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User:16912 Rhiannon/Citrix History

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Moved to Citrix Systems

History

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Early history

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Citrix was founded in Richardson, Texas in 1989 by former IBM developer Ed Iacobucci with $3 million in funding.[1] Following its initial setup and development, Iacobucci moved the company to his former home of Coral Springs, Florida.[1] The company's first employees were five other engineers from IBM that Iacobucci convinced to join his team. Iacobucci served as chairman of the company and Roger Roberts became the CEO of Citrix in 1990.[1][2][3] Citrix was originally named Citrus, but changed its name after an existing company claimed trademark rights.[4] The Citrix name is a portmanteau of Citrus and UNIX.[5]

The company's first product was Citrix Multiuser, an extension of OS/2 developed over two years. Citrix licensed the OS/2 source code from Microsoft,[2][6][1] and developed its own Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) protocol for Citrix Multiuser.[7] Multiuser allowed multiple users working on separate computers remote access to software on a server, even from computers not built to run OS/2.[6][8] Three days before the product launched in 1991, Microsoft announced they would be switching from OS/2 to Windows. The switch made Multiuser nearly unusable without significant changes to make it compatible with Windows or DOS. The company discussed closing in 1991, but investments from Intel, Microsoft and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers among others, allowed the company to work on a new version of Multiuser.[2][1]

Multi-Win version 2.0 was released in 1992. It was compatible with DOS applications and allowed up to five users.[9] In 1993, Citrix released a new remote applications server, WinView, which had the ability to run DOS and Windows applications.[10] By 1994, the company's yearly revenue equaled US$10 million.[1]

The company launched WinFrame, a multi-user operating system based on Microsoft’s Windows NT, in 1995.[1] The new product allowed up to 15 users and was the first thin client for Windows.[11][12]

Rise in popularity

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Citrix had its initial public offering in December 1995.[13] The company's share price doubled from $15 to $30.[1] During the mid 1990s, Citrix became the leader of its growing industry with very few competitors, and the company's revenues doubled year over year between 1995 and 1999.[2]

In 1997, during negotiations to extend licenses of Windows NT 4.0 source code to Citrix, Microsoft stated it would develop its own competing software to WinFrame. Citrix stocks dropped 62 percent after the announcement.[8] Following weeks of discussions, Iacobucci was able to persuade Microsoft to agree to license Citrix technology for Windows NT Server 4.0, which resulted in Windows Terminal Server Edition in 1998.[2][3][14] This agreement allowed Citrix to keep its position in the marketplace and be NT 4.0 compatible.[8] Citrix also earned $75 million through the agreement, along with a royalty arrangement that was valued at approximately $100 million.[13][8]

Citrix released MetaFrame 1.0 in conjunction with Terminal Server Edition. Due to weaknesses in Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Terminal Server Edition worked best using the ICA protocol developed by Citrix and found in MetaFrame. This meant that Citrix technology was purchased and installed on most machines running Terminal Server Edition.[14][3]

In 1997, the company opened a new headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It also opened offices in Sydney, London and Paris that same year.[13] In 1998, Mark Templeton became the CEO of Citrix after serving as vice president of marketing.[13] Also in 1998, it licensed its ICA protocol to IBM and Key Tronics.[1] Citrix licensed its ICA protocol to Motorola for use in digital wireless handsets in 1999.[2]

During 1999, the thin-client model Citrix used became a software trend and the company's customers increased to 15 million.[1] Major clients included Sears, AT&T, and Chevron.[8][3] A sudden drop in stocks in 2000 led to Iacobucci leaving the company and CEO Mark Templeton being demoted to president and senior executive officer. Templeton was later reinstated in 2001.[13][15]

Expansion

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In 2001 Citrix acquired the Sequoia Software Corp. for $185 million.[1] That same year it released MetaFrame XP, a new platform using MetaFrame technology.[16] This was later rebranded by Citrix as Presentation Server, in 2005.[17]

On July 9, 2002, Citrix announced a 10% job cut. At the time the company employed about 1,900 workers. After the announcement the stock hit a five-year low.[18]

Citrix acquired ExpertCity, a provider of remote desktop products, in December 2003 for $225 million in cash and stock. The acquisition was the largest for the company up to that date.[19] Through the acquisition, Citrix gained ExpertCity's existing products GoToMyPC and GoToAssist, and ExpertCity became the Citrix Online division of the company.[19][20] In 2004, the company introduced Citrix GoToMeeting.[13]

Between 2005 and 2012, the company acquired over a dozen companies that allowed them to expand in new markets. Citrix acquired acceleration hardware maker NetScaler in 2005, which allowed the company to offer optimized application delivery.[21] The company entered the server and desktop virtualization market with the purchase of XenSource in August 2007.[22] Citrix expanded cloud and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings in August 2010 with the acquisition of VMLogix.[23] In February 2011, Citrix entered the European Software as a Service (SaaS) market with the acquisition of Netviewer.[24][25]

The company became a leader in IaaS after the acquisition of Cloud.com, provider of cloud infrastructure for companies, in July 2011.[26] Citrix began offering VDI-in-a-box to small and medium businesses with the acquisition of Kaviza in May 2011.[27] The company acquired technology for cloud-based file sharing and storage through its purchase of ShareFile in October 2011.[28]

In May 2012, Citrix acquired Virtual Computer, maker of intelligent desktop virtualization. The technology is used in the company's XenClient Enterprise edition.[29] Citrix entered the mobile video and telecom markets in June 2012 when the company acquired ByteMobile.[30] Also in 2012, the company acquired Zenprise. Zenprise's Mobile application management (MAM) technology was released as XenMobile in February 2013.[31]

