Joint Solution Enables Customers to Outsource IT and Focus on Core Business Value
Malicis sought to:
- Provide cloud-based virtual desktops as a managed service;
- Partner with a reliable Citrix Ready, Canadian Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) partner;
- Deliver IT services that allow customers to focus on their core competencies.
About Malicis
Malicis Informatique Inc. is a Montreal-based IT company specialized in desktop virtualization for small and medium-sized enterprises. It offers consulting services as well as the implementation of fully managed desktop environments with technical support. The team at Malicis is highly regarded for its expertise in Desktop as a Service (DaaS) solutions — in particular its deep knowledge of Citrix technologies. It architects custom offerings with industry best practices and a ready attention to customers’ emerging needs.
The Requirements
Malicis was shifting its focus away from physical infrastructure management towards its core competency of delivering managed virtual office environments and end-user support. It sought a trusted cloud IaaS provider in order to eliminate its in-house data centre and deliver virtual services in the cloud.
Its new cloud provider would need the following characteristics:
- Multiple data centres for redundancy;
- Full-featured, API-driven infrastructure;
- Well-integrated with Citrix products
- The possibility to collaborate in the creation of a custom solution;
- Expert, local, responsive, and personalized support in both English and French;
- The ability to provide an economically competitive service for its customers;
Furthermore, the solution would require the integration of Citrix NetScaler functionality providing enterprise-class features such as load balancing, high availability, authentication, and security required for the management of Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop virtualization platforms.
The Solution
cloud.ca became the obvious choice for a cloud IaaS partner as it met all of the above criteria, further supported by its status as the only Citrix Ready cloud platform in Canada. Built with numerous Citrix components, cloud.ca’s cloud infrastructure was an easy fit for Malicis’ virtualization solution.
One of Malicis and cloud.ca’s initial customers in this DaaS partnership is Canadian Wood Products (CWP), part of the McGill St-Laurent organization, which also includes CWP Grain and CWP Energy. With more than 80 employees in several offices across North America and a plan for rapid expansion, McGill St. Laurent is benefitting from centralized management of its desktops, data, and applications; quick onboarding times for new locations and employees; continuity of work sessions across the home, commute, and office; and a renewed focus on the company’s core activities.
“cloud.ca was the ideal IaaS for Malicis to deliver a joint DaaS solution - a bilingual Canadian provider with unique Citrix certification and a willingness to collaborate on a successful partnership.”
The joint DaaS solution provides support for more than simply office applications, but for specialized legacy applications as well. In the case of McGill St. Laurent, the SAP installation used for its book of record, order management, and CRM is now running in Malicis’ managed virtual desktop environment on cloud.ca.
The new DaaS platform is highly scalable for the easy addition of new customers and users. A shared NetScaler gateway allows Malicis to deliver these services more economically, providing all of the enterprise ADC services without the cost of a dedicated appliance. The partnership has enabled Malicis and cloud.ca to deliver a unique and competitive virtual desktop offering to the Canadian market.
Contact us if your organization needs help with a DaaS solution or if you are an IT solutions company looking to offer this service to your customers.
