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Tag: Citrix

  • Tech Giants Form Modern Computing Alliance to Transform Cloud

    Tech Giants Form Modern Computing Alliance to Transform Cloud

    Some of the biggest names in tech have formed the Modern Computing Alliance, with the goal of transforming the cloud and its tools.

    Cloud computing has become one of the biggest, most important trends in modern computing. Already well under way, the migration to cloud computing went into overdrive as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies around the world are relying on cloud computing to manage remote employees, stay productive and adapt to a new reality.

    Unfortunately, migrating to the cloud is not always an easy task, especially for companies with decades of investment in legacy systems. The Modern Computing Alliance is aimed at “aligning standards and technologies to provide companies with the choice of high-performance, cloud-first computing solutions from the vendor of their choice who provide modern solutions for the modern era of business.”

    Google’s John Solomon, VP Chrome OS, outlined the alliance’s vision in a blog post:

    To drive ‘silicon-to-cloud’ innovation for the benefit of enterprise customers—fueling a differentiated modern computing platform and providing additional choice for integrated business solutions.

    Solomon emphasized that any strong alliance needs a strong diversity of members, to help bring unique perspectives to the table. The Modern Computing Alliance certainly meets that criteria with its founding members: Box, Citrix, Dell, Google, Imprivata, Intel, Okta, RingCentral, Slack, VMWare and Zoom.

    The Modern Computing Alliance members are specifically focused on four key areas:

    • Performance
    • Security and Identity
    • Remote, Collaboration and Productivity
    • Healthcare

    “The shared goal among the Modern Computing Alliance members is to fuel innovation in these key areas and provide customers with preferred choices without the tradeoffs they may face with a single vendor,” writes VMware’s Kenny Takahashi.

    “Customers will play an integral role in the Modern Computing Alliance through the Modern Computing IT Council, which will provide a forum for IT champions to make themselves heard. Customer IT Council participants will have exclusive lines of communication with Modern Computing Alliance members and help define the future of computing through research, advisory workshops, roadmap inputs, and solution testing.”

    The Modern Computing Alliance looks like a promising step in the right direction toward making cloud computing even easier.

  • Ransomware Results In a Fatality In Germany

    Ransomware Results In a Fatality In Germany

    Ransomware has been a growing issue for years but, in a first, ransomware appears to have caused the death of a hospital patient.

    According to the BBC, a ransomware attack disabled Düsseldorf University Hospital in Germany. A female patient at the hospital was preparing for a life-saving procedure when the ransomware hit, and died when medical personnel were trying to transport her 30km away to the nearest hospital.

    It’s possible the hackers mistakenly targeted the hospital. The BBC quotes local reports saying the hackers were trying to hit another university. Those same reports say the hackers turned over the decryption keys without payment once they realized the hospital had been impacted.

    Whether the attack was intentional or not, authorities are now investigating it as a negligent homicide. Unfortunately, it also appears the attack could have been averted. The hackers used a well-known vulnerability in Citrix VPN software, a vulnerability that organizations had been warned about as early as January. If prosecutors do make their case, the hospital will likely face penalties for ignoring the danger.

    This tragedy should serve as a sobering reminder to companies of all kinds to keep up with security alerts and vulnerabilities, and keep their software and services up-to-date.

  • Google And Citrix Partner On Receiver For Chrome

    Citrix and Google have been partners for the past three years, but announced a new partnership in the form of a receiver for Chrome and advanced features for Chromebook users.

    Citrix Receiver is client software that gives users access to XenDesktop and XenApp installations. Citrix Receiver for Chrome gives users direct integration to Chromebook-specific features. These include: the ability to integrate with Google Cloud Print; audio and video playback, assignment of a unique Receiver ID to each device for monitoring; clipboard integration across remote and local apps; end user experience monitoring; and direct SSL connections.

    Google Director of Product Management for Chrome for Business and Education Rajen Sheth said, “Chromebooks continue to do well in business, whether customers are already fully in the cloud or they need a little help from our friends at Citrix. Many vertical industries like healthcare and finance have complex requirements around security and compliance, and all businesses need robust manageability, which is why Chromebooks appeal to a broad range of IT folks at Citrix customers like Woolworths and Chapters Health System.”

