BYOPC Case Study: Citrix Systems

Yes, I know Citrix is a vendor with a solution to sell. But, they are also a business — one with the same challenges of managing the PC environment as anyone else. So, when I talked with their CIO about their BYOPC initiative, I learned a lot about the hoops he had to jump through to get this project off the ground. In the end, Citrix now allows employees (with manager approval) to take a $2100 stipend, buy a machine of their choice (an accompanying 3-year service contract), and use this device as their corporate/personal machine. Using technologies such as VPNs, application virtualization, and desktop virtualization, Citrix is able to deliver a full experience to their workers independent of the device.

In the end, Citrix found that “happy employees are productive employees. The majority of the employees who participated in the program believe that their productivity increased as a result. Why? Because using the machine and operating system of their choice fostered a pride in ownership. In fact, Citrix found that users more often than not chipped in their own money to get an even better machine. As a result, users: 1) simply used the device more often; 2) increased their willingness to finish up that one last task or log a few extra hours on the weekend; and 3) took better care of the device since they had invested their own money.” (Bring Your Own PC Reinvents The Corporate PC: A Citrix Systems Case Study)

Here is the executive summary of my report that has just published on forrester.com:

Bring your own PC (BYOPC) programs are becoming increasingly popular for today’s businesses. Why? Because they allow individuals to work from the device of their choice, which not only increases employee satisfaction but also lowers IT costs. Getting started with a BYOPC initiative can be overwhelming for organizations because many new issues must be taken into account, such as device security, application delivery, and hardware support. Citrix has developed an extensive BYOPC program that not only allows employees the freedom to choose but also takes into consideration all of the important security measures needed to do it right. Centered on 10 BYOPC rules, the Citrix program serves as a great example to others looking to bring BYOPC into the workplace in a secure and cost-effective way.

The full report can be found at: