Citrix snaps up virtualization startup Virtual

Citrix on Wednesday announced that it has acquired Virtual, a small virtualization startup whose technology can be used to emulate Android or iOS environments on remote desktops. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Citrix says it plans to use the Virtual acquisition to accelerate its development of enterprise mobility products. Virtual's platform also serves as an environment for bug and app testing — another area where Citrix says it plans to focus to address the growing security requirements in enterprise mobility. Citrix says the capability will allow mobile app developers and ISVs to build more sophisticated and secure apps by letting them spin up the devices they need on-demand and in the cloud.

Virtual's technology team, along with its founder and CEO Chris Wade, will make the transition to Citrix.

"Citrix pioneered remote access, so it was only logical for us to join them as they continue to lead innovation in mobile workspaces," Wade said in a statement. "In creating the Virtual platform, we looked at how things could be done differently. This philosophy fits into the Citrix culture of always improving ways for people to work better, from anywhere."

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