Citrix delivered Microsoft Office on a Hosted Desktop and works on an iPhone?

Successful pilot of Citrix's new licensing model

 August 27th 2009 

Nasstar delivers hosted desktops with Citrix 

~ first UK service provider to benefit from new licensing model enables channel partners to enter the cloud market ~

Nasstar, the hosted desktop provider, is using Citrix Cloud Centre (Citrix C3) to deliver its award winning hosted desktop service to channel partners.
The white label service will enable channel partners to deliver hosted desktops to customers without needing their own infrastructure to support cloud-based services. It opens cloud computing to a new market and will provide partners with an additional revenue stream.

The relationship is part of the Citrix Service Provider programme, which enables partners to use Citrix virtualisation products to deliver their hosted offering with the best performance, highest security and lowest cost. It offers a monthly, usage-based pricing and support model designed to meet the specific requirements of hosting companies, as well as the opportunity to leverage the Citrix brand.

The hosted desktop service from Nasstar provides a Microsoft business desktop via a browser. Using Citrix C3, Nasstar is able to offer an improved user experience to both resellers and their customers, as well as a flexible active subscriber pricing model and access to the most current product versions.

Nasstar is already piloting the service with several VARS across the UK. Mahmood Chaudhri, managing director at managed service provider Datrix, said: “Datrix chose to sell Hosted Desktop into our customer base because it ties in with our managed services support model, where everything is charged on a per-user basis every month with no upfront capital expenditure. Our Hosted Desktop customers have the flexibility of purchasing all of their support and software application requirements through a Citrix environment, offering a much improved user experience. Datrix and our customers are already reaping the benefits of this service.”

Charles Black Nasstar CEO said: “Cloud computing is the dominant trend in technology right now. But high set up costs put this potentially high-margin offering out of reach for smaller would-be service providers. With a package that includes back office services and a management tool for the partner and end user – and the ease of delivery that Citrix provides – we have opened up the cloud market to the UK channel.”

Kevin Bland, channel director for Citrix UK, said: “Many organisations are seeking to embrace the benefits of the pay-as-you-use model for IT delivery. Particularly in these straitened times it makes a lot of sense. With our flexible licensing model, service providers have the ‘right to use’ Citrix products as the underpinning of their delivery infrastructure, giving them the flexibility of a monthly pricing and licensing model. It makes the cloud a reality for many companies, who can now by hosted desktops for innovative Service Providers such as Nasstar, who already understands their needs."  

For further information about Nasstar, please contact:
Damion Greef Tel: +44 (0) 20 7148 5000
Email: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.nasstar.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Nasstar:
Nasstar plc, an AIM-quoted company, makes computing a simple internet subscription service, enabling subscribers of its hosted desktop service to do all of their computing in the internet cloud rather than on a local computer. Nasstar's Hosted Desktop provides subscribers with access to their desktop, files, applications and email over the internet providing a real alternative to traditional on-premise computing.
 
The company vision is that everyday computing is becoming a utility in the workplace - just like mobile phones - and should therefore be a simple subscription service. Nasstar's vision is to use the internet to deliver everyday computing, removing the need for traditional on-premise IT.
 
Nasstar is fast establishing itself as a disruptive force within the IT industry, and customers who have already adopted this service approach to the desktop include Stelios’ easyGroup.

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