RingCube Technologies

About RingCube Technologies

RingCube Technologies, established in 2004 by co-founders Mike Larkin, Shan Appajodu, and Kiran Kamity, specialized in workspace virtualization solutions for the enterprise market. Based in Mountain View, California, the company operated in the vertical market software industry, focusing specifically on desktop virtualization and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Before its acquisition, the firm had successfully raised $46.7 million in funding over five rounds from investors including Mohr Davidow Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, and Western Technology Investment.

The company's core offering was vDesk, a virtualization software platform designed to give employees, contractors, and customers access to a personalized desktop environment from any location. This platform addressed a significant challenge in VDI deployments by separating user-specific data—applications, data, and settings—from the underlying operating system. This was achieved through a "personal vDisk" for each user, which contained only their unique information. Consequently, IT departments could centrally manage a single OS image and corporate applications for all users, leading to considerable reductions in storage costs and simplified management.

RingCube's business model was entirely channel-oriented, relying on partners for fulfillment and providing them with recurring revenue opportunities through services and license renewals. The client base consisted of enterprises seeking to implement or improve their VDI systems, allowing for more flexible and cost-effective desktop management. The technology enabled users to have a consistent, personalized experience across various devices while giving IT centralized control. On August 10, 2011, Citrix Systems acquired RingCube Technologies to integrate its vDesk technology, later known as vDisk, into the Citrix XenDesktop product, enhancing its capabilities and competitive position in the desktop virtualization market.