Citrix Podio App for iPad Aims to Improve Collaboration, Workflow

Citrix extends its Podio platform to the Apple iPad tablet, aiming at BYOD businesses and mobile workforces.

Desktop virtualization and software specialist Citrix has launched Podio for iPad, an application designed to automate simple tasks and structure lightweight workflows for businesses implementing bring your own device, or BYOD, initiatives or looking for ways to use mobile devices like tablets to improve efficiency in the workforce.

The platform extends Podio's core features, including workspaces, tasks, activity streams, meetings and calendars, to Apple's tablet and makes more than 700 pre-built apps from the Podio App Market available to iPad users.

Podio connects collaboration and business processes through workspaces, and applications can be found in the Podio App Market. These apps are customized for any type of work using the drag-and-drop Podio App Builder, a tool that enables users to create custom apps for their work. The platform includes prebuilt apps for handling project management, sales leads, product development, recruiting, CRM and other areas of business. The company said more than 65,000 apps have been built using the App Builder.

"Accessing business content from mobile devices is no longer a 'nice to have,' it's now a requirement for today's workforce," Alan Lepofsky, vice president and principal analyst at Constellation Research, said in prepared remarks. "Podio has designed their new iPad app to make it easy for people to use their Podio-based business applications, projects, tasks and workflows any time, anywhere, via their tablet. It's not enough to simply view information, though; mobile apps need to enable employees to interact with both content and their colleagues. While some vendors' mobile apps simply provide scaled-down versions of their Web experience, the Podio iPad app is a full-featured business tool."

The platform also includes document management capabilities like the ability to access and share content using integrations with file-sharing services, including Citrix ShareFile, YouSendIt, Dropbox, Box, Microsoft Skydrive, Google Drive, Evernote and SugarSync. Social activity streams allow users to share statuses, files and links in one place, as well as receive project updates, and workers can launch a GoToMeeting session from within Podio and connect the Podio calendar with Outlook Exchange and Google Calendar.

"Podio for iPad completes our vision of empowering people to work from anywhere, with anyone, on any device, using a tool that perfectly fits the way they want to work," Tommy Ahlers, vice president of social collaboration at Citrix said in a press statement. "Bringing Podio's all-in-one work platform to the iPad makes it easier and faster to collaborate while on the go with the convenience of a lightweight mobile tablet, but without sacrificing Podio's functionality or sophistication.