    “Citrix and Google are changing the way people work,” added Citrix VP of product marketing for desktop and apps Calvin Hsu. “In addition to the joint collaboration around XenApp and XenDesktop with Chromebooks, Citrix ShareFile features a personal cloud connector for accessing Google Drive files, Citrix GoToMeeting Free is now available on Chrome, and Citrix Podio is integrated with Google Apps. Google and Citrix are committed to continued innovation across our product lines to bring best in class mobile workspaces to our customers.”

    Citrix says partners trained to introduce and deploy Chromebooks combined with XenApp and XenDesktop are operating in regions throughout the world.

    Gartner predicts Chromebooks will triple in sales by 2017. Google recently put them in nine new countries.

    Image via Acer

  • Citrix’s Bytemobile Acquisitions Lands Mobile Carriers as Customers

    As we reported earlier, Citrix, a cloud-based specialist, has announced their intention to acquire Bytemobile, a video and mobile data solutions provider. The deal will give Citrix a direct line to over 130 mobile carriers in 60 countries around the globe.

    The decision to acquire Bytemobile was a strategic one as they have been planning to form a new product group which would require a series of niche web and video optimization players. Bytemobile is the answer to that need.

    Bytemobile actually makes adaptive traffic controllers and other tools for managing capacity and relieving congestion. The technology they employ is called Smart Capacity and it’s the core of Bytemobile’s data management solutions. ZD Net featured these diagrams in their coverage of the Bytemobile acquisition. I thought it would be useful to share them with readers so they can understand what Bytemobile stands to offer Citrix and their customers.

    device-cloud

    bytemobile

    Klaus Oestermann, group vice president and general manager of cloud networking at Citrix comments on what Bytemobile brings to Citrix’ already broad range of services:

    “The integration of Bytemobile will enable us to extend our value proposition to the edge of the network, bringing content closer to the end user,”

    “The benefits to network operators and their subscribers include faster, more efficient, more reliable, and more manageable networks; higher performance resulting in better service and a better user experience; and scalability to process growing volumes of data traffic at a much lower cost.”

    Citrix plans to build on Bytemobile as the center of its go-to-market strategy for mobile network operators – retaining and growing its investment in the Bytemobile brand, technology, products, employees and customer relationships. Bytemobile will continue as an independent product group within the Citrix cloud networking group, leveraging clear synergies with adjacent technologies such as Citrix NetScaler.

  • Citrix Enters Mobile & Video Market with Bytemobile

    Cloud business specialist, Citrix has entered into a definitive deal to acquire mobile solutions provider, Bytemobile. The deal will expand Citrix reach by granting them access to 130 mobile operators in 60 countries worldwide.

    Furthermore, the partnership allows the companies to better capitalize on the growing mobile and could-based networking trends which are growing exponentially everyday.

    The acquisition builds on a strategic partnership announced earlier this year that combines the Bytemobile Smart Capacity technology with the Citrix NetScaler line of cloud networking solutions. The acquisition is a valuable investment into the mobile data and video markets for Citrix.

    Klaus Oestermann, group vice president and general manager of cloud networking at Citrix comments on the acquisition of Bytemobile:

    “The cloud and mobile revolutions are rapidly converging, and mobile operators are at the heart of this convergence,”

    “With the integration of Bytemobile technology, products and intellectual capital, Citrix will be uniquely positioned to be a leader in the global mobile data and video infrastructure market in the LTE era.”

    “The benefits to network operators and their subscribers include faster, more efficient, more reliable, and more manageable networks; higher performance resulting in better service and a better user experience; and scalability to process growing volumes of data traffic at a much lower cost.”

    Chris Koopmans, chief operating officer of Bytemobile comments on the acquisition:

    “We are excited about the significance of this transaction for the industry, our customers, our employees, and our stockholders,”

    “With the rollout of LTE and other next-generation networks, the mobile data market is poised to grow dramatically in the coming years. The addition of Bytemobile solutions to the Citrix portfolio will accelerate the fulfillment of our vision and investment in the future of the industry.”

    California-based Bytemobile employs over 300 people including product, sales, and service teams around the globe. They specialize in optimizing video and data services, and providing feedback based on a number of metrics. Their business currently reaches over 2 billion customers and handles 20 petabytes of data each day.

    The financial aspects of the deal have yet to be disclosed, and a closing date hasn’t been determined. Citrix will discuss the matter further upon the closure of their second 2012 financial quarter at the end of June.