AppSense, the user virtualization vendor that earlier this year scored $70 million in venture capital funding from Goldman Sachs, recently launched its Affinity Partner Program, in which it's working with other vendors to demystify desktop virtualization deployments.
The Affinity Partner Program is centered on environment assessment and application analysis and migration services, two services that AppSense deems critical to desktop virtualization deployments.
Centrix Software, Lakeside Software and App-DNA, which was acquired by Citrix last week, are the first members of the program, according to David Roussain, vice president of strategic alliances at AppSense.
"We're creating a mechanism for partners to leverage our technology and promote the use of user virtualization," Roussain said in an interview. "We chose these companies because they all have roles to play in the desktop transformation effort."
User virtualization tackles the IT challenge of preserving and managing an employee's personal workspace across a range of different devices and connection scenarios, whether the desktop is locally installed, virtualized, published, or streamed. It's a hot technology these days because this is the most time consuming aspect of desktop virtualization deployments.
"Every organization is going through some element of planning or executing desktop transformation, whether it's Windows 7 on physical desktops, expanding VDI projects, or expanding the use of terminal services," Roussain said.
AppSense's user virtualization accounts for multi-faceted client architecture, and the company over time plans to add members to its Affinity Partner Program, particularly platform vendors, said Roussain. The goal is to make user virtualization an impetus for desktop virtualization as opposed to a barrier, he added.
"In much the same way that server virtualization lowered companies' cost structure, user virtualization will reduce the costs of managing and delivering desktop virtualization to users," he said.
The Affinity program is one of several channel initiatives that AppSense is working on. "Affinity is about leveraging other companies that are helping customers transform desktops. This just saves a lot of time and shows that we're working together on solutions," he said.
