18,232 miles traveled! Our film crew and I have spent the better part of March and April traversing two continents to capture the incredible stories we have in store for you at Citrix Synergy 2019. From Indiana to London to Germany, “the finalists for the Citrix 2019 Innovation Award are remarkable organizations that are harnessing technology to deliver workplace transformations that engage people and empower them to do their best,” according to Tim Minahan, Citrix’s Executive Vice President of Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer.

The Award honors customers whose innovative spirit inspires us all to rethink what’s possible for IT. This year’s finalists, selected from an elite pool of entries from commercial, nonprofit, and governmental enterprises around the world, are no exception. They include:

  • Indiana University, a public university serving more than 130,000 students, faculty, and staff using digital workspace solutions to deliver a virtual desktop that enables visually impaired students to easily access and use the applications they need to achieve their academic goals anywhere, anytime, from any device.
  • Schroders, a global asset-management firm using virtual applications and desktops to create a truly mobile and digital work environment in which the applications and tools its 2,500 employees need to do their jobs move seamlessly with them from desktops and laptops to tablets and mobile devices.
  • ZF, a global technology company enabling the next generation of mobility through its systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial technology that has built a user-centric workspace through which employees can quickly and securely access to all of the tools they need to get work done in a single, unified experience.

The winner will be determined by popular vote and a panel of judges that includes the 2018 winner, technology analysts, and industry experts and will be announced on May 23, during Citrix Synergy, the premier digital work conference.

On a personal note, I ate one of the best Afghan meals of my life in Indiana; sampled equisite Belgian chocolate in London; and enjoyed delicious flammkuchen and beer (because, of course!) in Germany. Work travel can, at times, be an exhausting endeavor. But with our friendly and enthusiastic customers, and a full belly, I’m making the most of it!