Citrix application virtualization announcement around XenApp 5

Citrix Systems announced the next generation of its application virtualization software, Citrix XenApp 5, which includes more than 50 product enhancements and provides a 10x increase in application start-up times.

Citrix XenApp 5 (formerly known as Citrix Presentation Server) is a key component of the Citrix Delivery Center product family along with XenServer and XenDesktop. The combination of these products creates the end-to-end virtualization solution being offered by Citrix — spanning servers, desktops and applications.

“XenApp 5 broadens the horizon of the end-user experience and accessibility by delivering an end-to-end virtualization solution that addresses the needs of both local and hosted applications,” said Mark Bowker, analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. “In addition, XenApp 5 is giving new and existing customers a welcome boost in performance at an attractive price-point, two highly sought-after requirements for companies investing in strategic technologies in today’s economy.”

XenApp 5 runs on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. The new release of XenApp also offers Windows customers an easy migration path to move to the latest version of Windows Server 2008. And it includes improvements to performance, a better end-user experience and offers a reduction in application management costs according to Citrix.

“Microsoft and Citrix share a common vision around application delivery,” said Chandra Shekaran, general manager of presentation and hosted desktop virtualization at Microsoft Corp. “With XenApp 5, Citrix is once again extending the core platform capabilities of Windows Server 2008 while delivering a leading virtualization solution compatible with the Hyper-V role.”

XenApp 5 will be available September 10, 2008 with suggested pricing of $350 for the Advanced Edition, $450 for the Enterprise Edition and $600 for the Platinum Edition.