Simon Bramfitt

The Citrix Nirvana Phone

After being completely underwhelmed by the iPad launch, it has fallen to Citrix of all companies to renew my enthusiasm for mobile devices. A little over two years after Chris Fleck (Citrix VP of Community and Solutions Development) first introduced me to the idea of using a smart phone as a laptop replacement, Citrix announced this morning the latest iteration of its Nirvana Phone concept.

The first iteration of the Nirvana Phone took at its core idea the notion that the then current generation of smart phones (think first generation iPhone) were approaching the level of performance needed to run the Citrix Receiver successfully. If that was the case then with the addition of a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard and a HD video out connection it would be quite possible for your phone to become your always connected mobile thin client. Of course it didn't escape attention that if this idea took off it would most likely result in Citrix selling a few more XenApp and XenDesktop licenses.

Two years later we are still waiting for the Nirvana Phone, all of the individual parts are available all that we are lacking is for someone to assemble them all in a single compelling package, and that is where today's announcement starts. Citrix working together with OK Labs (who I mentioned in my last post) have released a reference architecture document describing a second generation Nirvana Phone that builds on the core concept but updates it to take into account the latest developments in mobile hypervisor capabilities.

I have to stress the word concept, Citrix is most definitely not in the mobile handset business (although OK Labs most definitely is, albeit in a very specialized area). Think of this more as a conversation starter than a clear statement of direction of things to come from Citrix.

The Nirvana Phone concept extends Citrix’s vision for mobile application delivery beyond the point I described it in my last post. Instead of writing a separate Citrix Receiver for each mobile device operating system, the Nirvana Phone has at its heart the OK Labs OKL4 Microvisor, with the Citrix Receiver implemented as what is in effect a virtual appliance running directly on the hypervisor. This brings with it two key advantages; firstly Citrix could now, in theory anyway, provide a single Citrix Receiver for use on all phones running the OK Labs Microvisor (and that's a quite staggering 500 million devices). Secondly by running the Citrix Receiver in its own virtual machine it is significantly more secure than it would be when running alongside many other applications. The second point might not be off too much concern today, but as the number of open ecosystem App stores such as Cydia and the Android Market increases so does the risk of malware gaining a foothold on smart phones. At some point corporate IT will have to wake up to this risk and a secure Citrix Receiver may be just the thing they are looking for to marry the needs of security with the convenience of mobile applications.

Anyway, here's a short video of Chris Fleck demonstrating the Nirvana phone.

How cool is that. 

The demo is is real, there's no trickery involved here. That phone is a standard smartphone, although perhaps only recognizable if you are outside the US. Even so, I'm afraid you can't go out buy a working Nirvana Phone today. While the hardware is off the shelf, the firmware has been hacked somewhat to install the Citrix Receiver. 

What are the chances that we will see a Nirvana Phone for sale any time soon?  Well, the OKL4 Microvisor is embedded in smartphones such as the HTC G1, G2, and the HTC Hero, the Motorola Droid and Cliq, the Palm Pre, and the Toshiba TG01OK . Most significantly the OKL4 Microvisor powers the world's only commercially-available fully-virtualized smartphone, the Motorola Evoke QA4.  So the core technology is already operational in the field, and it becomes a matter of detail to get the Citrix Receiver integrated with a production platform - that and find a mobile wireless operator interested in offering it as a service.

I almost forgot, Citrix and OK Labs are hosting a joint Webinar on the Nirvana Phone on February 9th. 

Application delivery and the evolution of endpoints

Anyone who hasn't been hiding under a rock for the last few weeks won't have been able to avoid the brouhaha concerning the highly anticipated launch of Apple's tablet. Not quite as exciting to some, but certainly more real was Steve Ballmer's keynote at CES last week, where he showed off Windows based tablets from HP, Archos and Pegatron. At the same time there has been an explosion of announcements on Android tablets with manufacturers such as Archos (again), Compal, Dell, HP (again), and Motorola, offering tablets ranging in size from 5 to 10 inches. While in the UK, T-Mobile has announced its own monster 15 inch Vega tablet that will also run Android. If this wasn't enough Intel is pushing Moblin their own Linux-based OS at Netbook manufacturers and have just launched the beta of AppUp Center Intel's take on the single platform application storefront. And let's not forget Walt Mossberg’s interview with Google's VP of Engineering Andy Rubin strongly hinting that Google has RIM in its sights by announcing plans for an enterprise version of the Nexus One smartphone complete with physical keyboard and longer battery life.

