French startup Shadow, also known as Blade, just raised a Series A round of $57.1 million (51 million). Shadow thinks your next computer is going to be in a data center. Your existing phones, laptops and Shadows own device (pictured above) act as a thin client, a window into your virtual machine running on a beefy server in a data center near you.
Shadow had already raised $14.6 million from around 20 business angels. The same ones invested again, starting with Nick Suppipat, Pierre-Kosciusko Morizet and Michael Benabou.
Ive already written a bit about Shadow. The startup is running thousands of virtual machines on 800 server-grade Intel Xeon processors with a dedicated Nvidia GTX 1070 for each user. Its only available in France for now.
In my own testing, it works quite well already even though you can feel that the service is still a bit young. The only issue is that you currently need a speedy fiber connection, which still limits the market quite a bit in France.
You can get your personal instance for around $32.70 per month (30). This isnt just a gaming platform, you get a full Windows 10 virtual machine. So far, 3,500 people have been using the service as the company has been accepting new users in batches every other month.
With todays funding round, the company plans to accept a lot more customers. The first thing were going to change is that we were relying on a pre-order system, co-founder and CEO EmmanuelFreund said. We have a lot more demand compared to our offering output. Were going to switch to an instant ordering system.
Eventually, youll be able to sign up to Shadow and use your Shadow computer the next day. This is going to be challenging as Shadow will need to keep up with the demand and roll out enough servers so that new servers are always available.
Shadow already said that it isnt in the business of looking at your data. You control your Windows instance, you can encrypt your data and Shadow doesnt have your Windows password. But the company said that it plans to provide its own encryption system and write stronger terms of service when it comes to privacy.
On average, these users have been spending 2.5 hours per day per user over the last 30 days. By targeting gamers, Shadow has been focusing on heavy PC users so this number isnt that surprising.
But the startup doesnt plan to stop there. Up next, Shadow wants to sell instances through B2B channels and target less powerful needs. Eventually, Shadow wants to replace computers in your office or your grandparents computer. Those servers probably arent going to have a big Nvidia GPU, but its going to bring the next big wave of users.
The startup wants to attract 100,000 clients by the end of 2018. Shadow is going to expand to the U.K. and Germany in 2017, with other European countries following suit. For each geographical expansion, the startup needs to find new data centers and sign peering deals with telecom companies around Europe.
The company is also going to open an office in Palo Alto so that they can talk with American partners, such as server makers and Microsoft. And Im sure that the company will need a ton of capital to buy new servers and expand its infrastructure.
While cloud computing for end users have been a wild dream for years, internet connections may have become fast enough to turn this into something that you can actually use. Shadow plans to take advantage of that.
See the original post here:
Shadow raises $57 million for its cloud computing service for ... - TechCrunch
- Roundup Of Cloud Computing Forecasts, 2017 - Forbes - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- RCom arm in tie-up for cloud computing - Moneycontrol.com - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- How Do You Define Cloud Computing? - Data Center Knowledge - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- 5 Cloud Computing Stocks to Buy - TheStreet.com - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- Cloud Computing Continues to Influence HPC - insideHPC - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- Red Hat's New Products Centered Around Cloud Computing, Containers - Virtualization Review - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- Adobe bets big on cloud computing for marketing, creative professionals - Livemint - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- Verizon sells cloud services to IBM in 'unique cooperation between ... - Cloud Tech - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- How Cloud Computing Is Turning the Tide on Heart Attacks - Fortune - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- Hospital CIOs see benefits of healthcare cloud computing - TechTarget - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- Trends In Cloud Computing - Business Solutions Magazine - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- A deeper dive into cloud security as a service: Advantages and issues - Cloud Tech - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- OpenText buys cloud computing firm for US$103 million - TheRecord.com - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Belfast IT firm celebrates cloud computing success in 57 countries ... - Belfast Telegraph - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Meet The Cloud Wars Top 10: The World's Most-Powerful Cloud-Computing Vendors - Forbes - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- How to approach cloud computing and cyber security in 2017 - Information Age - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- CFOs have discovered the big stick of cloud computing - InfoWorld - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Belmont Stakes Odds 2017: Latest Vegas Betting Lines Before Post Positions Draw - Bleacher Report - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Cloudistics Announces New Cloud Computing Program That Enables High Margin Reoccurring Revenue Models for ... - Marketwired (press release) - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- CloudCheckr, cloud computing company expects rapid growth in Rochester - WXXI News - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- IBM Losing Facebook's WhatsApp as Cloud Customer, says CNBC - Barron's - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- What My Father Taught Me About Cloud Computing - Virtualization Review - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Workday Phenomenon Goes Global As Cloud Computing Goes Mainstream - Forbes - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- New Cloud Computing and IT Outsourcing Requirements in the Financial Sector - JD Supra (press release) - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- 3 Things You Should Know About Cloud Computing Right Now - Fortune - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Learning in the Sky: Collaborative Robots Embrace Cloud Computing - Machine Design - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Best Practices To Manage Your Hybrid Cloud - Forbes - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Here's