Citrix Online seeks resellers for remote access software

Citrix remote access and web collaboration software division Citrix Online has announced a search for partners and a pending distribution deal.

HR Shiever, Asia-Pacific managing director at Citrix Online, said the division wanted more resellers for its GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting and GoToAssist software for remotely accessing desktop applications.

"We're talking about having about 25 resellers in Australia by the end of the year. We're basically actively out there rolling out distribution and a channel," he said. Partners reselling Citrix Online would get an annuity revenue stream, including 25 percent commission on all new deals and 10 percent commission on renewals, Shiever said.

Citrix Online -- in Sydney to present at Citrix's iForum partner and customer conference -- was recruiting from Citrix's Solution Advisor stable but was also eyeing resellers with no previous engagement with Citrix or Citrix Online, Shiever said. "We will be signing up [resellers] separately but working with them through the distributors," Shiever said.

Steven Wells, a global channels manager at Citrix Online, said the pre-acquisition company, GoToMyPC, had been a direct sales organisation. "But Citrix is channel-focused. So we're moving the bulk of our revenue over to a partner model," he said.

The division's indirect selling operation accounted for 20 percent of revenue but it wanted to grow channel sales to 50 percent of revenue by the end of the year, the company said. Wells claimed that 80 percent of Citrix Online customers renewed their subscriptions when they expired -- guaranteeing an annuity stream for resellers. Citrix Online was also putting together a partner program, he said.

"But it's an easy line to carry. It's easy to train people on," Wells said. "It takes about three hours to get confident with the products." Shiever said Citrix Online revenue grew 68 percent in 2004 to US$60 million. It was growing faster in the Asia-Pacific, focusing mainly on India, the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australasia.

Citrix Online would also generate leads for its resellers and provide the usual types of marketing initiatives and other support, he said.,p. "It saves me from having a large direct sales force. I don't really want to put salespeople in Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and so on," Shiever said.