Cisco And Citrix Buddy Up For Enterprise Mobility Platform

Cisco and Citrix have got closer together, joining forces for an enterprise mobility infrastructure solution. Clumsily-titled Cisco Mobile Workspace Solution with Citrix, the package was revealed at the Citrix Synergy 2014 show in Los Angeles this week, and will be available from the end of this month.

Mobility Solution

The product set includes the new Citrix Workspace Suite, which was also revealed at the Los Angeles show earlier this week.

The two companies say the new platform will simplify how organisations provide secure access to apps, data, communications and services on any device, from networked locations. They claim the new platform is the “first end-to-end solution on the market to deliver a complete mobility platform.”

Using the new platform, IT departments can offer secure access to their company applications, data and services for staff members, regardless of the device the staff are using. Furthermore, the company application can be any type, including Windows or web-based, software as a service (SaaS), native mobile, voice or video.

IT managers can apparently optimise the user experience to ensure a “high-performance business application experience” for any staff members, irrespective of their location. And the platform boasts multiple integration points, to make life simpler for IT departments when it comes to enforcing company access policies and rules etc.

Cisco and Citrix also said the new platform is designed to have an open ecosystem approach, and a reference design architecture will be available.

“This new Cisco Mobile Workspace Solution with Citrix, built on the Citrix Workspace Suite, provides the complete hardware and software technology stack for delivering all the applications, content, and tools workers need on any device,” said Prashanth Shenoy, director of enterprise networks at Cisco, in a company blog posting. “This new Workspace Solution is excellent for companies moving into the second stage of their mobility journey – where their focus is on providing all the applications, content and services their employees need on their devices. This solution can help your employees, partners, and consultants work and collaborate on their mobile and desk devices, from pretty much anywhere.”

Beautiful Friendship?

The two companies have collaborated on a range of technologies in the past, including desktop virtualisation.

But enterprise mobility is a growing issue for many businesses. Microsoft, for example, earlier this month included enterprise mobility options in its Windows 8.1 update.

“We have been a strategic partner with Citrix for many years, and our goal of helping customers build on their mobility initiatives is first and foremost,” said Sujai Hajela, senior VP of Enterprise Networking Group at Cisco. “Together, our solution makes it possible for employees and end-users to access their applications and content from their user-owned or corporate issued devices, easily and with a great degree of security.

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