Frost & Sullivan analyst, Roopam Jain:

Citrix Online is the growth leader in the Web conferencing industry due to the simplicity and cost-efficiency of its solutions: “Citrix Online is the fastest growing company among top Web conferencing SaaS providers, far surpassing the industry average of 17 percent. GoToWebinar has set the standard for ease-of-use in the Web events space. The company’s focus on simplicity and competitive pricing, along with the recent addition of free VOIP capabilities, has strengthened its value proposition and helped propel Citrix Online to a top three revenue position in the global Web conferencing SaaS market.”

Citrix Online was positioned in the Leaders quadrant in Gartner’s new 2009 Magic Quadrant for Web Conferencing study. According to Gartner, “Vendors in the Leaders quadrant have achieved significant market share while demonstrating their ability to respond to customers’ needs. Leaders have robust, scalable products with a wide range of features, a large installed base, acceptable financial performance and good distribution. Leaders do well today and are prepared for the future.
Citrix General Manager, Brett Caine:

Recognition from prominent analysts for our leadership underscores the power of simplicity for driving universal adoption of web conferencing services. Businesses of any size – from individual consultants to the largest enterprises – are making a clear statement about the importance of simple-to-use, yet comprehensive offerings for addressing their business challenges in new and cost effective ways. This model is fundamental to our market approach and will position both our customers and Citrix Online for continued leadership ahead.

The price increases will be effective at the beginning of September and will apply to all authorized distributors of Citrix software. Distributors set up their own end-user pricing models, so they will be able to increase their prices accordingly.

Citrix Spokeswoman:

Citrix resellers determine the price at which they sell to their customers based on their purchase price from distributors, their business model and the overall scope of each solution.”

Currently, all of Citrix’s pricing models are based on the US dollar. The dollar, having steadily declined in value against the Euro and British pound, has increased operating costs for the company, which are being passed down to the end user. The US dollar experienced a sudden surge last week against both currencies, but overall remains much weaker than it has in the past.

The increase is a result of the rising costs of doing business globally, based upon the inflation of various currencies in comparison to the U.S. dollar, upon which Citrix pricing is based.

The price increase comes at a time when technology spending is expected to slow, amid fears of a slowing world and US economy.