Virtualization

Cloud

Citrix, Microsoft announce major expansion of long-term partnership

May 25, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Citrix, Microsoft announce major expansion of long-term partnership
Key elements include Azure becoming Citrix’s preferred cloud platform, and Microsoft Skype for Business now being optimized for the Citrix VDI environment, the only one to receive this preferred treatment.

Cloud

Citrix rebound mirrors improved performance in Canada

May 25, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Citrix rebound mirrors improved performance in Canada
Citrix’s Canadian country manager Michael Murphy talks about the company’s turnaround, what customers in Canada are looking for, and the new opportunities he sees emerging in Canada for the company and its channel partners.

Channel Programs

German thin-client maker IGEL targets North American market through all-channel strategy

May 25, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on German thin-client maker IGEL targets North American market through all-channel strategy
IGEL has been in North America for a while, but the company is now investing considerably more in its key partners and its channel program, to develop a core of elite partners to drive market share growth. They are at Citrix Synergy this week discussing future plans with their partners, who also typically sell Citrix.

Cloud

Citrix CEO Tatarinov lays out Citrix vision, and strategy to get there

May 24, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Citrix CEO Tatarinov lays out Citrix vision, and strategy to get there
Citrix CEO Kiril Tatarinov, at his first Citrix Synergy since taking over the company helm earlier this year, outlined to the company’s customers where he plans to take the company.

Servers

Nutanix targets SMB hyper-converged space with Nutanix Xpress

May 24, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Nutanix targets SMB hyper-converged space with Nutanix Xpress
Nutanix is making changes to its channel strategies around this product, including deal registration, to avoid channel confusion. Lenovo and its channel will also play a key role taking Xpress to market.

Servers

Nutanix, Citrix partner on scalable enterprise VDI solution for around $500 (really)

May 24, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Nutanix, Citrix partner on scalable enterprise VDI solution for around $500 (really)
Nutanix’s president acknowledged that the industry’s previous announced attempts at a low-cost VDI solution have been basically junk, which have left customers suspicious of such claims. Nutanix InstantON VDI for Citrix, on the other hand, is an enterprise-capable turnkey solution, which really will come in in the $500 price range, including the endpoint.

Big Data

New Dell Validated System for SAP HANA Edge to bring HANA to SMBs

May 18, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on New Dell Validated System for SAP HANA Edge to bring HANA to SMBs
Other Dell SAP-related initiatives announced at SAPPHIRE NOW included ones around the Internet of Things, cloud blueprints to optimize SAP environments, and a new optimized architecture for SAP Foundation for Health.

Sponsored Content

Top Three Cloud Client-Computing Trends for 2016

May 11, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Top Three Cloud Client-Computing Trends for 2016
In 2016 and beyond, we believe VDI use cases will expand as cost and complexity continues to diminish, and security concerns continue to rise. Here are the top three cloud client-computing trends partners need to know.

Servers

Scale Computing integrates flash into tiering to strengthen SMB hyper-converged offering

May 3, 2016 Mark Cox 1
Scale’s new HEAT technology brings flash into hybrid tiering, with all the performance benefits of using flash for a tier rather than just a cache. The challenge here was not introducing flash, but doing so in a way that would not increase complexity, and would be cost-effective for SMBs.

Channel Programs

Citrix channel chief lays out three major program changes, hints at another upcoming

April 6, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Citrix channel chief lays out three major program changes, hints at another upcoming
Citrix is adding a new, incremental front-end discount for new opportunities among both new and existing customers. They are also reworking their MDF program, and redoing their CAR program to simplify it and increase partner opportunities.