Citrix slated to axe its Technology Professional program

Advocates also cut as company focuses on 'priorities of our key customers'

Citrix is winding up its Citrix Technology Professional (CTP) program, a move described as "a short-sighted decision that reflects a lack of vision for the future."

It has been a weekend of long knives for Citrix fanatics as the company told members of the Citrix Technology Professional (CTP) program that the initiative was to be axed at the end of this working week.

In the message seen by The Register, Citrix said it had decided to "enhance our community to complete our client portfolio."

"As part of this transformation, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the CTP program, effective January 31, 2025. With our product roadmap strategy, we will utilize our community programs to more broadly embrace all stakeholders and champions of our platform, and align our product development even more closely with the needs and priorities of our key customers."

The CTP program, launched in 2006, is intended to recognize users' technical contributions. Or, as a Register reader told us, it "rewards users who go out of their way to make Citrix easier to understand and use for others."

Or at least it did. The company was still accepting applications for the program through December 31, 2024, and said of the members: "The wealth of knowledge they have developed and openly shared has proven invaluable to the Citrix technology community.

"Whether it's in a blog post, a webinar, or presentations at local meetings or industry events around the world, the evangelism generated from CTPs is invaluable to Citrix."

Right up until the company abruptly decided that it would much rather "align our product development even more closely with the needs and priorities of our key customers."

Once accepted and in return for a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), CTP program members got access to demo product licenses, early product releases, private channels for discussions with the Citrix product teams, and a look at product roadmaps.

Judging by messages posted on social media, Citrix has made the unsurprising move of also cutting the Citrix Technology Advocate (CTA) Program.

Nico Ignoto, a senior software development engineer at Amazon Web Services, expressed his disappointment in a LinkedIn post and wrote "I'm struggling to see how discontinuing the CTA and CTP programs benefits Citrix. They already shut down the CUGC [Citrix User Group Community] in December 2023, and now they're cutting ties with some of the most knowledgeable and passionate experts in their field. What's the rationale here?

"By doing this, I am worried the company is creating an echo chamber where feedback comes from only a small group of customers (if any at all). The voices of true experts — those who understand their products deeply and can identify broader industry trends — will be silenced. It's a short-sighted decision that reflects a lack of vision for the future."

Another reader who was part of the program added: "We're not happy with the impersonal /cold way this was delivered."

The Register contacted Citrix for its rationale and comment on what, if anything, would replace CTP. The company did not respond. ®