Will Small Business Server Move Into the Clouds?
In recent weeks, I’ve been promoting the concept of hybrid services — where part of a solution remains on-premise and another portion is hosted in a cloud. But Doyenz is putting a slightly different spin on the situation. The Seattle-based start-up, which appears to have a quiet relationship with Kaseya, wants to shift virtualized Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) and other Microsoft applications into the clouds. Here’s how.
First, let me preface this entire blog by stating that I’m not sure if Doyenz‘s technology even works. But apparently, several VARs have already signed onto the service — which blends managed services and virtualizated applications with cloud services. MSPmentor’s sister site, TheVARguy.com, offers a closer look at Doyenz.
While MSP software providers like Level Platforms and N-able promote their ability to manage on-premise SBS customer deployments, Doyenz wants to shift virtualized SBS and other Microsoft applications into the cloud.
Kaseya In the Plumbing?
What really caught my ear is the following: Apparently, Doyenz has some sort of relationship with Kaseya. To be sure, Kaseya has a strong position in the on-premise managed services market. But in recent months, Kaseya has been formulating its software as a service (SaaS) strategy — while Kaseya partners like VirtualAdministrator and SecureMyCompany have launched hosted Kaseya services of their own.
I don’t sense that Doyenz wants to be another hosted managed services platform. Rather, the company is much more focused on virtualized applications combined with cloud services. Still, I hear Doyenz is somehow leveraging Kaseya’s technology as part of its overall business strategy.
Also of note: Doyenz isn’t striving to build a virtualized application cloud on its own. Instead, the company is wisely directing its VARs to launched virtualized applications on open, industry standard cloud platforms (such as Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud).
My discussion earlier today with Doyenz will likely be the first of many with the company over the next few months. Stay tuned.
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From what I’ve seen, Doyenz doesn’t have any hidden agenda I know of in relation to getting SBS into the cloud. They are more concerned with getting your SBS into a Doyenz based virtualized machine and providing the bundled services they offer to you. Where you put the virtualized machine is completely up to you.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/steveb/archive/2009/02/27/does-doyenz-have-their-head-in-the-clouds-you-ask.aspx
Steve
Steve: I didn’t say Doyenz has a hidden agenda. Their strategy is straightforward and pretty compelling:
1. They virtualize applications (MSFT Small Business Server, Exchange, etc.)
2. Microsoft applications are the primary initial target because of the large installed base and channel following.
3. Those virtualized applications can live in any cloud.
Again, straightforward and compelling. But as readers know, we don’t actually “test” vendor solutions. So readers should draw their own conclusions. In fact, I’d like to hear from readers who actually test the system.
-jp
Small businesses seems to be realizing the efficiencies that SaaS offers. The trend seems to be growing in the direction of cloud based providers.
Chris,
Thanks for re-igniting the conversation on this older blog. I’m not sure if/where Microsoft Small Business Server fits in the cloud. I feel as if the individual SBS components — file sharing, Exchange, SQL Server, etc., all are widely available from a range of cloud services providers…
-jp