Datto Desktops: VDI Specifically for MSPs

Datto has quietly pieced together VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) technology specifically designed for MSPs. The technology, called Datto Desktops, is being previewed and discussed at this week's DattoCon 2017 conference in Denver.

Datto Labs, the company's R&D arm, leveraged multiple technologies from Datto's existing products and the company's cloud as a starting point for the VDI offering, according to CEO Austin McChord. Although the VDI solution holds great promise, the company has not yet decided whether to officially launch Datto Desktops as a product, McChord added during an interview with ChannelE2E.

VDI solutions from a range of companies have had several false starts in the enterprise and in the IT channel. Citrix Systems and VMware both have some VDI momentum. And pundits have been waiting for both Amazon Web Services (AWS) and/or Microsoft Azure to set VDI standards in their respective markets. Over in the Google Cloud Platform market, workspace as a service (WaaS) companies like iTopia are worth watching (ahem...stay tuned).

Waiting on VDI, Desktop as a Service

Still, nobody has set a VDI standard in the channel. Nor has anybody become an overwhelming VDI giant in the MSP sector.

For its part, Datto has a knack for exploring existing IT markets and then applying MSP-centric R&D to address partner needs. The company, now 10 years old, has grown to 850 employees by focusing on BDR (backup and disaster recovery) purely for MSPs. But more recently, Datto has been making a networking push. The networking business is ramping faster than the company expected, McChord asserts.

And as for VDI? Don't call Datto Desktops an official product yet. But stay tuned...