X
Business

Citrix updates MetaFrame to mixed reception

MetaFrame XP for Windows incorporates 128bit SSL encryption but as enterprises become more Web-based it could be short-lived Middleware specialist Citrix has updated its MetaFrame application server products for Unix and Windows XP environments. Analysts welcomed the enhancements, but argued that MetaFrame is likely to have a limited future.
Written by Chris Lee, Contributor
MetaFrame XP for Windows incorporates 128bit SSL encryption but as enterprises become more Web-based it could be short-lived

Middleware specialist Citrix has updated its MetaFrame application server products for Unix and Windows XP environments. Analysts welcomed the enhancements, but argued that MetaFrame is likely to have a limited future.

Citrix said MetaFrame XP for Windows incorporates 128bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption, like the Unix version, and supports Citrix's upgraded application portal software and new compressed and persistent cacheing techniques. It also supports higher-resolution colour screens.

The firm has also updated its Extranet 2.5 virtual private networking component, which plugs into Unix and Windows versions of MetaFrame, adding SSL and a new Java management client. "The biggest challenge middleware vendors face is to convince users to upgrade," said Steve Piper, senior product manager at Citrix. "But these upgrades will reduce total cost of ownership and ease administration."

MetaFrame allows native Windows and Unix applications to be deployed internally and across the Internet on PCs, wireless devices and Unix and Linux workstations, presenting a single interface, Citrix said.

Clive Longbottom of analyst group Quocirca said, "The SSL encryption and auto-client reconnect [which re-establishes lost connections] are significant additions as companies go increasingly mobile."

However, he warned that MetaFrame products are tailored for legacy systems and have a limited future as the enterprise becomes more Web-based. "[But] the acquisition of Sequoia will enable Citrix to move into the Web-based space," Longbottom added.

Editorial standards