how venture capitalists are thinking about cloud computing companies and technologies - GeekWire - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Amazon is helping veterans find jobs in cloud computing - Marketplace - Marketplace.org - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- New Cloud Computing and IT Outsourcing Requirements in the Financial Sector - Lexology (registration) - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Growing Patent Claim Risks in Cloud Computing - Lexology (registration) - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- The benefits of cloud computing, Rust 1.18, and intelligent tracking prevention in WebKit SD Times news digest ... - SDTimes.com - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Edge Computing Is New Cloud Computing Tech Investors Should Track - GuruFocus.com - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Real Estate Weekly: Digital Realty Becomes A Cloud Computing Giant - Seeking Alpha - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Virtualization admin? Pivot -- pivot now -- to a cloud computing career - TechTarget - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Why isn't Cloud Computing in the 2017 Belmont Stakes? - FanSided - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Cloud Computing Companies Move Into Medical Diagnosis (GOOG, IBM) - Investopedia - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- China's cloud industry moving to new era with emergence of unicorns - TechNode (blog) - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- Terry Crews Is On Crackdown 3 Trailer, No Cloud Computing For Single Player - EconoTimes - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- The Risks and Perquisites of Cloud Computing - DATAQUEST - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- Alibaba Cloud announces launch of data centres in India and Indonesia - Cloud Tech - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- Indonesia banks have yet to implement cloud computing - Jakarta Post - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- 'Sweden is heaven for cloud computing': Amazon Nordic chief - The ... - The Local Sweden - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Amazon.com to open second government cloud-computing region ... - The Seattle Times - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Amazon Still Leads Cloud Rankings, But Competition Is Coming On Strong - Fortune - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Alibaba to enter European cloud computing market in mid-2017 | Air ... - Air Cargo World (registration) - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Alibaba to enter European cloud computing market in mid-2017 - Air Cargo World (registration) - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Pressing Tech Issue: Enterprise Software Vs. Cloud Computing? - Credit Union Times - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- 7 Tips for Securely Moving Data to the Cloud - Government Technology (blog) - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Chinese tech giant Alibaba joins key open-source cloud computing foundation - GeekWire - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Microsoft Could Surpass Amazon in Cloud Computing This Year (AMZN, MSFT) - Investopedia - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- GDS Holdings Limited (GDS) Announces Strategic Partnership with Tencent Cloud - StreetInsider.com - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Cloud first - Philippine Star - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Three Considerations for Reducing Risk in Cloud Computing - CIOReview - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Cloud Computing and Digital Divide 2.0 - CircleID - CircleID - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Microsoft will ride artificial intelligence, cloud computing to higher ... - CNBC - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Cloud-Computing Business Lifts Oracle's Profit -- Update - Fox Business - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Report affirms continued cloud spend for US businesses in 2017 - Cloud Tech - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Catching up with an interconnected federal cloud - GCN.com - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Cloud-Computing Business Lifts Oracle's Profit -- 2nd Update - Fox Business - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Cisco adapts to the rise of cloud computing - The Economist - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Amazon accuses Walmart of bullying in cloud computing clash - BBC News - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Companies plan to spend more on cloud computing services this year, higher prices among drivers: Clutch - Canadian Underwriter - June 23rd, 2017 [June 23rd, 2017]
- Survey: businesses ramp up spending on cloud computing DC ... - DC Velocity - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Morgan Stanley: Cloud computing is at 'an inflection point' but how big will it get? - GeekWire - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- How the cloud has changed education and training - TNW - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Cloud computing key to 4th industrial revolution - News VietNamNet - VietNamNet Bridge - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Lady Eli, Cloud Computing Among Workers for Brown - BloodHorse.com (press release) (registration) (blog) - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Microsoft signs cloud-computing partnership with Box - The Seattle Times - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Microsoft Signs Cloud Computing Partnership with Box - CIO Today - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- US action on Microsoft email case could devastate cloud computing - Irish Times - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Cloud computing challenges today: Planning, process and people - TechTarget - July 2nd, 2017 [July 2nd, 2017]
- Five podcasts to catch up on the latest trends in cloud computing - TechTarget - July 2nd, 2017 [July 2nd, 2017]
- Microsoft reportedly set to lay off thousands as part of massive sales reorganization - GeekWire - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- VMware to surge more than 20 percent because the Amazon cloud ... - CNBC - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Google Unveils Custom Hardware Chip for Cloud - Investopedia - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Cloud Computing Confirmed for Travers | TDN | Thoroughbred Daily ... - Thoroughbred Daily News - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Why 2017 Is The Year To Understand Cloud Computing - Nasdaq - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Biz Cloud Computing - Four States Homepage - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- The Benefits of Multi-Cloud Computing Architectures for MSPs - MSPmentor - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]