Hosted Desktops for Software Developers

By far the single biggest use of our Hosted Desktop service is by software companies who resell it as a platform to host their applications or use it as a test platform to develop their applications.

Cloud computing is a significant change to the way applications are run and there is pressure on developers to produce “cloud” based applications to keep up with competition.  However, shoehorning desktop applications to work in a web browser can mean a complete re-write of software and in many cases would be detrimental to the way the software works.

Hosted Desktops provide a secure, reliable and flexible platform to run traditional client/server applications.  Giving all the benefits of cloud computing without having to change the software.

Here’s some of the reasons why over half of all our business comes from software developers:

• Cloud computing with no re-coding

A Hosted Desktop service is basically a hosted remote desktop server (aka terminal server) so can run any Windows based application. If it runs on Windows it will run on a hosted desktop.  Customers can be up and running in a few hours once the server is provisioned.

• Integration with other applications

We can host any applications on the server so if your software integrates with something else e.g. Microsoft Office then we can install the right version and also rent Office under the service provider licence agreement.  We are also one of the few hosted desktop providers authorised to host Office 365.   Plans need to include Shared Computer Activation feature.

• Hosted SQL Server

If your application requires SQL server to run we have a number of hosting and licencing options available to reduce the impact on the customer. We can install SQL Express on the remote desktop server, taking advantage of the free licence.  If SQL Standard is required we can host a dedicated SQL instance on a separate server and rent SQL CALs.  If more advanced architecture is required we can easily accommodate this and rent SQL Processor licences or SQL CALs as appropriate.  Why not take a look at our SQL server hosting service.

• Updates are simple

If you release a new version or update for your software customers running on a hosted desktop only need to install the update once on the server and its available to all users

• Zero cost to you

Most developers offer our hosting platform as an additional service to their customers, either adding it to their bill or asking us to invoice the customer direct.   We discount our monthly rental to developers reselling our platform, or give them an equivalent commission, so it can also be a great and reliable revenue stream.

Moving to our service is easy and from only £34.00 per month

For your customers moving to hosted desktops is very straightforward, all the setup is done for you and we can help with the installation and data migration. It’s also risk free, your customers can test your applications with copies of data to make sure everything works as expected and then cut-over with a final data copy when everyone’s ready.

Hosted desktops cost from as little as £34.00 per user per month, and if you are reselling hosted desktops as a platform for your application we’ll reward you with a discount or commission.