February 2nd, 2012
Exciting news from VMware today: they have announced a new VMware Service Provider Program (VSSP) SKU that makes delivering virtual desktops as a service (DaaS) easier and more cost-effective.
The VSPP was created for IT partners providing Hosted IT services to end user companies. Any partner that provides subscription or web services to third parties may be considered a Service Provider in this program.
This new SKU builds on the Desktone-VMware partnership announced in October 2011 making it easier and more cost-effective for service providers to deliver DaaS. By collaborating on a solution that leverages VMware’s cloud expertise and leading virtualization technologies with Desktone’s proven DaaS platform, we can enable service providers to offer a highly differentiated and compelling DaaS solution. The VSPP SKU offers a more affordable point for access to vSphere Enterprise Plus and PCOIP.
VMware is adding the View Enterprise SKU to the VSPP program as of February 1 and will be available through all VSPP aggregators (e.g., Ingram Micro). The SKU pricing is based on the VSPP point system so partners who have already accumulated or have committed to more points in the VSPP program will receive a discount on the price.
The main benefits of VMware View VSPP include:
- 45+ VMware products are available, including VMware View
- Partners can mix and match products during a given month
- Partners pay monthly “rental” fees—the same way Service Providers charge their customers
- Variety of point plans to suit all sizes of Service Providers
- 12-month, fixed-price contract
- Multi-tenancy licensing provides economy of scale*
* Option only available in conjunction with View Enterprise Bundles with Desktone licenses.
I am glad service providers have choices in the hypervisors and display protocols they use for delivering hosted virtual desktops. Service providers should ensure that the virtual desktop platform they adopt for delivering DaaS is technology agnostic, meaning it can support multiple hypervisors and display protocols (RDP, PCoIP, HDX, RGS, etc.).
