In 1989, the tech world was vastly different than it is today. Personal computers were still an innovation and still pretty far out of reach for most people. Mobile phones were the size of actual bricks (and about as heavy). And the internet was something most of us would have thought was part of a science fiction novel. But though the tech industry was still young, it was in 1989 that two software engineers left their comfortable jobs and, in a small office with curious orange shag carpet, began to write the Citrix story.
Originally named Citrus Systems, the company soon changed its name to Citrix, a combination of Citrus and UNIX.
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With a vision that people should be able to work from anywhere, at any time, and from any device — a vision that still powers us today — Citrix’ first product was called Multiuser, an OS/2-based platform that allowed users remote access to servers (even if their computers weren’t OS/2 compatible)! Eventually, OS/2 was abandoned in favor of Windows and Multiuser embraced Windows, too, and it had a new name: Multi-WIN. Citrix Systems was officially off to the races.
People say we’re an overnight success. We’re not. It took pressure, hard work, focus, good people and adaptability. You have to take it all a step at a time. — Citrix co-founder, Ed Iacobucci
Citrix continued to grow, opening offices in 1997 in Ft. Lauderdale, Sydney, London, and Paris. The thin-client model that Citrix had long championed was the trend in computing, which brought new customers, more revenue, and more opportunity for growth. In 2003, we launched Citrix Online, following the acquisition of ExpertCity, which was home to the GoTo family of products (spun off in 2016 and now, GetGo, a wholly owned subsidiary of LogMeIn). In 2005, we expanded into optimized application delivery with NetScaler and, in 2007, into desktop virtualization with the Xen family of products.
Today, our vision remains much the same as it was on the day of our founding: Citrix still believes in a world in which technology makes the impossible possible. Under the leadership of our CEO, David Henshall, Citrix and its nearly 9,000 employees are carrying that vision into the future of work and to a world in which people, organizations, and things are securely connected and accessible. A world that’s powered by choice and a great experience. Citrix today, just as it was 29 years ago, has a vision of the future of work — a vision we’re making a reality today.
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Happy 29th birthday, Citrix; we can’t wait to see what the next 29 years brings for the future of work!
