Zynstra Partners with VARs and Service Providers to Deliver Hybrid Cloud Solution to SMBs

Zynstra recently released its Zynstra Hybrid Cloud (ZHC) solution for small to medium businesses (SMBs). The new software is one example of an increasing global trend toward software-as-a-service (SaaS) installations.

Founded in 2011, Bath, UK-based Zynstra Ltd. is managed by several executives with previous experience running SaaS companies. It provides IT systems that a middleman such as a VAR or service provider then resells to companies on a pay-as-you-go, per-user basis.

Zynstra supports its resellers in all phases of providing the ZHC solution. According to its website, resellers can get support in sales, marketing, implementation and maintenance from Zynstra.

ZHC is installed on HP ProLiant Servers located on the customer's premises and is designed for sites having anywhere from 10 to 250 users. Flexible configurations allow customers to decide what combination of physical servers on site versus cloud servers they want to use. They can also decide where applications and data will reside.

Zynstra tests software updates before it installs them on production systems and replaces hardware once it nears the end of the warranty period. Customers get many of the benefits of an enterprise system without the hassles of maintaining it.

The solution is very Microsoft-centric, using Active Directory for domain control, Exchange e-mail, SharePoint collaboration and Office365 for cloud access to the Office applications suite.

A Forrester Research study shows that the market for SaaS will increase by 25 percent in 2013 to a total of $59 billion. In 2014, the market will increase even more to $75 billion.

Zynstra’s business model for ZHC depends heavily on resellers to get solutions to the SMBs it targets. It amounts to an admission that its strength and expertise is on the technical side and not the sales and deployment side. This philosophy is consistent with the idea of cloud computing itself, which implies that most companies are better focusing on their own core strengths and let the technically savvy handle the IT grunt work.

If focusing on core strengths works for the customer, it can work for the vendor too. Given the market potential for SaaS, the payoff could be huge for Zynstra if the market agrees with the strategy.