Can Toshiba Hosted Desktops Solve Windows XP, BYOD Challenges?
Toshiba has unveiled a hosted virtual desktop service designed for MSPs and channel partners. The company claims the new service, leveraging VMware Horizon and more, can help channel partners to address Windows XP End of Life migrations and the BYOD (bring your own device) tidal wave.
Microsoft’s Windows XP support will reach end of life on April 8, 2014. Millions of PCs continue to run the operating system, which means customers could be left scrambling for an upgrade path to either Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. At the same time, millions of employees continue to bring their own devices — particularly tablets, cellphones and often notebooks — to work.
Toshiba claims its new hosted virtual desktop service can help MSPs and channel partners to address both the XP and BYOD challenges. In a prepared statement, the company said: “There is an increasing demand for enterprise BYOD policies, where employees use their personal devices for work purposes and are more often working remotely. Toshiba’s VDS enables users to access their desktop from any iOS, Windows or Android device meeting certain minimum operating system requirements via a secure gateway without requiring authentication on the corporate network.”
The service leverages Toshiba’s own Desktop Manager Software. Channel partners gain a single interface for managing all of their virtual desktops. Toshiba did not announce pricing for the service.
FYI: That’s April 8, 2014 not
FYI: That’s April 8, 2014 not August.