Citrix Online seals BT Openworld agreement

Vendor forms partnership with BT to provide remote internet access and create channel opportunities

Citrix Online, a division of Citrix, has signed a partnership with BT Openworld to provide remote internet access to BT Openworld subscribers, in a move it claimed will boost channel revenue.

Citrix Online’s flagship product, GoToMyPC, is a web-based remote access service. Brett Caine, president of Citrix Online, told CRN: “We’ve entered into an agreement with BT Openworld to enable its SME customers to access the internet remotely through GoToMyPC.

“BT Openworld had been looking for value-add opportunities to provide to its subscribers. One of subscribers’ top requirements was the ability to access their PCs remotely.”

Caine said that the deal will extend Citrix Online’s presence and “get us out to millions of subscribers”, which will create channel opportunities in the form of services and value add, he claimed.

“Our products offer the channel a recurring revenue model primarily because we are offering software as a service,” he added.

Citrix Online’s other software offerings include GoToAssist, which provides online technical support for end-users and GoToMeeting, an online meeting tool, which allows users to present and demonstrate information online to anyone, anywhere.

Rob Bamforth, principal analyst at Quocirca, said: “There’s certainly some potential for this kind of remote offering. It would be particularly useful for SMEs, so the BT deal makes sense.

“The stumbling block is getting people into the mindset of leaving their PCs permanently on, which is what is needed for GoToMyPC to work. People will need to consider their PCs as fridges: you never turn them off.”

Founded in 1997, Citrix Online, then called Expertcity, started out selling screen-sharing technology that gave instant access to computers from any location. Citrix Systems acquired Expertcity in March 2004 for $225m.