Toshiba Launches Partner Program for Virtual Desktop Service

Toshiba’s Cloud Services and Solutions Division (CLD) unveiled the first details on its Toshiba Solutions Partner Program, as the company looks to better meet the needs of channel partners and enable MSPs to integrate the Toshiba Virtual Desktop Service (VDS) into their product portfolios.

The company’s new partner program was built from the ground up to accommodate the needs of Toshiba’s partner network, essentially working to satisfy the demand for recurring revenue models in the channel and delivering more options for BYOD computing, said Terry Cronin, vice president of Business Development and Marketing, Cloud Services and Solutions, Toshiba America Information Systems. The company’s virtual desktop services allow users to access Toshiba’s scalable hosted desktop cloud solutions to install and run traditional Microsoft (MSFT) Windows operating systems and other applications on secure data center servers.

“This is a whole new channel for Toshiba. Over the last six months we’ve spent a lot of time talking to partners to see what they need to be successful,” said Cronin in an interview with The VAR Guy.  “What we want to do is protect the partners that bring business to Toshiba, so that they can keep that business as well.”

With its new Virtual Desktop Service partner program, Toshiba is offering MSPs the opportunity to fully customize their SKUs and build custom solutions to the specific needs of their individual customers. Toshiba will work with partners on custom marketing campaigns and training materials to further advance their businesses, while providing a more clearly defined set of sales incentives to help improve partner profitability, Cronin said. Toshiba is also promising to provide a quick turnaround service for partner-submitted bid opportunities and to offer rebates when those partners register sales opportunities or book sales.

Cronin noted one of the overarching goals of the program is to ensure partners don’t feel as if Toshiba is trying to steal away customers by providing clear-cut ways to profit and grow their businesses. “We look at the channel as our customer,” he said.

Currently, Toshiba is offering partners package options ranging from traditional options to more customizable ones. The Standard Desktop Package includes one virtual CPU, 2GB of RAM 20GB for OS and 5GB of user storage, with the Power Desktop Package offering double the amount of VMs and storage. Configure-to-order packages are available as well.