A couple of years ago enterprise IT might have seen all this as an interesting diversion and little more. But now with the iPhone, and more importantly the iTunes App Store, expectations on application delivery to the endpoint have changed. Enterprise users now expect to be able to access both personal and business apps where ever they are.  So while many of these new devices are clearly aimed at the consumer market, it would be shortsighted not to expect some of them to see service as enterprise application delivery endpoints in the near future. 

Predictions for 2010 – Citrix

Citrix clearly has some unfinished business to take care of in the coming year. They made significant advances across all divisions of the company, but each step forwards only served to show that there was more that could be done. Chris Wolf is far more capable than I am when it comes to assessing what the future holds for server virtualization, so I’ll limit my thoughts to application and desktop virtualization activities. 

What then can we expect from Citrix next year?

Kicking XenClient's tires

I was chatting with Citrix's Peter Blum about XenClient last week. I won't say anything about the detail of the product before any formal announcement from Citrix, but from what I saw Citrix looks to be well on the way to having a solid product on its hands and I'm looking forwards to getting hold of the beta release in a week or two. Of far more interest to me than the raw technology is Citrix's vision for how the client hypervisor will change desktop computing. Citrix has clearly been using its deep understanding of application virtualization to inform its go-to-market strategy for XenClient, so expect to see a lot of noise in this space as soon as the beta is released.

I've not been successful in getting any time with VMware's CVP team as yet, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to talk to them soon and get a better feeling for their perspective on how best to take advantage of this new opportunity.

Initial thoughts on Google Chrome OS

Google are pitching Chrome OS as a fast netbook only access platform that will run web apps but offers no support for conventional apps (Windows, Mac OS, linux, Android etc.).  It's designed for online use, with offline support limited to media playback, HTML 5 apps, and that's about it.

Wow!  Errr... hang on a minute, can someone explain to me how the already overloaded US cell phone networks are going to support all the new traffic that this will create.  We've all seen what has happened with AT&T and how the introduction of the iPhone has crippled parts of its network.

And then there's that small problem of 'legacy' application support, does Google think that this doesn't matter, or will there be an announcement from Citrix, VMware, and perhaps Wyse offering support for Chrome in a day or two. I'm talking to Citrix about the Citrix Receiver roadmap tomorrow, it will be interesting to get their take on the matter.

Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:

"                                    And you, good yeoman,

Whose limbs were made in England, show us here

The mettle of your pasture; let us swear 

That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not; 

For there is none of you so mean and base, 

That hath not noble lustre in your eyes. 

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, 

Straining upon the start. The game's afoot: 

Follow your spirit, and upon this charge 

Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'"

Shakespeare. Henry V: Act 3 Scene 1

Today desktop virtulization comes of age with the release of VMware View 4. Now at last we will see side by side both Citrix and VMware's visions for the future of desktop virtualization; and while not quite as historic an event as the battle of Agincourt, it is clear that the lines have been drawn and that the future of these two companies will be shaped based on how they fare in the battle to own the virtual desktop.
Citrix and VMware have very different perspectives on how to deliver against corporate IT needs (and to a significant degree on what those needs comprise of), not to mention each having a complex network of alliances that would make many aspects of European history appear transparent. So the coming year will be an interesting mix of each companies own capabilities as well as just how close the alliances they have forged have become. I'm looking forwards to an interesting year.

Now that we are starting to see the battle lines being draw, some small part of me is secretly hoping that Citrix's own Harry is rousing his troops with a cry of 

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our Citrite dead."

Letting ICA out of the bag - Part III

A couple of months ago I wrote about how the Reznick Group had selected Expand Networks over Citrix to provide WAN Optimization Controllers to manage and accelerate their HDX traffic, suggesting that if Citrix have difficulties selling their Branch Office Repeater to an existing XenApp customer then maybe they ought to consider licensing the tech to other WAN Optimization Controller vendors in a bid to get revenue from the Branch Office Repeater sales that they are not making. 

