to 16 processors. ESX Server runs on top of the x440 hardware, providing a virtualisation layer that allows multiple virtual machines running different operating systems on the same system.
Optimised to run on the x440 along with VMware ESX Server, Citrix MetaFrame XP provides a robust infrastructure for the delivery of client applications to any device by transferring management of the local client desktop to the data centre - saving customers significant time and money on application maintenance, hardware upgrades, help desk support and training. Citrix MetaFrame enables server-based access from any device, rapid deployment of applications and seamless business continuity through centralised replication and ubiquitous access.
"This is an outstanding solution that can help lower implementation costs and improve server utilization, which is what customers tell us they want to do in 2003," said Deepak Advani, vice-president, IBM eServer xSeries. "By enabling customers to scale 'virtually` on one powerful server rather than many smaller physical servers, we believe this solution will provide several benefits, including fewer servers to manage, better utilisation of system resources, and faster and easier provisioning of new `virtual` servers."
"VMware has worked with IBM and Citrix to establish best practices and some significant advantages to deploying scaled-up Citrix MetaFrame solutions inside VMware virtual machines running on IBM eServer xSeries servers," said Diane Greene, president and chief executive officer of VMware. "The solution offers the benefits of virtualisation in tangible improved return on investment and makes virtual machines a standard enterprise tool for IT managers."
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Citrix Systems, Inc is a global leader in virtual workplace software and services that provide access to applications, information, processes and people on any device, over any network, anywhere, anytime. Citrix makes today`s digital office completely virtual - instead of having to go to your office, the office follows you. Working with the world`s top industry, integration and consulting partners, Citrix delivers enterprise-ready solutions to business challenges including application deployment, remote office connectivity, workforce mobility and business continuity. More than 120 000 companies worldwide use Citrix solutions for the virtual workplace to give users more mobility, give IT organisations more flexibility and reduce the cost of computing.
Citrix offers two families of products that enable virtual access to information: Application Server software, including MetaFrame XP for Windows and MetaFrame for Unix; and Access Portal software, including NFuse Elite and NFuse Classic. The company markets its products through a well-established indirect channel comprising approximately 6 000 resellers, integrators and consultants. In fiscal 2001, the company had net revenues of $591.6 million. Citrix is traded on the Nasdaq Stock MarketSM under the symbol CTXS, and is part of the Standard and Poor`s 500 Index. Citrix is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. For more information, please visit the Citrix Web site at http://www.citrix.com.
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