Citrix unveils new SMB business for desktop virtualization



Citrix
announced a broad new set of products, solutions and programs designed to help
small and medium businesses move from the PC Era to the Cloud Era by
capitalizing on the benefits of desktop virtualization.


The company
also released a new version of Citrix VDI-in-a-Box, an affordable, all-in-one
virtual desktop solution designed specifically for small and medium businesses.
VDI-in-a-Box 5 is the first Citrix release of this desktop virtualization
product following the acquisition of Kaviza in May 2011.


In addition,
Citrix announced a new solution combining Citrix VDI-in-a-Box and the Citrix
GoToManage cloud-based support offering, making it easy for managed service
providers and IT staff to remotely monitor and support virtual desktop
deployments at multiple sites or customer locations.


“There is
pent-up demand among small and medium organizations who want to realize the
benefits of desktop virtualization but have been underserved by existing
solutions. Together with our partners, Citrix is breaking down the barriers for
smaller organizations wanting to realize the business agility and efficiency of
virtual desktops but face tight budget and resource constraints,” said Krishna
Subramanian, vice president, Marketing & Business Development, SMB
Solutions, Citrix.


To help
drive further penetration in this fast-growing market segment, Citrix also
announced a new channel partner specialization for the Citrix Solution Advisor
Program, called SMB Specialist. SMB Specialists, which Citrix will begin
certifying in January, will have access to an extensive set of sales tools,
free online training and pre-sales support focused specifically on helping them
successfully engage and service SMB customers.


“Small and
mid-sized organizations are increasingly acknowledging the need to streamline
their desktop management with VDI, but they are often faced with significant
deployment challenges. By combining validated Dell PowerEdge server
configurations with Citrix VDI-in-a-Box software, Dell is offering a unique
solution in the market for addressing implementation complexity and eliminating
capital cost barriers. The combination of Citrix software with Dell
hardware makes IT more agile so SMBs can drive strategic initiatives for their
organizations,” said Rafael Colorado, director, Desktop Virtual Solutions, Dell.


The new
Citrix SMB initiative also includes support for thousands of Citrix Ready
products from leading technology partners like Dell and Wyse that will offer
validated hardware and software solutions easily consumed by small and midsize
business.


The
combination of Citrix VDI-in-a-Box 5, Citrix GoToManage, the support of a
strong Citrix Ready ecosystem, and a new SMB Specialists channel program, all
help extend the benefits of going virtual at the desktop to 10s of 1000s of
small and medium businesses worldwide.


By
Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]