I ran a poll seeking your opinion on the idea and left it open for 8 weeks to gather responses closing it last week. The results showed that 65% of respondents indicated that they were interested in optimizing their ICA/HDX traffic but did not consider Citrix a potential vendor in this space. 20% claimed to either be current or potential Citrix Branch Office Repeater customers and a further 13 % felt that they had no requirement for a WAN Optimization Controller here. I can't say I have a lot of confidence in the numbers, it would require more resources than I have to do a fully effective poll, but I'd offer that there is at least a small indication that I'm not alone in thinking the idea has some merit. 

A small but valuable incentive - Updated

There is one small but valuable incentive to migrating to XenDesktop that might make existing XenApp administrators happier. Those organisations that have grown organically over the years and so finished up with many separate licenses, will finally have the opportunity to consolidate them into a single new license - that along might convince some people I know that an upgrade to XenDesktop 4 is called for.

Take a look at this small section of the overall list of licenses that need to be managed for a large environment that I support. Replacing all those blocks of 50 licenses with a couple of new 1,000 license blocks would be heaven.

 One point to consider should you take this route would be to avoid the temptation to place all your licenses in a single block. If at some point down the road you want to stop Subscription Advantage on half of your licenses because you no longer need them, it will be a lot simple to do so if you have a single block of licenses that you can point to.

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This post was updated to correct an error on my part where wrote  'License Files' where I meant 'Licenses', and extended to provide a fuller explanation of the benefit this offers. 

More on VDI licensing

In my previous post exploring licensing considerations for a VDI licensing model. I came to the conclusion that the concurrent usage licensing model had significant shortcomings compared to a user based model. However, there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration. While a private poll of 500 of Citrix's customers showed broad support for the XenDesktop 4 licensing model, Mike Stanley's previous comments highlight the two most important secondary factors that should have to be taken into consideration when deciding on the upgrade path.

The most visible of these issues is cost. Transition to user based licensing will inevitably result in an increase in the number of licenses required. While many (perhaps most) existing customers will be able to trade up to XenDesktop 4 for little immediate cost, the on-going Subscription Advantage commitment will be substantially more than their previous outlay. Introduction of a significant increase in licensing costs (even if it does not apply for another 12 months) is going to raise serious concerns and cause many customers to review their commitment to Citrix. I think that Citrix need to look closely at how this increase in Subscription Advantage fees will impact their customers and consider taking action to limit its impact. The global recession is still going to be depressing IT budgets for some time to come, and far sighted IT managers will be looking closely at what an increase in the number of licenses under Subscription Advantage will cost. Using a 2 for 1 upgrade path as a way to boost Subscription Advantage revenue is not going to be well received. A reduction in the unit cost of Subscription Advantage would be a welcome announcement at this time, not to mention prompt action to address the concerns of customers like Mike where a 2:1 conversion ratio is of very little benefit.

Which brings me to the second point: Trust. Mike asked a very important question in his previous comments.

Why buy into an expensive XenApp solution today, knowing that the next version may switch to per user licensing ...

Mike Stanley

Now that the door to user based licensing has been opened, Mike is just one of many asking what next for XenApp.  Personally I don't see Citrix making any changes here.  They had the opportunity once when off-line Application Streaming was introduced but didn't take it, acting to do so now is most unlikely. Having said that, I do think that Citrix have a problem here. Just as Citrix and Microsoft are seeing greater adoption of XenServer and Hyper-V as VMware's customers becoming disaffected with their licensing practices, Citrix need to ensure that they do not loose market share to competition in the application and desktop delivery space. A clear message to reassure customers that the XenApp licensing model is not going to change would be most welcome.

How do you choose a VDI licensing model? - Updated

Citrix's announcement that XenDesktop 4 licensing will break from the concurrent user model in favor of licensing by named user has got many people up in arms,and making loud claims as to how this will force them to abandon plans to adopt VDI. However once you get past the shock of the new and start to look at things more coolly it soon becomes clear that while it might have be possible for Citrix to retain a concurrent licensing model a little while longer, the direction that the VDI market is heading in will force every vendor to move away from the concurrent licensing model in the near future. 

