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DaaS on Cisco UCS Now
Cisco strengthens partnership with VMware via Desktone technology in Cisco UCS platform.
Cisco recently validated a long-running partnership with Desktone, the hit-right-now desktop-as-a-service that was acquired by VMware a few months ago. Through the partnership, Cisco now offers a native DaaS solution via the Cisco Unified Computing System.
The DaaS solution is already offered through Cisco's Desktop Virtualization Solution, services of which are sold via service providers, and the real news here is that the solution has officially earned a sort of certification via the Cisco Validated Design program.
"This is really the culmination of several years of working with Cisco on a joint offering," said Peter McKay, who was CEO at Desktone prior to it being bought by VMware (he's now VMware's vice president and general manager of DaaS, End-User Computing). "If you're familiar with Cisco and how they go to market, they have a very strong focus and attention to service providers and cloud providers and telcos, trying to get them to enable [Cisco's] UCS platform."
McKay described the partnership with Cisco as one that seemed destined: "In Desktone, prior to the acquisition by VMware, for seven years that's all we've been focused on. We develop the platform specifically for service providers and telcos to run desktop as a service. We bumped into each other with the majority of the service providers that we've been working with, and so about a year and a half ago, we said, 'Why don't we start doing some things jointly?' ... What you're really seeing is the culmination of all the effort."
The partnership announcement comes with a few concrete developments, including the ability to host up to 252 virtual desktops on a UCS blade server, and new UCS Solution Accelerator Packs for Desktop Virtualization. The solution also provides single-tenant desktop services via Citrix XenDesktop.
On a related note, Cisco also announced that it has acquiredCollaborate.com. The deal will have Cisco joining the enterprise mobile computing game with other players such as VMware and Citrix. A blog post by Cisco SVP of corporate business development Hilton Romanski said the acquistion will allow the company to "provide a comprehensive solution that enables the mobile workforce to work smarter and more efficiently from virtually anywhere."
About the Author
Michael Domingo has held several positions at 1105 Media, and is currently the editor in chief of Visual Studio Magazine.