Citrix Systems Inc. , a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based infrastructure software provider, yesterday announced that it has joined the newly formed Mobile Enterprise Alliance (MEA) as a founding member.
The creation of the MEA was announced yesterday the CeBIT Conference in Germany. Based in Geneva, the MEA is a customer-facing, not-for-profit organization that will attempt to help companies take advantage of providing application access to a mobile or remote workforce.
The MEA will operate as an autonomous division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), a trade association for the software and digital content industry.
Serving as MEA chairman is Citrix’s chief evangelist and vice president of strategy, Traver Gruen-Kennedy. Gruen-Kennedy is commonly recognized as one of the pioneers of the ASP industry pioneer. He also knows a thing or two about trade organizations, having served as chairman of the ASP Industry Consortium. He is also a member of the board for the SIIA, president of the Technology Forum of South Florida and co-founder of the Technology Enablement Network.
Citrix is one of more than 100 other IT vendors, service providers and systems integrators that will provide information and direction on mobility issues, including device and network compatibility, application access and security. The organization reports that it will use case studies, peer references and other tools to show enterprises how to improve end-user productivity by enabling secure access to business applications over wireless networks.
“There’s an abundance of associations out there today that focus on specific technology standards, but none that cross technology boundaries to focus solely on what the customer needs to mobilize its workforce,” said Keith Turnbull, vice president and general manager, mobility business unit, Citrix Systems.
The MEA, according to statement released yesterday, will be funded through subscriptions from participating vendors and supported by the administrative infrastructure and corporate governance of the SIIA.
Citrix is listed by ASPnews as a Top 30 Service Enabler.
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