I was going to write about VDI licensing from the customer perspective, but the Burton Group's Chris Wolf beat me to the punch on his blog (see side bar for link) 

Reworking licensing to be user-centric needs to be a top priority among client application vendors heading into 2010. Vendors that insist on binding licenses to physical devices in an increasingly virtualized world are not part of the solution. They’re part of the problem.

Chris Wolf

so I'm going to take a look at this from the vendor perspective.

Even today XenApp 5.0 no longer operates with an exclusively concurrent licensing model. The introduction of support for off-line streaming apps requires a hybrid licensing model where hosted apps are served from a pool of licenses assigned concurrently, but streamed apps use license leasing. This is necessary because streamed apps can be configured to continue to operate when disconnected from the host network, and at that point it is no longer possible for the License Server to determine if an application is being accessed used or not. The only viable solution to this problem is to adopt a leasing model. Allocating licenses to the user for a fixed duration with the option to renew for as long as the streamed application is being used. This by the way does more than ensure that Citrix maximizes its licensing revenue.  By preventing a license from be reallocated until its lease expires it prevents licenses from being double booked and so ensures that a customer can meet any audit with confidence.  I can think of a few companies than have been subject to audit and found themselves on the wrong side of a multi-million dollar settlement who might wish that other vendors would offer that approach.

Looking forward beyond the launch of XenDesktop 4 to the day when XenClient is launched, the technical landscape becomes much more complex.  One user might be running a VDI desktop hosted within the data center, another might be a task worker running a single hosted application. Others might be working from their homes running a VDI guest on a XenClient on an otherwise unmanaged workstation but with a VPN connection to the corporate network, while someone else is running another VDI guest on a laptop also running XenClient fully disconnected from any internet connection.  You can no longer control licensing based on connection count if your product does not require a connection to work. This change applies not just to Citrix, but to every VDI software vendor that intends to compete across the full gamut of VDI technology platforms. 

If concurrent licensing is no longer an option that leaves per machine or per user. In most environments, there isn't much difference between these two models. In most cases the number of people sharing PC is very low, so a PC based model could work just as well as a per user model, and this is where it gets interesting. If you go back to Citrix and ask why they adopted the concurrent licensing model, you might if you were lucky find someone who has been around long enough to be able to remember the initial reasoning behind that decision which if I remember correctly went something like 'We license our technology based on usage. You are only using ICA when you have an active connection between PC and server, so we think it is only right that you only consume a license when you have an active connection to the server.' Now the intellectual property that you use is far more than just the presentation protocol and much of that intellectual property is still being used even when the connection is not. But the focus is still on the user of the technology rather than on the machine that it is consumed from.  Furthermore, with the continual increase in diversity of access platform many of which might be used in a single working day, leasing to a device would lead to multiple licenses being consumed by a single user in the course of a day and/or licenses being orphaned as a user accesses stateless devices that are re-provisioned from a gold image every time they are used. So by default licensing based on who is using able to use XenDesktop is the only choice left open.

Unfortunately there is never a good time to move to a new licensing model, Citrix could have forced through the change with XenApp a couple of years ago with the introduction of off-line access to streamed applications, but rightly, in my opinion, chose not to. Leaving the change until VDI is more mature would create even more anguish than it has done today.  So now, as the VDI paradigm starts to gather speed, is probably the least bad time to make this change. 

What matters most at this point is that the transition to this new licensing model be handled with appropriate care and respect for the current customer base. Citrix's opening offer is very attractive to existing customers once you look at the detail and compare upgrade costs with the cost of Subscription Advantage to maintain a XenApp subscription, especially when you take into account that if you time the upgrade right you will finish up with both the XenDesktop 4 upgrade and the XenApp 6 (Parra) release within the same 12 month period. The 2 for 1 offer works very well for most existing XenApp customers but not all. Citrix need to look at how it can address market segments such as retail, education and healthcare where the user to device ratio is frequently much higher.

My final concern is that Citrix ensure that an appropriate balance is achieved between the cost of Subscription Advantage going forwards and the value delivered when customers find themselves owning a far larger number of licenses than they might previously have had.