Desktop virtualization is a prime selling point for hyperconverged infrastructure. HCI offers the scalability needed to support VDI along with fewer storage bottlenecks, thanks to use of flash and I/O prioritization.

Today, channel-focused HCI provider Pivot3 announced that its vSTAC OS is certified with Horizon Cloud, VMware’s cloud-hosted desktop and application virtualization suite. The vSTAC software combines storage, compute, networking and virtualization into modular, x86-based building blocks. Combined with customer hardware or Pivot3’s appliances, partners could set up hosted virtual desktops and applications that provide the benefits of cloud, such as rapid deployment, pay-as-you-grow pricing and ease of access for mobile end users, with the security and management benefits of on-premises hyperconverged infrastructure, then manage those desktops through a central console.

Pivot3’s Mark Maisano

Mark Maisano, Pivot3’s VP of channel sales, told Channel Partners that this mix of cloud flexibility and on-premises infrastructure will be a selling point.

“We anticipate a high level of interest from the global Pivot3 partner ecosystem,” said Maisano. “The benefits to our customers are astounding — vastly simpler deployments, quicker time-to-value and improved economics with Pivot3’s scalable and high-density HCI foundation. And, the delivery model is repeatable, scalable and profitable for the partners. The joint solution helps our customers move one step closer to the software-defined data center.”

Maisano joined Pivot3, which sells 100 percent through the channel, in March. At that time, the company said deal registrations had increased 275 percent in 2016.

VMware recently updated Horizon Cloud by extending its Just-in-Time Management Platform across the Horizon portfolio and integrating VMware App Volumes, Instant Clone and User Environment Manager to simplify end-user profile management and, according to VMware, help lower the cost and complexity of configuring applications and user profiles and enforcing policies uniformly across virtual, physical and cloud-based Windows desktops. It also added Blast Adaptive Transport technology to make the most of spiky or low bandwidth by dynamically adjusting to offset packet loss and maximize the user experience — long the delimiter in expanding use of VDI.

Pivot3’s Mike Koponen

Another problem with virtual desktops has been licensing cost and complexity. VMware addresses this with a single-subscription license model and the ability for customers to pay only as they grow, another benefit of HCI.

“Our customers prioritize lowering costs, increasing productivity and increasing the speed of application delivery,” said Mike Koponen, Pivot3’s senior director, product and solutions marketing, in a statement. “Pivot3’s collaboration with VMware will help our mutual customers achieve these goals and leverage the best of both worlds — on-premises infrastructure combined with cloud management.”