Desktone, Inc., the pioneer of Desktops as a Service (DaaS), today announced the general availability of the industry’s first unified platform to deliver desktops and applications as a cloud service. Desktone’s new application delivery offering enables the deployment of Windows desktops and applications from the cloud to any end user device, reducing the cost of delivering hosted applications by 50 percent over existing solutions. By leveraging the multi-tenant Desktone Platform to deliver desktops and apps as a service, service providers can transform their customer workspaces.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives, mobility, and the end of Windows XP are driving organizations to reevaluate their end user computing strategies. Desktone’s new application delivery offering simplifies IT management by delivering apps from the cloud, thus avoiding the costs and complexities of managing on-site infrastructure. End users can directly access Windows apps from any device they choose – including tablets, smartphones, laptops, PCs and thin clients – and IT professionals can manage multiple desktop models and applications from a single management console.

Leading service providers, such as Dell, Fujitsu, NEC Corporation of America, Time Warner Cable and Dimension Data, have selected Desktone’s Platform to offer hosted desktops and apps as a cloud service to end users. Desktone’s unique leading cloud features include: multi-tenancy, massive scalability from grid architecture, multi-location management and the lowest cost model in the industry through use of open source architecture.

“The desktop virtualization market is shifting to a more holistic approach as IT professionals look for solutions to simplify workspace management,” said Brett Waldman, research manager, Client Virtualization Software, IDC. “Demands on IT resources are greater than ever before, but IT budgets are still declining. The ability to deliver and manage desktops and applications from a single management console, like Desktone’s, is quickly becoming a must-have for organizations looking to reduce costs while improving efficiencies.”

“A revolution is under way in terms of how we work and the applications and devices we use to be productive, and Desktone’s new application delivery offering is the simplest way for organizations to accommodate these changes today without risk,” said Peter McKay, CEO, Desktone. “Unlike the competition, Desktone from day one has been committed to building a platform for delivering desktops and applications as a cloud service.”

“End users expect the experience and performance of their desktop PC – including access to the apps they use every day – on a variety of personal devices,” said John Moody, Executive Director, Dell Services. “The flexibility, scalability and economies of the cloud make it easy to support the evolution of the workspace. Desktone’s new app delivery offering provides one more alternative to stream Windows-based applications to any device, giving end users direct access to apps on any device they choose. We are excited about offering this new capability to our customers.”

With end of life on the horizon for many popular installed versions of desktop virtualization solutions currently available in the market, organizations are evaluating their options. A cloud-hosted model provides an affordable, easy-to-use alternative with additional capability to deliver enterprise applications from a single platform. Service providers are looking to capitalize on this opportunity and they require a purpose-built platform for delivering a cloud service with the flexibility, scalability and security that multi-tenancy offers.

“We are moving our infrastructure to the cloud as we look to reduce costs and support our remote offices,” said Adrian Farrell, Director of IT, Gentle Giant Moving Company. “With employees located throughout North America, and often on the road, it’s essential to have convenient, always-on access to the programs and apps we use every day from a variety of devices. Leveraging a cloud-hosted platform like Desktone makes it easy to give our employees seamless access to their full desktops and apps from the tablets and smartphones they use every day.”

Desktone will offer demonstrations of the new app delivery offering this week at Dell World 2012 in Austin, Texas, December 11-13. For more information about the Desktone app delivery offering please visit www.desktone.com.

About Desktone

Desktone provides the only unified platform for delivering desktops and applications as a cloud service, enabling the deployment of Windows desktops and applications from the cloud to any end user device. Desktone enables IT service providers to rapidly provision desktops and applications to users connected on any device, anywhere, without the upfront costs and complexity of traditional desktop virtualization – transforming desktops from a CAPEX to OPEX item. Leading service providers, such as Dell, Fujitsu, NEC Corporation of America, Time Warner Cable and Dimension Data, have selected Desktone’s Platform to offer desktops and apps as a cloud service. Founded in 2007, Desktone is funded by Highland Capital and Softbank and is headquartered in Boston, MA. For more information, visit www.desktone.com.