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Citrix and Microsoft To Collaborate on 'Branch Office Appliance'

Microsoft and Citrix Systems announced this week they are collaborating to jointly produce and market a so-called "appliance" aimed at serving branch offices.

The branch office appliance will be based on Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 and Internet Security and Acceleration Server as well as Citrix wide area network (WAN) optimization technologies, the two companies said in a statement.

The companies' planned joint solution will provide "a new type of branch office appliance that combines advanced WAN optimization technologies with consolidated branch office services in a single, multifunction appliance that is easy to administer remotely," the statement said.

As far as demand goes, Citrix says its research found that 55 percent of enterprise employees access all of their mission-critical business applications from a remote office location.

Citrix's contribution to the collaboration will include WANScalar technology it acquired earlier this week with the completion of its purchase of privately held Orbital Data Corp., a provider of solutions to optimize delivery of applications to branch office users over WANs.

About the Author

Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.

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