Description
Citrix Systems is an American multinational cloud computing and virtualization technology company that provides server, application and desktop virtualization, networking, software as a service (SaaS), and cloud computing technologies. Citrix products are claimed to be in use by over 400,000 clients worldwide, including 99% of the Fortune 100, and 98% of the Fortune 500.
The company was founded in Richardson, Texas in 1989 by Ed Iacobucci, who served as chairman until his departure in 2000. It began by developing remote access products for Microsoft operating systems, licensing source code from Microsoft, and has been in partnership with the company throughout its history. By the 1990s, Citrix came to prominence as an industry leader in thin client technology, enabling purpose-built devices to access remote servers and resources. The company launched its first initial public offering in 1995 and, with few competitors, experienced large revenue increases between 1995 and 1999.
Citrix acquired Sequoia Software Corp. in 2001 and ExpertCity, a provider of remote desktop products, in 2003. This was followed by more than a dozen other acquisitions from 2005 to 2012, which allowed Citrix to expand into server and desktop virtualization, cloud computing, Infrastructure as a Service, and Software as a Service offerings. In 2014, Citrix acquired Framehawk and used its technology to improve the delivery of virtual desktops and applications over wireless networks. In 2016, as part of a US$1.8 billion product deal with LogMeIn, Citrix spun off the GoTo product line into a new business entity, entitled GetGo. In 2017, Citrix completed the merger of GetGo with LogMeIn's products.
Citrix has corporate headquarters in both Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Santa Clara, California, with subsidiary operations in California and Massachusetts, and additional development centers in Canada, Denmark, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom. In 2020, Citrix generated $3.2 billion in revenue and had 9,000 employees.
On 31 January 2022, it was announced that Citrix had been acquired in a $16.5bn deal by affiliates of Vista Equity Partners and Elliott Investment Management. The all-cash acquisition will see Citrix merge with Tibco, a Vista portfolio company.
