CDG UK gets on the innovation track

Change in direction: CDG UK has repositioned itself to focus entirely on emerging technologies

Storage distributor CDG UK is reinventing itself as a new technologies specialist and has launched a desktop-as-a-service venture.

CDG UK recently spun out of Netherlands-based CDG Europe and has now severed all ties with the £60m group in a bid to return to its roots as an innovator.

It will now focus solely on emerging technologies. Recent vendor signings include virtual desktop outfit Kaviza, datacentre virtualisation specialist Atlantis Computing and client virtualisation specialist Neocleus.

CDG UK has ten staff, but director Oren Taylor, said it would ramp that up rapidly.

“CDG found fame in Europe for bringing Citrix and VMware into the market, but found itself trapped being a traditional distributor. We spun out to focus on innovation,” said Taylor.

“The idea is to get 25 people on board with a heavy focus on technical skills.”

CDG UK plans to link up with a larger distributor later this year to ensure resellers get enough support once its technologies become more mature.

It has also formed a new firm to operate across Europe called the Cloud Group, which will focus on punting vendor Desktone’s desktop-as-a-service offering to service providers.

Alex McLoughlin, director of virtualisation reseller Virtual Age, said: “We are seeing a lot more vision from CDG. It is now bringing us products and offering us support, rather than just taking our orders.”