Posted by Michael Archick on Wed, May 16, 2012 @ 09:30 AM
Citrix Synergy 2012 San Francisco Trip Report
Just back from Citrix Summit and Synergy in San Francisco (May 7 – 12) and ready to serve! What is Summit? What is Synergy? Is Synergy some mass meeting of borg-like individuals with a common thread of understanding or direction that guides them through the technology selection process? In short; it kind of is...
Summit is the Citrix two-day partner conference. Top Citrix executives gather to discuss how their solutions stack up in a competitive software market as well as review product developments over the past year. The Summit is also the venue where they announce new products, like ShareFile which allows for file sharing for enterprises outside the confines of their data center, or computer rooms for smaller enterprises as well as new acquisitions like Podio which is a new productivity suite for companies under the guise of “social media”. The conference culminates with the introduction of the Citrix strategic vision expanding on the wants and needs of workers and focusing mainly on the capability to work from anywhere, anytime and from any device.
In contrast to Summit, Synergy is Citrix’s three-day customer-focused conference. This is where Citrix customers meet, network and exchange ideas, triumphs and futures. It is truly a “Borg”. Everyone there has one thing on their mind; how can Citrix make my IT life easier – and frankly more exciting – providing the best platform for my customers while giving them the freedom to work from anywhere, using any device?
Just as with Summit, Synergy carries a great message for the Citrix tech future, expanding on the ability to work from anywhere, anytime, from any device. For individuals who use the physical office as a way of seperating their personal and professional life the idea of work being so accessible is not an attractive solution. But think of this – for a Connecticut resident like myself, the Federal Highway Commission states that employees travel an average of 23.5 minutes one-way to work. Citrix’s standpoint is that when you need (or decide you need to) work you simply use a device to access your data, documents, desktops, systems, etc. I can easily leverage devices I use everyday to accomplish my professional to-do list while saving, if not gaining, personal time. My laptop, tablet and Smartphone all have the capability to utilize a piece of software that Citrix has written called the Citrix Receiver. And guess what it does? It allows me to connect from anywhere, at anytime, using any of my devices. So instead of traveling an hour to work, I simply use the Citrix Receiver, get my app, do my work and log off. The transition from not working to working is mere seconds vs. the CT average of 47 minutes to and from work.
If you have two hours to spare (that’s two days of travel time to work) may I suggest you view the keynote from Citrix Synergy 2012 on Citrix TV. Citrix CEO, Mark Templeton, has great energy and a genuine passion for the solutions Citrix is bringing to the marketplace not to mention extraordinary vision about the future of business computing.