Citrix Online now in India

Citrix’s newest division is now in India and it plans to tap the outsourcing market, says Prashant L Rao

H R Shiever Managing Director, Citrix Online APAC

Citrix Online, the division of Citrix Systems that was formed when it acquired ExpertCity, is now in India. The division contributes around 6 to 7 percent of Citrix’s revenues and has desktop-oriented products that complement Citrix’s server-based solutions. While that may not seem like a large number, the division’s revenues grew by a healthy 34 percent in its most recent quarter. “We are key to Citrix‘s access message. Citrix Online takes the Metaframe suite and extends it to the desktop. We work on an ASP model offering software as a service,” says HR Shiever, managing director, Citrix Online APAC.

The company’s strategy for the Indian market is pretty simple. It intends to work with Citrix’s channel and client base. Over and above that it will participate in events that relate to its solutions. Shiever was a speaker at a recent IDC event on outsourcing. The target segments will be MNCs, companies involved in outsourcing and small and medium businesses (SMBs). For now Citrix Online will stick to its guns when it comes to pricing, global pricing will apply in India. However, Shiever does not rule out the prospect of reviewing pricing over the next twelve months. “We may consider localised pricing,” he says. That said, Citrix Online is using its international pricing in other APAC geographies such as Australia and New Zealand.

India fits into the division’s goal of focusing on English-speaking markets to start with. India and major markets in ASEAN are its immediate priorities. E-commerce has yielded big numbers for Citrix Online globally with 1,50,000 customers. The company will offer free trials for people buying over the Web. It will lead off with GoToAssist, a product that it believes is well suited for the

outsourcing market. “Initially GoToAssist will be the driver in India. People providing remote support for technology will find it useful. In APAC, initially, GoToAssist will be our leading product,” says Shiever. He also expects GoToMeeting to be popular due to the geographical separation of Indian companies and GoToMyPC to pick up with SMBs as broadband connectivity improves in India.

Globally the division has been successful in healthcare and banking. “Essentially, IT and software companies are a very strong vertical for us, companies with internal or customer support helpdesks,” Shiever clarifies.