Citrix embraces Apple with iPhone virtualization, app store for corporate IT

Citrix is bringing virtual desktops and applications to the iPhone and has revamped its server virtualization platform with new features that make it more competitive against VMware.

A lightweight software client called Citrix Receiver lets IT deliver desktops and applications to any device, whether it be a desktop, laptop or iPhone. Available as a free add-on to the Citrix XenApp application delivery platform, Receiver acts like the satellite or cable TV receiver used in broadcast media services, the company says.

Continuing the Apple theme, Citrix announced Dazzle, another XenApp add-on which mimics the iTunes application store by providing a self-service interface letting corporate users choose and install new business applications on-demand. Dazzle will be available in the second half of this year.

"Dazzle gives corporate employees 24x7 self-service access to a broad array of applications, desktops and content, allowing them to choose exactly what they need, when they need it," Citrix says. "If you've used DirecTV or Apple iTunes, you already know how to use Dazzle."

The announcements are among several product updates to be unveiled by Citrix this week at its annual Synergy show in Las Vegas.  

Citrix also released Version 5.5 of the XenServer hypervisor and Essentials, a software platform that manages both XenServer and Microsoft's Hyper-V. The upgrades, including native support for integration with Windows Active Directory, bring Citrix closer to VMware in functionality, says Burton Group analyst Chris Wolf.

"It brings them to the point where they are part of the conversation now, where an enterprise can look at the platform and consider it," Wolf says. Role-based access control, a feature still lacking in Version 5.5 but which is expected to be added later this year, will also help Citrix make the case that its server virtualization product is enterprise-ready, he says. But he says Citrix is still lacking key features including memory overcommit, which increases the memory allocated to virtual machines (VM), letting IT shops place more VMs on a physical server.

On the Apple front, Citrix has achieved something unique by virtualizing the presentation of desktop applications on the iPhone with Citrix Receiver, Wolf says.

Citrix compares Receiver to satellite or cable TV receivers, which receive broadcast signals and respond to user requests for content in a manner that is transparent to users.

"Following an initial download and installation, Receiver sits quietly in the background and 'listens' for signals from the corporate 'delivery center,'" according to Citrix. "This allows IT to deliver any app or desktop from … Citrix XenApp and Citrix XenDesktop" to any device with a Receiver installed.

Citrix Receiver for iPhone is available as a free download from the Apple App store, and new versions for Windows Mobile, Symbian and Macintosh OSX will come out in the second half of this year. Versions for Windows-based PCs, laptops, netbooks and thin clients are already available.