Everdream, based in Fremont, Calif., has forged partnerships with IBM and Salesforce.com as it carves its niche in the increasingly popular managed services market. The vendor also launched a channel program in May and, with the help of IBM, already has enrolled close to 50 solution provider partners, said Jim Obsitnik, Everdream's vice president of product marketing.

Everdream markets its managed services through an on-demand model. Services include desktop management, patch management, software distribution, virus protection and online backup.

Seeking to cover all its bases, the vendor even forged a partnership with Midas International, the brake and muffler company, to get its desktop management software into the systems of Midas' independently owned franchises.

"Basically this enables Midas to take the mix of Everdream services they use and extend them to their independently owned franchises," Obsitnik said. "We believe this is a new way of getting IT management tools out to customers."

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The arrangement with Midas, which effectively turns the auto maintenance company into an IT provider for its franchises, gives Midas a way to ensure that its franchises are using safe technology that will not inadvertently send viruses back into the corporate system.

"It also reduces their cost of software delivery and it reduces the number of calls that come in to Midas corporate for IT support," Obsitnik said.

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The Midas partnership, Obsitnik added, can be replicated for Everdream's channel partners. The vendor is taking the set of services that it offers Midas and making it accessible through a Web portal the partners can use for their customers.

"It allows for their customers to test-drive the services for 30 days and then make the decision to buy," Obsitnik said.

PEQ Consulting, a solution provider in Miamisburg, Ohio, has been using Everdream's technology for a year and half for such services as virus protection, backup management and desktop troubleshooting, said Will Bell, the solution provider's national director of field service.

The technology, he said, has proven itself key in making PEQ Consulting a one-stop shop for all the IT needs of its clients.

The Everdream software is particularly useful in drilling down to a specific hardware device for troubleshooting, and it allows a support engineer to remotely take over a customer's computer for service, he said.

"The asset management piece is very strong," Bell said.

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Channel companies, as well as end-user customers, also can tap Everdream's technology through the vendor's partnership with Salesforce.com, the company that revolutionized CRM (customer relationship management) software by offering it as a service online.

Salesforce.com is offering Everdream's on-demand desktop management services to customers and partners to track and report on the hardware and software assets of a company. The goal is to improve resolution of support cases at Salesforce.com by resolving cases faster and minimizing the need for on-site troubleshooting.

"Salesforce now has an offering they can take to the market," Obsitnik said.

The Salesforce partnership illustrates Everdream's strategy of finding new ways to market its services, he said.