Citrix Announces XenClient 2 and XenClient XT

What’s New in XenClient 2

• Expanded Hardware Compatibility – supports 3x as many laptops and PCs as previous versions, making it an ideal way to deliver virtual desktops “to go” on a broad selection of leading enterprise laptop brands and models. The new release also features support for the 2^nd generation Intel® Core™ vPro™ platform, building on the existing support for Intel’s 2010 and 2009 enterprise platforms.
• Expanded Graphics Support – expanded support for Intel® HD Graphics, available on 2^nd Generation Intel® Core™ processors, and introduces support for discrete graphics architectures from AMD including the FirePro™ and Radeon™ series of GPUs.
• Production-scale Synchroniser – helps customers deploy XenClient-enabled laptops across larger and more complex enterprise environments, while still managing all virtual desktops centrally, including full synchronisation of user desktops, apps and data with the corporate datacentre.
• Simplified User Experience – Combined with new enhancements to the Citrix Receiver software client, XenClient 2 users will enjoy a simpler, more responsive, more intuitive user experience.

Introducing XenClient XT

• Extreme Desktop Isolation – XenClient XT augments the XenClient hypervisor with hardened components and a unique new network isolation architecture that allows users to run multiple securely isolated local virtual desktops in separate security domains and completely isolated networks, all on a single physical system.
• Extreme Security – provides hardware-assisted security that leverages security capabilities in the Intel Core vPro platform. This includes a trusted boot capability powered by Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) to ensure that XenClient XT is checked against a known good configuration on every boot, ensuring no unauthorised modifications to the system.
• Extreme Performance – capable of running the most graphically and computationally demanding desktop environments without compromise, while ensuring advanced security, isolation and performance.
• Multi-level Desktop Consolidation – allows customers to run a large number of securely isolated desktop computing environments on a single physical system, especially useful for public sector customers who need to work on multiple sensitive contracts and projects simultaneously with full network and desktop isolation.

Why it Matters

Desktop virtualisation is being widely adopted by both enterprises and government agencies as a more secure way to deliver desktops, apps and data to their employees, while improving security and agility with centralised desktop management. Citrix XenClient plays an integral role in this transition by enabling virtual desktops “to go” for millions of mobile workers, while simultaneously enabling fully isolated environments for advanced multi-client and high-security client computing use cases.                       

Supporting Quotes

“Desktop virtualisation is helping organisations of all kinds transform desktop computing into a secure, on-demand service. XenClient extends the benefits of virtualisation from the data centre to physical PCs. With XenClient 2, we’re adding new levels of scalability and support for millions more laptop and PC models. And, by extending the product family with XenClient XT, we are taking this industry-leading technology to new areas like high-security desktop computing in the public sector, helping these organisations manage the costs and ensure the security and isolation of their desktop environments,” said Gordon Payne, senior vice president and general manager, Desktop Division at Citrix.

“The Synergy release of the XenClient 2 tech preview and announcement of the new Citrix XenClient XT product further illustrate Intel’s strong collaboration with Citrix. We have worked together to enable and optimise the XenClient 2 tech preview for the 2^nd Generation Intel® Core™ vPro™ processor family. Our collaboration has produced an intelligent approach to desktop virtualisation that delivers uncompromised performance, security, and manageability to IT and a great user experience for workers. XenClient was built from the start to utilise the powerful capabilities of Intel vPro technology. XenClient XT now takes it a step further by incorporating the additional hardware security benefits of Intel’s Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) to provide a verified platform on every boot. These innovations enable solutions delivered by Intel and Citrix with vPro and XenClient and our ecosystem to set a new bar for desktop virtualisation,” said Rick Echevarria, vice president, Intel Architecture Group and general manager, Business Client Platform Division.

"The client hypervisor has been an integral part of Gartner's virtual desktop and application delivery reference architecture for multiple years. Many of our clients see the bare-metal client hypervisor as not only core to their mobile user support strategy, but also essential for the complex office worker who has normally required multiple physical workstations due to various security, privacy, and regulatory compliance considerations,” said Chris Wolf, research VP, Gartner.

Supporting Partner Blogs

• Intel: Intel Powers Smart Security on XenClient XT, XenClient 2
• AMD: Graphics Virtualisation Just Got Easier  
• HP: Reality Check: Server Insights
• Lenovo: Lenovo Cloud and Virtualisation Offerings on Display at Citrix Synergy

Availability

• XenClient 2 tech preview, which includes both XenClient and the Synchroniser for XenClient is available today for free download by any IT pro who wants to try the technology for up to 10 clients.
• The new XenClient XT product will be available in June 2011.

Related Announcements

• New Citrix XenDesktop release extends benefits of desktop virtualisation to millions of laptop users
• Citrix Accelerates Virtual Desktop Revolution with XenDesktop 5

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About Citrix

Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) is a leading provider of virtual computing solutions that help people work and play from anywhere on any device.  More than 230,000 enterprises rely on Citrix to create better ways for people, IT and business to work through virtual meetings, desktops and datacentres.  Citrix virtualisation, networking and cloud solutions deliver over 100 million corporate desktops and touch 75 per cent of Internet users each day.  Citrix partners with over 10,000 companies in 100 countries. Annual revenue in 2010 was US$1.87 billion.

For Citrix Investors

This release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbour provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance.  Those statements involve a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks associated with the impact of the global economy and uncertainty in the IT spending environment, revenue growth and recognition of revenue, products and services, their development and distribution, product demand and pipeline, economic and competitive factors, the Company’s key strategic relationships, acquisition and related integration risks as well as other risks detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Citrix assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.

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Citrix® and XenClient™ are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

[1] Based on public market share data and estimates of hardware compatibility coverage on systems shipped from 2009 until end of 2011.