Kidaro

About Kidaro

Kidaro was a technology firm specializing in enterprise desktop virtualization solutions. Founded in 2004 by Itzik Levy and Ran Oelgiesser, the company established itself as a provider of virtual desktop infrastructure. Kidaro's core business involved developing software that allowed IT professionals to create and manage virtual PCs. This enabled employees to access their corporate desktop environment—including the operating system, applications, and data—from any managed computer connected to the network.

The company's product suite was designed to address several key challenges for enterprise clients. Its technology facilitated easier migrations to new operating systems, such as Windows Vista, by mitigating application compatibility issues. It also enhanced business continuity by allowing for the rapid restoration of corporate desktops. Kidaro offered specific tools like Desktop DR for disaster recovery and Kidaro To-Go, which enabled desktop virtualization from a USB device. The platform functioned by encapsulating an entire desktop into a virtual machine, which could then run as an isolated workspace on a physical PC.

Kidaro's financial history includes two major funding rounds that totaled approximately $14 million. The first was a Series A round in September 2005, followed by a $10 million Series B round in December 2006. Key investors in the company included Genesis Partners, Opus Capital, and Storm Ventures. In March 2008, Microsoft announced its acquisition of Kidaro for an estimated sum of $90-100 million. Following the acquisition, Kidaro's technology was integrated into Microsoft's Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance, with its team joining Microsoft's Hyper-V division.