Citrix Systems, Inc. announced its plans to help partners capitalize on the significant server virtualization market opportunity by making the Citrix XenServer family of virtual server platforms available through its worldwide channel partner network. Citrix launched the server virtualization industry’s first-ever, Web-based technical training program exclusively for XenServer. This program eliminates the need for multiple days of travel to offsite training by enabling partners to complete the two days worth of technical training through a flexible online platform that includes on-demand lab access – making the easiest-to-use server virtualization solution the easiest for channel partners to learn about and start selling.

Server, desktop and application virtualization technologies are a market which IDC expects to be worth in excess of $3.4 billion by 2011,, and Citrix’s expansion of its long-time expertise in application virtualization into emerging virtualization market segments such as server virtualization is helping its partners capture a piece of the escalating market. IDC projects the number of virtual servers worldwide will grow 40 percent from 2005 to 2010, and with just 9 percent of servers shipped in 2007 being virtualized, the server virtualization market is poised for significant growth in the next few years.

“Citrix is making it easy for us to expand our virtualization expertise and offerings with XenServer. By enabling us to complete all of our training online at our convenience, Citrix reduces the resources we have to invest so we can begin selling XenServer to our customers today,” said Donnie Downs, president of Plan B Technologies. “Being able to offer a complete, end-to-end virtualization solution from Citrix makes us well positioned to be very competitive and create new revenue streams as the virtualization market heats up.”

Former XenSource resellers and current Citrix partners are automatically eligible to sell Citrix XenServer solutions to their customers. A two-hour, Web-based sales training is now available for all partners free of charge. Partners joining the XenServer reseller program through 2008 will also be offered the online technical training course at no additional cost. Since the XenServer products are so easy to use, they don’t require numerous days of classroom training in a lab. Instead, partners can master the necessary skills and knowledge quickly and easily through the new online technical training program. The XenServer family is currently being integrated into the Citrix Advisor Rewards program and sales of XenServer products will be eligible for Citrix Advisor Rewards beginning Jan. 1, 2008. Citrix XenServer solution providers will also have the option of expanding their Citrix product offerings to make complementary Citrix application delivery solutions available to their customers.

“With the new XenServer product line, Citrix is expanding resellers’ choice when it comes to virtualization platforms and helping them generate increased revenues in one of today’s highest-growth markets,” said Al Monserrat, vice president of worldwide channels and emerging product sales for Citrix. “We know the amount of technology resellers are faced with mastering across the board and the significant cost that entails is a challenge, so we’ve designed the XenServer channel program to remove those barriers and make it easy and highly profitable for our partners to grow in the virtualization space.”

Additional details on the new XenServer product line are available at http://www.citrix.com/xenserver. Interested resellers can contact xenpartners@citrix.com for more information about selling the XenServer family.