Citrix - 2.1 Citrix origin

To master a technology like Citrix, it is not enough to know it from a technical point of view; it is also important to understand where it comes from. Citrix has not always been called Citrix. In 1989, the year the company was founded, it was known as Citrus Systems Inc. The name was inspired by Florida's famous orange industry, where the company was born. Its founder, Ed Iacobucci, was a developer who worked at IBM on the OS/2 platform and had a vision to create multi-user technology for IBM OS/2.

Iacobucci approached both Microsoft and IBM, but both turned him down. Microsoft however gave him access to the OS/2 source code, which marks the start of the long relationship between Citrix and Microsoft. When the name "Citrus" turned out to be already taken, the company merged Citrus and UNIX into "Citrix". One of the first things Citrix Systems introduced in 1990 was the ICA protocol, known then as ICA 1.0. Originally ICA stood for Intelligent Console Architecture: the technology was built to give intelligent console access to IBM platforms.

Key milestones

  • 1989 — Company founded as Citrus Systems Inc.
  • 1990 — Renamed Citrix Systems, first logo introduced, ICA 1.0 released. Ed Iacobucci re-founded Citrix and moved the headquarters to Fort Lauderdale.
  • April 1993 — ICA 2.0, still Intelligent Console Architecture, a migration of the previous protocol.
  • 1995 — ICA 3.0: the acronym becomes Independent Computing Architecture. Citrix goes public on December 8, 1995, opening at $15 and closing at $30.
  • 2000 — Citrix PN and Citrix Extranet are introduced. PN is what you know today as StoreFront or Web Interface. Extranet later became Secure Gateway.
  • 2001 — Citrix releases Secure Gateway to expose resources behind the firewall securely.

Knowing this history matters because each of these products became a building block of later solutions. In the next video we will look at the origins of Citrix XenApp.

Summary

Citrix was founded in 1989 in Florida as Citrus Systems (named after the state's popular orange groves), with the visionary goal of creating multi-user technology for IBM. The company introduced the groundbreaking ICA (Independent Computing Architecture) protocol in 1990, initially designed as an intelligent console architecture for IBM mainframes. Key early milestones include the release of ICA 2.0 (1993) and ICA 3.0 (1995), a successful IPO on December 8, 1995, and the introduction of foundational products like Citrix Presentation Server and Citrix Web Interface (2002), which evolved into the Storefront portal concept used in modern Citrix solutions.

Key points

  • Citrix originated as Citrus Systems in 1989, founded by visionary developers working on IBM platforms with the goal of enabling multi-user access to enterprise systems
  • The ICA (Independent Computing Architecture) protocol, introduced in 1990, was the core innovation—originally designed as an intelligent console architecture for IBM mainframes
  • The company achieved significant market validation with a December 1995 IPO where the stock opened at $15 and doubled to $30 on the first day
  • Early products like Citrix Presentation Server (2002) and the Web Interface established the foundation for modern application delivery and remote access solutions
  • Citrix Secure Gateway (2001) enabled secure access to enterprise resources behind firewalls, a critical evolution in the product roadmap
  • The naming evolution from Citrus Systems to Citrix reflects the company's strategic shift in focus and brand identity over time

FAQ

Why was Citrix originally called Citrus Systems?

The company was named Citrus Systems when founded in 1989 in Florida because oranges were historically popular in that state. The name 'Citrix' later became a fusion reflecting the company's evolved identity and technological focus on multi-user architectures.

What was the ICA protocol and why was it important for Citrix?

ICA (Independent Computing Architecture), introduced in 1990, was Citrix's foundational protocol that enabled multi-user access to IBM mainframes through intelligent console architecture. It became the cornerstone technology that allowed multiple users to access shared computing resources remotely.

How did Citrix's products evolve from the 1990s to meet modern needs?

Citrix evolved from core ICA protocol infrastructure to introduce Secure Gateway (2001) for firewalled resource access, followed by Presentation Server and Web Interface (2002). These products eventually matured into modern solutions like Storefront, a web portal enabling users to launch applications and virtual desktops securely.