by Barry Schiffer, CTP, Netherlands CUGC Leader
This is my first Citrix Synergy as a Citrix Technology Professional, which means Synergy started early for me this year. During the first two days, we spent a lot of time with Citrix product managers and architects. I was honored to be able to meet Mark Templeton in person. What I can say is that Citrix is doing great and some really great stuff is coming, some of it announced during the day 1 keynote. But there’s a lot more to come in the day 2 keynote!
Citrix Synergy Day 1
Citrix Synergy traditionally starts with the day 1 keynote. This is the time to have front row access to all of the latest info about Citrix as a company and their major product anouncements.
Mark Templeton started by expressing the love for the longtime flagship product XenApp! This will get a lot of attention during Citrix Synergy this year. To extend their love for Citrix XenApp, Citrix announced that End Of Support for XenApp 6.5 is extended for another year. If this wasn’t enough, a brand new feature pack has been announced to bring some of the great new features of version 7 available for 6.5.
The key takeaway of the day 1 keynote is that the workspace is whatever digital tool you need, independent of the task and device you need.
After the keynote, I attended the Lunch Table Tech Chats. As a table leader last year, I know first hand that this is a great way to connect with thought leaders and Citrix Technology Professionals. I attended the Internet of Things table where Chris Matthieu joined as well. We had the most amazing discussion on IoT in general and of course Octoblu, which has recently been aquired by Citrix.
Next to the Lunch Table Tech Chat is the Citrix User Group Community booth. CUGC officially launched today and the amount of attention is impressive. Get your T-Shirt today!

Citrix Synergy Welcome reception
After the first day, it’s now time to jump into the Citrix Welcome Reception to network with community friends and hopefully meet some new people as well!
On day 2, don’t forget to go to the keynote and GeekSpeak Live. There will be some mindblowing demos!