Rumours: Citrix preparing move on MDM player Zenprise

Deal could be signed tonight, say sources

Rumours are circulating that Citrix is poised to leap headfirst into the mobile device management (MDM) space by snapping up leading protagonist Zenprise.

Although Citrix is yet to officially comment, sources have indicated that a deal with the California-based firm – which was founded in 2003 – will be inked as soon as tonight.

Zenprise, which recently signed a UK distribution agreement with Wick Hill, is one of only five outfits positioned in the top-right-hand corner of Gartner's Magic Quadrant for MDM alongside Good Technology, MobileIron, AirWatch and Fiberlink.

A source close to matters said he understood staff at the vendor would be informed of the deal this evening.

Gartner predicts the MDM market will be worth $500m (£310m) this year.

A Citrix representative said he was unable to comment on the rumours, while Zenprise could not be reached at the time this was published. ChannelWeb will bring you the full details as they break.

Update:

Three hours after this story was published, Citrix confirmed in a press release that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Zenprise.

Upon closing the deal, it will integrate its MDM offering with its own CloudGateway and Me@Work solution for managing apps and data.

"This powerful combination will give Citrix the first solution in the industry for managing mobile devices, apps and data from a single, integrated enterprise mobility product line," Citrix stated.