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Making DaaS an Easier Sell for Channel and Customers

Thanks to several false starts involving desktop virtualization, desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) technology has been something of a tough sell. Via a new distribution agreement with Tech Data, the folks at dinCloud are out to change that. Customers are clearly getting more comfortable with all things in the cloud, but interest in DaaS has been tepid at […]

Written By

Michael Vizard

Jun 5, 2014

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Thanks to several false starts involving desktop virtualization, desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) technology has been something of a tough sell. Via a new distribution agreement with Tech Data, the folks at dinCloud are out to change that.

Customers are clearly getting more comfortable with all things in the cloud, but interest in DaaS has been tepid at best. Much of the problem stems from the perception that DaaS is desktop virtualization in the cloud, which many IT organizations are clearly wary of embracing.

In the case of desktop virtualization, the issue was end-user resistance to losing control of their desktops. When it came to virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), a lot of organizations balked at the infrastructure costs.

However, dinCloud is leveraging its own server infrastructure to provide the service while supporting the S3 protocol developed by Amazon Web Services to make it easier to store data on dinCloud.

In the case of dinCloud, the desktop becomes a true service, said David Graffia, vice president of sales for the company. Because of investments in technologies in a robust networking environment that can support video and graphics and HTML5 client software running in a Google Chrome browser, Graffia said dinCloud provides a high-quality desktop experience that can be accessed using almost any device. Although dinCloud is priced less than a rival DaaS offering from Amazon Web Services, partners can still enjoy 15 to 20 points of margin that comes in the form of reoccurring revenue, he said.

For customers, the dinCloud service not only provides additional benefits such as high availability at a flat rate price, the customer gets to conserve cash by paying for IT as a service. In addition, dinCloud takes responsibility for all the IT security issues by making sure the entire service is encrypted end-to-end, Graffia said.

There are a lot of things in the cloud that solution providers can sell these days. But what’s perhaps most interesting about DaaS is that, rather than being just another method for delivering an application, DaaS fundamentally changes the relationship between channel partners and their customers.

Michael Vizard has been covering IT issues in the enterprise for 25 years as an editor and columnist for publications such as InfoWorld, eWEEK, Baseline, CRN, ComputerWorld and Digital Review.

Michael Vizard

Michael Vizard is a seasoned IT journalist, with nearly 30 years of experience writing and editing about enterprise IT issues. He is a writer for publications including Programmableweb, IT Business Edge, CIOinsight, Channel Insider and UBM Tech. He formerly was editorial director for Ziff-Davis Enterprise, where he launched the company’s custom content division, and has also served as editor in chief for CRN and InfoWorld. He also has held editorial positions at PC Week, Computerworld and Digital Review.

Making DaaS an Easier Sell for Channel and Customers

Michael Vizard

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