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Citrix Systems joins mobile enterprise alliance as founding member

Citrix chief evangelist, Traver Gruen-Kennedy, to serve as MEA chairman; new alliance focused on helping enterprises establish mobile workforce solutions

Johannesburg, 30 May 2003

Citrix Systems, a leader in enterprise infrastructure software and services, has announced that it has joined the Mobile Enterprise Alliance (MEA) as a founding member.

The MEA, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is a global, not-for-profit organisation created to help enterprise organisations realise the benefits of providing application access to a mobile or remote workforce. Citrix`s chief evangelist and vice-president of strategy, Traver Gruen-Kennedy, will serve as the MEA chairman, providing guidance on the organisation`s formation based on his extensive IT industry expertise.

According to Chris Norton, manager of Citrix`s southern African office: "The MEA will be wholly customer-facing and will provide guidance and assistance to enterprises seeking to establish mobile workforce solutions. Local companies will benefit from the participation of some of the world`s largest mobility technology companies, including Citrix Systems.

"The MEA will provide access to a wealth of educational information as well as technical materials, case studies and product information. In addition, specific information on mobile access to applications within vertical industries such as finance, telecommunications and manufacturing, will be highlighted as part of a common knowledge repository for enterprise IT directors."

Citrix is joining more than 100 other leading IT vendors, service providers and systems integrators that will provide information and direction on mobility issues, including device and network compatibility, application access and security. For example, through case studies, peer references and other tools, the MEA will show enterprises how they can improve end-user productivity by enabling simple, secure access to business applications over virtually any wireless network.

"There`s an abundance of associations out there today that focus on specific technology standards - from CDMA to 802.11, but none that cross technology boundaries to focus solely on what the customer needs to mobilise its workforce," said Norton. "Our participation as a founding member in the MEA underscores our commitment to supporting initiatives that increase awareness of mobility solutions and help provide more advanced mobile technology to our customers."

This new appointment adds to the extensive roster of contributions Gruen-Kennedy has made to the adoption of policy and legislation on behalf of the technology industry. Gruen-Kennedy is considered by many to be the "father of the ASP industry", and served two terms as chairman of the ASP Industry Consortium, an international advocacy group. He is also a member of the board for the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), president of the Technology Forum of South Florida, a Technology Pioneer of the World Economic Forum, co-founder of the Technology Enablement Network, and advisor to the Florida Atlantic University InternetCoast Institute.

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The Mobile Enterprise Alliance (MEA)

The MEA`s mission is to deliver guidance and assistance to enterprise organizations seeking to establish mobile workforce solutions. The MEA will operate as an autonomous division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry, with an independent board of directors. The MEA will be funded through subscriptions from participating vendors and supported by the administrative infrastructure and corporate governance of the SIIA. The relationship between the MEA and the SIIA allows the MEA to capitalise on the SIIA`s longstanding credible record across technology industries, while lowering the risks for dues-paying MEA members and the board of directors.

Citrix

Citrix Systems, Inc helps ensure that the increasingly remote workforce has access to enterprise resources on demand to make decisions faster, be more productive and provide better customer service, from anywhere in the world. More than 120 000 companies and nearly 50 million people use Citrix software and services every day to connect to business-critical applications and information. Citrix is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and has offices in 22 countries. For more information, visit http://www.citrix.com.

Editorial contacts

Janine Buhrmann
Livewired Communications
(011) 504 9850
Janine@livewired.co.za