Citrix pushes business story

The company is expecting 'explosive' growth in New Zealand on the back of virtualisation, BYOD and Hamish McNee's appointment as New Zealand channels development manager. Neville James, Citrix channel partner director for Australia and New Zealand, says uncertainty around the global economy will see companies taking a 'more for less' approach as they look to do business more efficiently and leverage dynamic business models. "And virtualisation allows that," James says. "Partners need to be having conversations with potential customers which are financial as much as IT conversations," James says. "There is huge scope for those in the channel who can have more than just a broad technology conversation with customers. Those that can talk about business outcomes and processes and how to drive efficiencies will be the ones to succeed out of the virtualisation push," James says. He says Citrix began seeing a 'large ramp up' in demand late last year as companies began placing orders for 2012. "We are expecting an explosion in growth in New Zealand [in 2012]. New Zealand has had a few big hits in 2011 with the Christchurch earthquake and the Rugby World Cup, which saw a number of large plans put on hold [by customers]." That, however, has now changed, he says. James says McNee's appointment, and presence on the ground in New Zealand, will mean the channel will see 'a really significant increase in awareness around Citrix', with the company beginning to focus on its channel locally. "We recognise that the market is at a tipping point. While virtual desktop penetration is by no means at saturation – it's about 10-13% penetration – we are seeing momentum. And we recognise that to be capable going forward we need to build our partner eco-systems to take our offerings more proactively to a broader range of customers." James says Citrix will be seeking 'really deep, significant relationships' with four or five partners, rather than having 'a broad, superficial channel'. Regional resellers will also be chosen to target specific geographies.