Report: Citrix Looking For Quick Sale, Either As A Whole Or In Parts

Citrix Systems is looking to sell itself as a whole quickly, possibly to Dell, or it will start selling itself in pieces, according to a Reuters report.

Reuters, citing unnamed "people familiar with the matter," reported late Tuesday that cloud solutions developer Citrix, which is being targeted by activist hedge fund Elliott Management Corp., is in a hurry to sell itself as a whole before it starts selling off specific assets.

Citrix is in discussions with both private equity investors as well as technology firms including Dell to acquire the company as a whole, Reuters reported.

[Related: Sources: Citrix Considering Leveraged Buyout As Activist Pressure Mounts]

CRN in April first reported that Citrix is considering a sale or spinoff of its online services subsidiary, which includes its GoToMeeting Web conferencing and GoToMyPC remote access apps.

Citrix in June signed a "cooperation" agreement with Elliott Management, and the company said it has initiated a search for a replacement for Citrix CEO Mark Templeton.

Neither Citrix nor Dell responded to a request for more information by publication time late Tuesday.

One Dell channel partner told CRN that he has not heard that Dell might acquire Citrix, but he said it might work if it were to happen.

"I could see the value where Dell could use Citrix as a way to offer more software and services," said Patrick Mulvee, a partner at Sidepath, a Laguna Hills, Calif.-based solution provider and Dell channel partner. "It could also help with Dell's converged infrastructure solutions."

Mulvee also said that such an acquisition would probably not impact Citrix's long-term VMware relationship. "Dell's message is all about customer choice," he said. "But time will tell."

PUBLISHED SEPT. 22, 2015