Rackspace Adds Hosted Virtual Desktops

While Citrix Synergy 2011 doesn't kick off until Wednesday, Rackspace Hosting provided some buzz by announcing it will offer a hosted virtual desktop platform, while Citrix announced that it has acquired Kaviza.

Rackspace Virtual Desktop Platform

Rackspace (RAX) announced the availability of the Rackspace hosted virtual desktop platform. The hosted virtual desktop platform utilizes Rackspace hosting services and may be paired with desktop virtualization solutions from Citrix and other joint channel partners. The offering enables customers to host their virtual desktops on their choice of dedicated and/or cloud solutions.  Rackspace cites the Gartner expectation that mainstream adoption of virtual desktops to take place in 2012 through 2014, with 70 million users by 2014. Gartner listed Rackspace as a leader in the Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure as a Service and Web Hosting.

"We’re tapping our vast community of partners and their networks to provide customers with a hosted virtual desktop platform that offers them choices," said Odus Wittenburg, vice president of enterprise solutions for Rackspace. "Providing Fanatical Support on top of our solutions portfolio produces exceptional business outcomes for our customers and that is what we do best. By working with partners like Citrix and their network of nearly 9,000 partners, we can utilize their exceptional software and application solutions, which is what they do best."”

Kaviza VDI-in-a-Box

Citrix Systems (CTXS) announced they have closed on the acquisition of Kaviza, makers of the all-in-one "VDI-in-a-box" solution for small and medium business. The Kaviza product complements the Citrix XenDesktop product line for enterprise-class desktop virtualization. The VDI-in-a-Box solution is a software virtual appliance that provides quick and easy management, Citrix HDX, and an open architecture supporting multiple hypervisors.

"Kaviza understands the needs of small and medium businesses and has made great strides in giving these types of organizations a simple, low-cost solution for virtual desktops," said Gordon Payne, senior vice president and general manager, Desktop Division at Citrix. "The Kaviza team and the innovative technology they have built will add significant value to our desktop virtualization product line as more and more SMBs adopt virtual desktops, and it will help us drive continued growth and market leadership in desktop virtualization."

Cisco Desktop Virtualization Solution

Cisco announced that they won the 2011 Citrix Ready Business Solution of the Year with the Cisco Desktop Virtualization Solution with Citrix XenDesktop. Cisco was chosen for this award based on five selection criteria: Impact on Citrix Systems’ business, commitment to its relationship with Citrix Systems, customer satisfaction, channel and field commitment, and marketing commitment.