Today at Citrix Synergy, the conference where virtualization, networking and cloud computing meet, Citrix Systems unveiled a major new release of Citrix® Receiver™, the company’s universal software client that makes it easy to access any existing business application, desktop or document on any device, including PCs, Macs, laptops, thin clients, tablets and smartphones. The new release adds extensive user experience enhancements, including the ability to touch-enable existing Windows applications on any touchscreen tablet and smartphone, as well as support for a broad range of exciting new devices such as the BlackBerry® PlayBook™, Cisco Cius™, Dell Streak™ and the Samsung Galaxy™ offerings. Citrix also previewed a new version of its popular Citrix Receiver for iPad, which adds extensive new touch, gesture and user experience enhancements for the upcoming Apple® iOS 4.2 software release. These enhancements give IT the “power to say yes” to employees and contractors bringing these new devices into the workforce, or teleworking from their home PC or Mac.

With this new release, Citrix Receiver also fully integrates the capabilities of the previously standalone Citrix® Dazzle™ client (see “Citrix Cuts Ribbon on Self-Service App Store”), giving users easy self-service access to any corporate application offered by IT, on whatever device they happen to be using at the time – all through one easy-to-use software client. When employees or contractors need access to a given app, they simply open up the Citrix Receiver user interface, search for the app they want, and add it to their Windows® Start Menu or Mac® Dock, or launch it directly from Citrix Receiver (see Citrix Receiver user interface screen shots). If a desired app requires authorization, users can also generate a request for it through the new automated request workflow built into Citrix Receiver.

For the first time ever, Citrix Receiver now also gives users one-click, single sign-on access to an entirely new generation of applications, including web, cloud and SaaS apps hosted outside the corporate datacenter. When users search for a desired app in Citrix Receiver, external SaaS apps such as Salesforce.com, NetSuite®, Marketo, SuccessFactors, GoToMeeting® or Dropbox, appear in their Citrix Receiver app store right alongside traditional Windows® apps like SAP®, PowerPoint® and Acrobat®. If the user is authorized to use the requested application, their initial Citrix Receiver login credentials are used to log them in automatically, regardless of where the app is located.

The new Citrix Receiver represents a major breakthrough in virtual computing for all parties. Users win by getting easy, self-service access to any corporate app, desktop or document, at any time of day or night, on any device they choose. IT wins because they now have complete centralized control over security, performance and user experience for both internal and external applications, and the ability to support a wide range of new devices without the need to create, support or test individual clients for each one. And the business wins because users are more productive, while IT is more efficient.

Additional Features and Benefits

• New User Experience Enhancements – Citrix Receiver includes several new HDX technology enhancements, extending a rich, high-definition experience to new touchscreen tablets and smartphones. Precise, multi-touch, intuitive gestures allow users to seamlessly interact with existing corporate apps that were never designed to run on touchscreen devices. Whether zooming in on a 3D graphic, flipping through a presentation, or creating a new document, even legacy applications respond like new with incredible speed and accuracy.
• Data Security for Any User and Device – Citrix Receiver now includes the new Citrix® XenVault™ technology plug-in, ensuring that any document created by a corporate-delivered app can be automatically stored in an encrypted folder. This is an ideal solution for contractors and employee-owned laptops, allowing IT to maintain full security of corporate intellectual property without having to manage non-corporate devices.
• Zero-touch, Silent Updates – Centralized management of applications, desktops and data gives IT complete control over security, performance, and user experience, with no need to own or manage the physical device or its location. With Citrix Receiver, IT can now add or remove services and push automatic and scheduled downloads and updates centrally, with zero-touch from users.
• Open and Extensible Framework – Citrix Receiver supports a wide range of third-party plug-ins, including support for application delivery solutions like Microsoft App-V. Citrix also includes a comprehensive SDK that enables third party software and technology vendors to build additional plug-ins that enhance the Citrix user experience.

Pricing and Availability

The new Citrix Receiver release will be available for download free of charge this quarter on the Citrix website or directly off independent app stores for mobile device users. Exact availability varies by device. Access to Windows apps and desktops in Citrix Receiver requires the use of Citrix® XenDesktop® or Citrix® XenApp™ in the datacenter. Secure single sign-on access to web and SaaS apps requires Citrix® NetScaler® with the new Citrix® OpenCloud™ Access module, shipping later this quarter.