Citrix and Microsoft announced the availability of Citrix Branch Repeater , an innovative new line of branch office appliances developed and marketed as part of a strategic alliance between the two companies. By staging the delivery of applications and Windows services closer to branch office users, Citrix Branch Repeater helps make branch office computing faster and more cost-effective for companies of all sizes.

Citrix Branch Repeater will be sold as part of the Citrix Delivery Center product family, an end-to-end infrastructure designed to help customers transform static datacenters into dynamic “delivery centers.” Just as digital television repeaters amplify and retransmit media signals to homes in a given neighborhood, Citrix Branch Repeater sits between corporate datacenters and branch offices, amplifying and retransmitting applications to branch office users. Based on Windows Server and available with Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server software, the Citrix Branch Repeater provides an ideal complement to application virtualization solutions, enhancing application delivery and performance while simultaneously delivering critical Windows Server infrastructure services in the branch.

“This type of alliance will give companies more flexibility for managing their branches, and it will address never-ending bandwidth demands from branch workers,” said Robin Gareiss, executive vice president and senior founding partner, Nemertes Research. “The adoption of managed services at the branch is increasing. Today, 63 percent of companies use some form of managed services at the branch, compared to 46 percent in 2007(1).”

Citrix Branch Repeater optimizes the branch through:

• Staging Streamed Applications Closer to Branch Office Users
• Consolidating Windows Branch Services
• Accelerating All Applications Delivered over the Wide Area Network

“We have been customers of both Citrix and Microsoft for many years, and their respective technologies have continuously benefitted our growing company,” said Tom Allen, director of IT, Ozinga Brothers, a materials supply company with branch offices throughout the US Midwest. “Citrix Branch Repeater will allow us to further enhance our use of Citrix XenApp and Windows Server to deliver applications to our branches without increasing our IT overhead while keeping our branch users satisfied.”

“Branch office employees should have the same productive computing experience as employees at headquarters,” said Bala Kasiviswanathan, director of branch and storage solutions, Windows Server division, Microsoft. “Windows Server-based branch office solutions help customers deliver core infrastructure services that are required to keep branch office applications and operations running efficiently. The Citrix Branch Repeater streamlines and consolidates the application delivery infrastructure while delivering on the performance and availability expectations of the most demanding branch office environments.”

“Citrix Branch Repeater is an impactful addition to the toolkit of enterprise IT departments, because its easy integration with the application delivery infrastructure helps solve the key challenges facing IT administrators,” said Troy Trenchard, vice president and general manager, Access and Acceleration Group, Citrix. “The seamless environment allows customers to place the technology where it makes the most sense for the business.”

(1) Nemertes Research’s Advanced Communications Services benchmark 5/1/08

For more information on Citrix contact Fryske Helms, fryske.helms@edelman.com at A&R Edelman.