Citrix has introduced updates to XenServer, its free virtualization platform, and to Citrix Essentials for XenServer and Hyper-V, its virtualization management package.

The new 5.5 release of XenServer, which Citrix began offering as a free download in February, is designed to provide easier virtualization management and broader integration with enterprise systems, the company said in its announcement Wednesday. This includes hooks that allow third-party products to interact with XenServer...