Citrix buys performance tool maker Reflectent Software

Citrix System Inc. has bought third-party tool vendor Reflectent Software Inc., whose products include an application performance measurement tool specifically designed for Citrix’s Presentation Server. The purchase of the privately held company for an undisclosed price was announced today. 

Reflectent software is designed to show how a system is operating. For example, if a desktop user is having problems with an application’s performance, has to reboot often or must deal with corrupt files, the Reflectent tool will alert IT workers about the problem. The tool can also indicate where the problem is occurring -- on the desktop, in the application or on the network -- said officials from both companies.

"It gives you the visibility into what’s actually happening" with a system, said Lou Shipley, president and CEO of Westford, Mass.-based Reflectent. The Citrix-specific product, EdgeSight for Citrix, can be configured to run as an agent on the desktop alone and on Presentation Server, he said.

Shipley will now head a new division that Citrix is creating as a result of the acquisition. The Reflectent products will be offered separately to Citrix users, said Wes Wasson, vice president of marketing at Citrix.

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Scott Crawford, an analyst at Enterprise Management Associates in Boulder, Col., said the Reflectent acquisition will offer Citrix capabilities that it didn't previously have. Citrix customers "have really needed these tools, because without them...you really have very limited visibility into troubleshooting."

Reflectent was established in 2000. One early adopter of its products is Rick Berk, CIO at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., a New York-based investment bank. Although Berk does not use Citrix, he is using EdgeSight on 3,000 desktops to proactively respond to user desktop issues.

Berk believes the Citrix acquisition of Reflectent will improve EdgeSight. Given the size of the Citrix environment and the number of applications it supports, the deal will expose Reflectent to a broader range of system issues and will lead to new product features, he said. "There is a natural synergy between the two," he said.