Severe Weather No Threat to Office Workers’ Productivity with Citrix Online Technology

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When the blizzard of December 2009 froze out auto, rail and air travel in many areas of the East Coast and Midwest, commuters and businesses were literally stopped in their tracks. The Wall Street Journal is even hinting that continued weather disruption throughout the rest of the winter could have economists talking about a double-dip recession. But savvy workers and employers are outsmarting Old Man Winter by simply workshifting from their nearest Internet connection to conduct business as usual regardless of weather conditions or travel restrictions – says Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTXS).

“We tend to think of this winter’s disruptions, with companies closed and productivity at a standstill, as a cost of doing business”

“We tend to think of this winter’s disruptions, with companies closed and productivity at a standstill, as a cost of doing business,” said Chuck Wilsker, president and CEO of the Telework Coalition, and a member of Citrix Online’s Worldwide Workplace Council. “But the real problem is a limited definition of the word ‘commute,’ which in the 21^st Century isn’t just about planes, trains and automobiles. Today it’s about the adoption of a workshifting approach to enable workers to be productive from anywhere. This can act like an insurance policy for the business."

The effect severe winter weather can have on operations paints a sobering picture especially for small and midsized businesses. With remote access and web conferencing products like GoToMyPC and GoToMeeting, a laptop or home computer, workers can access their office desktop, including programs, files, and email, just as if they had braved the storm. Citrix Online’s solutions enable people to work with anyone from anywhere—be it an airport, coffee shop, or their own home—remotely accessing their office computer, attending web meetings and Webinars, and obtaining remote support.

“The recent winter storm was an extreme case, but we’ve been surprised how many times our own business continuity plan and GoToMeeting have transformed what might have been a lost day into a productive one,” said Clayton Lyons, CEO of Virtual Built, whose 17 employees all have the easy to use service that can be activated at the touch of a button. “Our people collaborate with their clients during severe weather and family emergencies, as well as when business calls them out of town. We began thinking of the technology as a convenience. Now we regard it as a necessity.”

“In severe weather, being equipped with a virtual office that provides a ‘just like being there experience’ is the best insurance for business as usual,” said Bernardo de Albergaria, Citrix Online vice president and general manager for global marketing and eCommerce. “Having collaboration and remote access tools is not only the ultimate ‘quality of work’ improvement, but the cornerstone of an effective business continuity plan that mitigates the devastating impact of lost productivity.”

Visit the Citrix Online blog for mobile worker commentary and resources at www.workshifting.com

All Citrix Online solutions are available on a free trial basis for 30 days. For a limited time, GoToMyPC and GoToMeeting trials have been extended to 60 days. See http://www.gotomypc.com/free and http://www.gotomeeting.com/now for more details.

About Citrix

Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) is a leading provider of virtualization, networking and software-as-a-service (SaaS) technologies for more than 230,000 organizations worldwide. Its Citrix Delivery Center™, Citrix Cloud Center™ (C3) and Citrix Online Services product families radically simplify computing for millions of users, delivering applications as an on-demand service to any user, in any location on any device. Citrix customers include the world’s largest Internet companies, 99 percent of Fortune Global 500 enterprises, and hundreds of thousands of small businesses and prosumers worldwide. Citrix partners with over 10,000 companies worldwide in more than 100 countries. Founded in 1989, annual revenue in 2008 was $1.6 billion.

Citrix®, GoToAssist®, GoToMeeting®, GoToMyPC® and GoToWebinar® are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.