Quest Promotes Desktop as a Service as Security Salve
Will desktop as a service become one of the big plays that companies employ to avoid the security and data loss risks brought by trends such as bring your own device (BYOD) and ubiquitous mobile devices? If so, Quest, the MSP (not Quest Software which has been acquired by Dell and not Qwest Communications, the telecom carrier that was acquired by CenturyLink in 2011), is positioned to reap the rewards as DaaS evolves. CEO Tim Burke (pictured) recently told MSPmentor about how the company's new alliances would help.
The Sacramento, Calif. based company showcased its alliances with NetApp and Desktone last fall, employing a solution that integrates technology from the two companies to deliver virtual desktops as a service. Quest, which began its life as a reseller decades ago, had evolved to become a managed security specialist in 1999 and a cloud service provider in 2000, Burke told MSPmentor, so securing data and infrastructure through virtualization is a natural next step as more companies look to cloud services.
Quest’s DaaS services didn’t start with the Desktone announcement last fall. The company announced the addition of more than 50 new DaaS customers in August for its Desktone-powered DaaS service.
Burke points out that Quest is a longterm partner of Cisco and NetApp and offers cloud and managed services for storage, disaster recovery, backup, security VoIP and networking both on premise and in its 18 cloud service centers located around the world. The company started in the Northern California market but Burke says it has expanded globally with the help of partners.
