The traditional workplace is being transformed into a virtual world. In today`s virtual workplace the office follows you, and work is no longer a 'place` but something you do. This virtual workplace exists without constraints or borders.
This is the message that David Jones, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing and Development at Citrix Systems, Inc, will deliver in his keynote at Citrix iForum 2002 Africa to be held at Vodaworld on 23 July.
According to Jones, most offices today are digital and this has increased the speed of business dramatically. In addition, market globalisation means that companies of all sizes have to work and interact on an international scale. Instant access to enterprise applications and real-time information, regardless of the worker`s physical location - at head office, in branch offices, at home or on the move - is now widely demanded.
"In the virtual workplace, it is possible for companies to facilitate collaborative mobile working and allow employees to be more effective by giving them access to the information they need when they need it," says Jones.
"Companies today are striving to a position where the business information each person needs is available quickly, seamlessly and consistently from anywhere. This will ultimately give companies the competitive advantage they require to succeed and grow."
In this search for flexibility, companies have often found themselves creating highly complex and heterogeneous IT systems. Behind the scenes lie a variety of applications, hardware, networks and platforms implemented in infinite combinations.
"The result of all this is that the simple need for access has become extremely limited for users and very complex for the IT organisations that support them," says Jones.
"Virtual access empowers users to work effectively anywhere by giving them a familiar workplace - with the same applications, content and interface - on any device, whether a PC, laptop, PDA or mobile phone," he says.
Commenting on the advantages of a virtual digital office, Jones says: "A virtual digital office follows you wherever you work because it can be accessed from any screen. It serves up any information required, from Web content to traditional applications, and helps you search and find information.
"In addition, the virtual digital office aggregates multiple media into a single interface; provides single sign-on and progressive authentication; and instant messaging and intelligent alerting," he concludes.
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Citrix will be showing the technology and business case around creating a virtual digital office at Citrix iForum2002 Africa. Citrix iForum Africa is the IT conference of the year for anyone looking for an opportunity to learn how business access software and access portal technology are beneficial to the enterprise.
The conference will feature over 15 tracks, ideal for network managers, systems engineers, CIOs and senior decision-makers. The tracks will provide in-depth technical focus and demonstrations on how specific technical issues can be overcome. Other tracks will illustrate the business benefits that can be gained by implementing Citrix technology, with an emphasis on customer participation.
Citrix
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, MetaFrame 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 more than 7 000 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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