Intel has launched a special HaaS and SaaS bundle for N-able Technologies MSPs built on Intel's Hybrid Cloud Platform that includes an Intel Xeon server as well as access to several hosted third-party applications through its App Up SMB Service catalog.

Intel has purchased 100 servers that N-able MSPs can rent starting at $120 a month.

The service, designed for customers with less than 100 seats, includes an Intel Hybrid Cloud Server A17 with a quad-core Xeon E3 processor, 8GB RAM, a 2x1TB HDD (RAID), virtualization platform and Windows Server 2008 R2 VM, Bret Costelow, Intel's director of sales, North America, for the Intel Hybrid Cloud Program, told MSPs at N-able's Global Partner Summit in Montreal Thursday.

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The Intel App Up SMB Service catalog includes applications from Microsoft, GFI, Lumension, Intuit, Symantec, StorageCraft and ClearOS, according to Costelow, but MSPs can add other applications onto the service too.

Intel offers servers from Dell and Lenovo for the service, while Equus and Chart also provide white-box offerings, he said. The servers are available through distribution and come pre-loaded with the software as well as a unique key specific to that server to turn the service on and off, Costelow said.

The 100 server program is intended to whet the appetite for N-able MSPs, but the service is available on a general basis, Costelow said.

"You are going to wrap up that overall bundle. You invoice the customer directly. The only thing we know is when the server logs into our monitoring service, says here's the number of users, here's the software we need," Costelow said. "We send you complete reporting and you can prepare the customer invoice. Once you collect the revenue, you pay us for the software and distribution for the hardware."

Intel takes care of managing all the third-party applications for MSPs, he said. "Say you have an accountant that needs an older version of QuickBooks during tax season. We can deliver QuickBooks 2011 for the five months and then shut it off. When they need it again, you press a button, and it starts up again," he said.

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Intel's Costelow estimated that a customer's cost to buy a file and print server, application server, SQL server, firewall, backup and disaster recovery solution and Intel Hybrid Cloud server would total more than $18,000, but only $343 a month using the App Up SMB Service and Hybrid Cloud Server program.

"You can go to distribution and rent it for 36 months or you can buy the server. But today, [the N-able program] is a true rental program with low-risk," Costelow said. The 100 servers available to N-able users are available on a month-to-month basis.

"If you don't use it, send it back," he said. "And the licensing element is off the table, which makes it easy to consume for small businesses. Larger companies can use it but 100 or less has the appetite for embracing an elastic model of HaaS and SaaS combined."

Intel has also partnered with StorageCraft on a BDR appliance that includes Intel Quick Access technology and the App Up SMB Service catalog, according to the company.

"If this is your first appliance inside an SMB, you know you can deliver additional software without more hardware. If [a customer] is really interested in security, from your office you can download and install GFI Viper or Symantec or a McAfee solution. You can upsell them without having to buy additional hardware," Costelow said.

Several MSPs asked questions during the presentation and there seemed to be a buzz about the offering.

"They've really thought about everything," said Ted Warner, president of Connecting Point of Greeley, Colo. "I love the idea that they're taking the pain of dealing with all the [Services Provider Licensing Agreement] licensing, the audits, whatever it might be, because that's painful for us. We're a SPLA partner today, and it's a little bit of work. I think this is a really great solution."

PUBLISHED OCT. 25, 2012