Citrix Systems, Inc. today joined with industry partners to announce AppFlow, an innovative new open standards technology that delivers deep insight into critical business applications across both public and private cloud environments. As the industry transitions from “PC Era” to the “Cloud Era”, traditional enterprise applications are increasingly being complemented by a wide variety of new cloud and SaaS applications. This transition requires a new approach to business intelligence that gives CIOs access to real time data across a wide variety of traditional and next-generation cloud apps. Citrix is contributing the new AppFlow technology to the community as an open standard to accelerate broad adoption by a wide range of networking, infrastructure and business intelligence vendors.

The new AppFlow standard technology leverages existing networking real estate – uniquely situated in the application ‘line of sight’ - to provide a 360-degree view for all application traffic and transactions. It transforms enterprise and cloud networks into a single tap for application data, and exploits the native intelligence residing in data center footprints, such as service and application delivery controllers, WAN optimization controllers and next-generation firewalls. Citrix has teamed with SolarWinds, Splunk and CA Technologies to introduce AppFlow solutions that provide a step-function advancement in application visibility and enhance business intelligence for the Cloud Era.

Using AppFlow makes it easier for IT organizations to overcome common obstacles to achieving better application visibility, including the need to deploy intrusive network taps, install software agents on every server or instrument each application for specialized monitoring. By utilizing in-place networking solutions, AppFlow can help companies drive improved visibility and intelligence for cloud architectures, small and large enterprises and multi-tenant or multi-service environments.

Citrix NetScaler is the first service delivery networking solution to deliver deep application-layer insight using the new AppFlow technology. With the advanced, high-performance architecture of NetScaler, AppFlow runs at line-rate speeds up to 50 Gbps, bringing valuable visibility to even the most demanding application infrastructures. Additionally, Citrix Branch Repeater intends to support AppFlow to enable unprecedented insight into all applications and services delivered over WAN, including virtual desktops and virtual applications, for enhanced operational visibility and Quality of Service (QoS) control.

AppFlow is supported by the new AppFlow community with active participation from customers, vendors and industry experts. The community is anchored by http://www.appflow.org/, an open industry site for freely sharing best practices, new AppFlow tools and expert implementation guidance. All vendors are welcome to join and freely use the new AppFlow technology in their solutions.

_AppFlow

• _{First open industry technology dedicated to unlocking real time, natively-generated application data from existing networking devices for improved operational and business intelligence across both public and private cloud environments}
• _{Leverages existing network real estate obviating the need for intrusive network taps, and software-based agents}
• _{Early support from leading system management and business intelligence vendors, such as CA Technologies, SolarWinds and Splunk}
• _{Open to all vendors to join and freely use AppFlow technology in their products}
• _{Extends the IETF standard for exporting flow information, IPFIX (Internet Protocol Flow Information Export)}

Pricing and availability

Citrix AppFlow is available now. AppFlow template is published on http://www.appflow.org/, with SolarWinds and Splunk providing AppFlow support in existing performance monitoring and analytic tools. AppFlow support is included in version 9.3 of NetScaler MPX™ and VPX™ appliances, and is available in all NetScaler editions at no additional cost.