OpenStack is about the open source cloud first and foremost, but it's rapidly branching into other ecosystems. In an example of that growth, the OpenStack Foundation has announced the signing-on of Virtual Bridges, which specializes in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) solutions, as a corporate sponsor of the project.

Virtual Bridges has contributed code to OpenStack development previously, but its official sponsorship deepens its relationship with the open source cloud project. Now, the company says, it will share expertise to help "the community solve challenges associated with BYOD and VDI."

In announcing the partnership on Feb. 18, Virtual Bridges placed particular emphasis on the VDI side of its business, which involves providing virtual Linux and Windows desktops that are accessible via the cloud from any location. Survey data reveals that users are already deploying OpenStack clouds to host VDI solutions, according to the company, and its sponsorship will help to integrate VDI more tightly into the OpenStack infrastructure.

Virtual Bridges was also keen to emphasize the open source core of its software products, which it hopes will make its offerings a natural fit for enterprises moving their VDI platforms to the OpenStack cloud. "As organizations make the move to OpenStack, Virtual Bridges will be their trusted partner for VDI," said Jon Senger, chief strategy officer for Virtual Bridges.

From the channel perspective, this agreement is a sign of the pace of OpenStack adoption, as well as the platform's branching out to serve areas that involve more than the cloud itself. The OpenStack cloud may soon have a broader meaning, which will involve not just the open source software infrastructure for building private and public clouds, but also integration with other ecosystems, such as the VDI and BYOD ones on which Virtual Bridges focuses.