VDI firm AppSense announced its latest partner program, dubbed the AppSense Affinity Partner Program, which is designed for partners within the company’s ecosystem that are working on user virtualization initiatives powered by AppSense technology.

David Roussain, vice president of strategic alliances and systems integrators at AppSense, said the driver behind this new program is the sheer size of the market, an estimated 400 million Windows desktops that are in the planning stage to upgrade to Windows 7-powered VDI infrastructure.

“Because of this large number, the physical-virtual split and the complex transformation challenges that IT faces at the desktop, application and user level, we feel that creating a desktop transformation ecosystem will immediately provide customers with an easy pathway to faster project completion, lower the overall deployment costs and create a more cost-effective user experience.”

The program offers a few incentives, including certification for individuals and organizations, along with tech support, and access to the AppSense solution labs.

In addition, the company promises to help partners to develop their own market approach. This includes the development of “joint sales and marketing relationships” using resources made available via the AppSense Affinity Program Portal, among other channels the virtualization firm is opening up.

Members will show up on the program’s official website and are included in pitches, so that’s also a marketing and awareness element in the mix.

Just a month ago the AppSense Certified Service Provider program was announced, another partner program that is designed to attract as-a-service companies to AppSense’s virtualization platform, in hopes they will end up incorporating it into their portfolios down the road.

AppSense is not the only one making bold moves to expand its ecosystem.  Another example is SAP, which debuted the  “Build and Sell” program three days after ACSP was revealed.  Members are given access to BusinessObjects, and can leverage the BI platform to power new offerings.