ViewSonic takes on Dell, HP in VDI market

SMBs and corporates target of new monitor range incorporating integrated thin, zero and smart clients

Displays vendor ViewSonic is driving into the desktop virtualisation space, ramping up its hardware with integrated clients aligned with managed cloud services.

Brian Wei, director of product marketing for Europe at ViewSonic, said the US-headquartered vendor has sealed a partnership with hosted cloud provider NaviSite and is looking for resellers for the resulting sesktop-as-a-service (DaaS)-compatible monitors with integrated virtualised desktop infrastructure (VDI) software.

"VDI is going to be a really big market, compared with the traditional PC market – for corporates but also for SMBs," Wei confirmed. "And the biggest growth over the next four years, according to IDC, is going to come from EMEA."

The accessibility of cloud computing is enabling virtualisation to penetrate deeper into the business community. Where once it was relegated primarily to large corporates with larger budgets, smaller companies are now benefiting increasingly from the trend, he said.

This opened up an opportunity for the channel to go beyond the traditional corporate stamping grounds of major vendors in the virtualisation arena, including Dell, including Wyse, and HP, Wei said.

"If you look at VDI clients, it's no longer necessarily about the box; it can also be an integrated display. Everything can be integrated into the display," he pointed out. "It just makes sense."

Targeting SMBs – as well as corporate organisations – is a differentiator for ViewSonic, Wei added.

Richard Carr, head of sales for Northern Europe at ViewSonic, said current partners, including distributors Ingram Micro and Northamber, are spearheading the VDI push but ViewSonic is also looking for new resellers and other partners if they can add value – for example, by identifying a relevant opportunity or area of opportunity.

"We are also looking for resellers to deliver the whole package," Carr said. "And we will be working with [other] MSPs as well."

Demo units may be available free to resellers on request, he added, and the vendor will also have a stand at VMworld Barcelona.

ViewSonic's VDI portfolio includes seven displays with thin, zero or Android-based smart clients for VMware, Citrix or Microsoft virtualised environments.

According to the vendor brochure, benefits for users might include security and energy savings as well as manageability, scaleability and lower total cost of ownership. Dual-display arrangements and SaaS implementations are among the set-ups catered for.