This one makes sense. Many people don’t realize that Parallels has two lines of work. Many know Parallels for its early role in desktop virtualization – primarily on the Macintosh platform. Most SMB IT Pros know Parallel’s other line of work – providing a cloud platform ecosystem. The two activities are distinct lines of work and it seemed the synergy, while it existed, was not a leading success factor internally.
So Parallels is splitting into two. The new “Odin” brand will house the company’s service provider unit and the cloud platform as we know it. The “Parallels” brand will host the cross-platform and desktop virtualization products.
“Operating under two distinct brands will enable us to better serve customers, address market shifts and capitalize on the tremendous potential we see in both of our two businesses,” said Birger Steen, chief executive officer of the Parallels group. “Odin will continue to focus on helping its more than 10.000 Service Provider customers worldwide drive profitable growth with cloud services. The Cross-Platform Solutions unit, Parallels, will continue to provide the best cross-platform experience to millions of users of Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Access and its other market leading products.”
Odin
Odin provides software that powers the cloud ecosystem, from small and local hosters to some of the world’s largest telecommunications providers. Odin delivers industry expertise, a catalog of in-demand cloud applications, and the most comprehensive selection of software including web server management, server virtualization, provisioning, and billing automation. With offices in 15 countries, Odin supports more than 10,000 service providers in delivering applications and cloud services to more than 10 million SMBs.
I caught up with a busy Scott Fallon, VP of Marketing for Odin, who spoke to me a bit about the inspiration behind the brand name: “As you know, the name Odin does derive from Norse mythology, but it was more incidental. We as a company really liked the imagery that went along with the name: strength and ingenuity.”
Scott is currently with the Odin team at World Hosting Day in Germany.
Parallels
Parallels makes it possible and simple for customers to use and access the applications and files they need on any device or operating system. Our products include Parallels Desktop for Mac (www.parallels.com/desktop), the No. 1-selling software for running Windows applications on a Mac, and Parallels Access (www.parallels.com/access), the industry-leading remote access productivity app. Parallels recently acquired 2X Software, (www.2x.com), a leader in desktop virtualization, application publishing solutions and mobile device management (MDM).