In 2007, the company opened a headquarters in Silicon Valley.[13] In 2008, the company changed the name of its Presentation Server product line to XenApp.[32] Also in 2008, Citrix announced an expanded alliance with Microsoft on desktop virtualization solutions.[13] On January 29, 2009, Citrix announced that 460 employee positions would be cut, comprising 10% of its workforce.[33] In August 2010, Citrix announced a partnership with Google to bring the company's products to Chrome OS devices.[34][35]

Citrix acquired Framehawk in January 2014 in order to use the company's technology to improve the delivery of virtual desktops and applications over wireless networks, including cellular, where speed and quality may be poor.[36]

On January 29, 2015, Citrix announced that 700 full-time and 200 contractor positions would be eliminated.[37] This constituted about 10% of its workforce. The cuts were expected to save between $90 and $100 million a year. Two hundred of the layoffs occurred in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where the company is headquartered.[38]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k NetIndustries (2002). "Citrix Systems, Inc. – Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Citrix Systems, Inc". NetIndustries.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Lisa Gibbs (July 1, 1999). "Inside Ed's Head". Florida Trend. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Jim Freer (June 23, 1997). "Citrix rebounds – after a close call with Bill Gates". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  4. ^ Yoni Heisler. "In Pictures: How 41 tech companies got their names". PC World Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. ^ David E. Y. Sarna (2010). Implementing and Developing Cloud Computing Applications. CRC Press. p. 154. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  6. ^ a b Charles Lunan (April 22, 1991). "Informal Attire Belies Citrix`s Serious Aims". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  7. ^ Paweł Serwan (September 24, 2014). "Dive into Citrix ICA protocol – Part1". Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d e Maney, Kevin (June 11, 1997). "Tiny tech firm does the unthinkable". USA Today. USA Today.
  9. ^ Joe Salemi (Jun 16, 1992). "Citrix and Novell Update Their Multiuser Operating Systems". PC Magazine. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  10. ^ Nancy Durlester, Laura Wonnacott, Nicholas Petreley (December 6, 1993). "Free associating our way through Citrix WinView server installation". InfoWorld. Retrieved 4 February 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Steve Rigney (August 1996). "Citrix's WinFrame: Windows Anywhere". PC Magazine. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  12. ^ "Definition of:ICA". pcmag.com/encyclopedia. PC Magazine. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h "Citrix through the years: A timeline". The Miami Herald. March 18, 2012.
  14. ^ a b "WinFrame, MetaFrame and Terminal Server: The Difference Is ICA". Enterprise Systems Journal. July 15, 1998. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  15. ^ Adam Bryant (September 22, 2012). "Paint by Numbers or Connect the Dots". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  16. ^ Rick Vanover (June 13, 2001). "Decision Support: Should you upgrade to Citrix MetaFrame XP?". TechRepublic. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  17. ^ Paul Stansel (October 19, 2005). "Citrix Access Suite 4.0 – It's Not Your Daddy's MetaFrame". VirtualizationAdmon.com. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  18. ^ "Citrix Shares Fall to 5-Year Low After Profit Warning, Job Cuts". www.wsj.com. Wall Street Journal.
  19. ^ a b Steven Burke (December 19, 2003). "Citrix Acquires Expertcity". CRN Magazine. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  20. ^ Jack M. Germain (June 15, 2009). "Citrix Online Brings SMBs Into the Virtual Meeting Room". E-Commerce Times. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  21. ^ Stacy Cowley (June 6, 2005). "Gaining speed, Citrix buys NetScaler". Network World. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  22. ^ Martin LaMonica (August 15, 2007). "Citrix to buy virtualization company XenSource for $500 million". CNET. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  23. ^ Ben Kepes (August 30, 2010). "Citrix Buys VMLogix — It's All About the Hybrid Cloud". Gigaom. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  24. ^ Jenny Williams (December 20, 2010). "Citrix acquires SaaS firm Netviewer to expand into Europe". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  25. ^ "Citrix Dives Deeper Into Cloud App Delivery With EMS-Cortex Acquisition". CRN Magazine. February 22, 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  26. ^ Derrick Harris (July 12, 2011). "Citrix buys Cloud.com to step up VMware competition". Gigaom. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  27. ^ Kevin McLaughlin (May 23, 2011). "Citrix Acquires Desktop Virtualization Startup Kaviza". CRN Magazine. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  28. ^ Jenny Wiliams (October 27, 2011). "Citrix introduces ShareFile as 'iCloud for business'". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  29. ^ Kyle Alspach (May 9, 2012). "Citrix acquires VC-backed Virtual Computer". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  30. ^ Sarah Thomas (June 7, 2012). "Citrix Acquires Bytemobile to Target Telcos". Light Reading. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  31. ^ Elias Khnaser (December 10, 2012). "With Zenprise, Citrix Tightens End-User Computing Strategy". Virtualization Review. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  32. ^ Ruben Spruijt (January 28, 2008). "Citrix Presentation Server has left the building, XenApp is the new name". Brian Madden. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  33. ^ Morgan, Timothy. "Citrix ejects 10 percent of staff". www.theregister.co.uk. The Register.
  34. ^ Chris Fleck (December 7, 2010). "Google Search Finds Citrix Receiver for Chrome Notebooks". The Citrix Blog. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  35. ^ Chance Miller (August 21, 2014). "Citrix announces Receiver app for Chrome OS, allows remote access to other devices from within the browser". 9 to 5 Google. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  36. ^ Dan Kusnetzky (January 8, 2014). "Citrix acquires Framehawk to extend virtual access to mobile devices". ZDNet. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  37. ^ Katherine, Noyes. "Citrix's 900 job cuts seen as 'defensive' move". www.pcworld.com. PC World.
  38. ^ Pounds, Marcia. "Citrix lays off 200 Fort Lauderdale workers". Sun Sentinel.
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