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Technology Stocks : Citrix Systems (CTXS) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jkb who wrote (6442)	4/21/1999 10:55:00 PM
From: Mike Buckley	Respond to of 9068

jkb, Responding to your the issues you raise ... Security is of course a concern. But security is always a concern even if the client-server stuff is all maintained in-house. For the small and medium-size companies, my understanding is that their data is rarely as secure as they think it is. The ASP should be able to sell the client on the idea that being an ASP is their only biz, and if they don't maintain security for their clients they are out of business. I'm also interested about the comments from Citrix saying that integrators have been asking for Citrix to pursue this avenue further on their behalf. I know it's a growing trend in the enterprise software business, so it's logical that integrators would be finding it an attractive option. You might not remember that not long ago I suggested that Citrix might use the money raised from the convertible debt to buy an ASP. Seems to me that ASP's are competition for integrator installs of Citrix servers and applications on Citrix servers - specifically those installs where clients buy the hardware/Citrix software and maintain the environment at their site(s). Citrix doesn't care who pays them. They're going to get their money either from the end user deploying product at their site or from the ASP that is reselling it to the end user. Are these ASP's making their Citrix servers available over the public Internet or over private networks such as AT&T/WorldCom's/etc.? I don't know. My gut feeling is that the ASP biz is new enough that it will be evolving. All options would be worthy consderations. Some applications might be fine on the Net and others might be preferable on private networks. The perception of security might affect that decision on a case-by-case basis. What role is Citrix specifically playing in this ASP market? Will they become an ASP themselves or help drive sales and marketing for ASP partners? The latter is definitely what the so-called Internet business division is all about. It's possible that Citrix could become an ASP, but I don't know the probability of that. --Mike Buckley