Wanova: From Starting Up To Scooped-Up
Wanova’s objective was to turn the VDI and desktop virtualization industry up on its head. When Overit began working with the Silicon Valley-based company with a one-of-a-kind (now patented) centralized endpoint management and recovery solution, Wanova looked to become a recognizable voice among vendors pushing varying versions of traditional VDI and desktop management solutions. As desktop virtualization methods and models dominated story headlines with claims that had been proven false with numerous expensive and improper use cases, the positioning of Wanova’s Mirage in a crowded field was of vital importance.
The goal was clear: Define Wanova as a company that would alter perceptions and create a new perspective in an industry filled with multiple legacy technology voices.
The PR team created a multi-faceted approach to promoting Wanova as a leading voice in the industry involving proactive story angles and press outreach, contributed content, a robust social media channel, and reactionary commentary and expertise inserted into trending conversations.
A significant emphasis was made to develop messaging for both tech and business press, exposing both audiences to what Wanova could offer enterprises of all sizes. Product news and reviews were released with messaging highlighting the impact engagement could have on businesses struggling with desktop recovery and data loss, personal computers entering the enterprise and decisions with regard to Windows operating system migrations.
In the first six months of engagement with Wanova, a significant emphasis was made to highlight the advantages of Wanova’s Mirage solution over traditional VDI. More than 25 top level pieces of coverage were secured, establishing Wanova as an industry player with a valuable message to the desktop management industry. eWeek published the top 10 reasons against VDI, BrianMadden.com highlighted Wanova Mirage’s layering capabilities, and Wanova’s Barry Phillips spoke to CRN from the floor of VMworld about Mirage building on the promise of VDI. When Wanova announced they had accepted a $10 million round of funding, the New York Times, VentureBeat and TechCrunch were among those to take notice.
Wanova’s social media channels also supported industry positioning, while growing quickly as the PR team actively engaged the company in conversations with industry experts, vendors and customers. The Wanova blog, authored by company executives, offered pointed and timely opinions on industry developments while incorporating the company’s key messaging.
As options such as terminal services, client-side hypervisor solutions and VDI continued to not completely address the needs of enterprise users, Wanova positioned itself (along with Intel) in the marketplace with a new approach – “Intelligent Desktop Virtualization.”
The comparison between VDI and Mirage’s IDV raised eyebrows and interest, and the headlines continued to come. Wanova’s approach to desktop management and recovery was picked up in outlets such as IT Business Edge, Redmondmag.com and InfoWorld, and major players in the industry VMware and Citrix began to notice. Contributed content articles in outlets such as Forbes highlighted the expertise of Wanova executives in high-level articles aimed for business audiences. Mirage quickly became viewed as a viable alternative to traditional VDI and desktop virtualization, specifically addressing issues such as Microsoft licensing restrictions, server costs and user downtime plaguing existing solutions.
On May 23, 2012, VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) announced its plans to acquire Wanova, Inc. In a moment that matched innovative solution with needs by the virtualization giant, our client had been recognized as a valuable player in a crowded market, posing a major challenge to existing offers. The technology’s promise could not be ignored by one of the leading virtualization vendors.
The acquisition sparked a number of headlines immediately in outlets throughout the technology industry. The numerous headlines highlight the story we had shared all along – Wanova, and its Mirage solution, was a game-changer…
InformationWeek – “VMware Buys Wanova: Watch Out, Citrix”
“VMware makes another move indicating it intends to catch up to Citrix in the desktop virtualization market. Wanova’s technology brings VMware a number of advantages.”
Register – “VMware sees Mirage, buys up company”
“Virtualization juggernaut VMware gobbled up four-year-old VDI vendor Wanova today, giving the virtualization juggernaut another weapon to fire at Citrix.”
ZDNet – “VMware naps turnkey desktop cloud provider Wanova”
“Furthermore, with the combination of these two products, VMware is promising a more efficient method for complete syncing, storing and management of all elements of a user’s desktop image in the company’s private cloud.”
CRN – “VMware Beefs Up Desktop Portfolio By Acquiring Wanova”
“VMware on Tuesday added a significant management piece to its end-user computing portfolio… Mirage’s ability to centrally manage both physical and virtual PCs, regardless of whether they’re connected to the network, is seen in the channel as an important addition to the VMware portfolio.”
MSPmentor – “VMware Buys Wanova: More Than Virtual Desktop Infrastructure”
“At first glance, the VMware buyout of Wanova involves virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), a hot market of opportunity for managed services provides (MSPs). But take a closer look and you’ll find VMware’s acquisition of Wanova involves far more than traditional VDI.”
eWeek – “VMware Acquires New-Gen Desktop Virtualizer Wanova”
“Virtualization kingpin VMware made a move to the cutting-edge section of the virtual desktop market May 22 by announcing the acquisition of Campbell, Calif.-based Wanova.”
