Lenovo ramps up DaaS through the channel

Lenovo is starting to see increased levels of involvement with the channel and its desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) proposition.

The vendor piloted the DaaS programme in its first quarter before cutting the ribbon on a more general launch after taking feedback from partners it worked with on the pilot to make sure it hit the mark.

“At Lenovo we talked about DaaS for a while, but one thing we were incredibly sure to do was to listen to the needs of our customers,” said Jane Ashworth, channel director UK&I at Lenovo.

“It is built from feedback from our partners, because there are a lot of different variations out there, done in different ways, and a lot of assumptions, but at the end of the day, we wanted to build something that was future-proof from the experience of our partners.”

The result is a three-level approach that starts at entry level with simplify, before developing a more complex option with accelerate, and the top-end transform level should appeal to managed service providers looking to incorporate DaaS into a wider portfolio of services.

“With that three-tier strategy, which is all built on feedback, we really feel that we now have the model for all that’s not restricted to one tier or to a certain partner type,” said Ashworth. “It depends on the end-user proposition and what they’re looking for and then the partner can choose which level actually best suits that end-user need.

“We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for the partner to deliver that through their business. It’s not a one-size-fits-all and you know those three levels can be adapted and used by the partner as they see fit.”

Ashworth said that as well as more resellers looking at DaaS as they increased their managed services, distributors had also made significant investments in the as-a-service model.

“I think that at both distribution level and partner level, there has been some huge investments and advancements by many partners in this area, and good for them, because obviously this is future-proofing their businesses and listening to the needs of the end-user,” she said.

“I think for sure DaaS will be a more used vehicle moving forward and we’ve seen that in this ever-changing world. Look at Spotify, Uber, Google – companies that are all shifting in that direction and evolving to customer demand.”

Lenovo is also trying to make it easier for the channel to access the DaaS option and has a route to get involved via the partner portal or through weblinks that can provide more information about the different levels of service available.