The Linux Foundation | 21 April 2017
Doky is a Linux-based online operating system that provides cloud collaboration and storage and a quickly growing, fully integrated set of virtual desktop apps. Its free web and mobile platform can replace the functions of a local computer, allowing users to access their desktop, data, tabs and more securely from any computer, anywhere, anytime.
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“Linux and open source have a big positive impact on the culture we are building around ‘openness,’” says Francesco Tripepi, founder and CEO of Doky. “We are building a service with no walled gardens. We believe that an open ecosystem that innovates in a collaborative fashion will win. So openness is a key ingredient to our current and future success. We learned that trait from the Linux community.”
Here, Francesco, a serial entrepreneur with 20 years of global B2B and B2C experience, tells us more about Doky; how Linux and open source are integral to their business; and some of the industry trends they’re witnessing as a result of open source technologies.
Linux.com: What does Doky do?
Francesco Tripepi: Doky provides the ability to access and use a large number of apps and collaborative tools in a single place from any device anywhere. Doky’s mission is to provide an open and trusted network that empowers people and organizations to collaborate in a seamless experience. Doky offers a free and paid web and mobile platform that can replace the functions of a local computer, allowing users to access their desktop, data, tabs, storage and virtual desktop apps securely from any computer, anywhere, anytime… We call our service “fluid computing.”
Linux.com: How and why do you use Linux and open source?
Francesco: Open source continues to encourage and drive innovation globally, and Doky’s offerings are a perfect example of the positive loop created by open source projects leading to new products. Similar to how Linux forever changed the operating system landscape, Doky sees itself as a major catalyst for open source based software that users can access, use and collaborate with their favorite apps easily and in truly seamless and integrated way as never possible before.
At the core of Doky is a lightweight, Linux-based OS that allows us to virtualize any app on application layer, offering high performance in speed, availability and security. This open architecture allows the user to work from anywhere on any device seamlessly.
So not only do we use open source and Linux to build Doky as a service and platform, but we also empower other developers to bring their assets to users in a super-fast cloud environment that works across any screen and device through a unique way of app streaming.
Linux.com: Why did you join The Linux Foundation?
Francesco: Open source is at the core of what we do at Doky, so becoming a Gold member of The Linux Foundation is a logical step for us in order to “do well while doing good.” We do well because the assets and software tools that are developed as open source software form a core element of our product as we make those apps available as a super fast and reliable cloud service. We do good as our Gold membership is one way we are giving back to and supporting the community. By further collaborating with open source cloud projects, we hope to improve those projects, and make our own products better in the process.
The Gold membership with The Linux Foundation will enable Doky to leverage The Linux Foundation’s experience and expertise to further increase their contributions to open source. The company already contributes to open source projects such as Docker and Node.js, in addition to offering full Linux support for its cloud computing offering.
Linux.com: What interesting or innovative trends in your industry are you witnessing and what role do Linux and open source play in them?
Francesco: We see big interest on a global level for our service. Our user base was global from day one and we are already represented on every continent. We feel this is a good reflection of what is happening with Linux and open source as well given what we provide as a service.
We also see a fair amount of inbound leads from large corporations and governments who are interested in open source software. This also mirrors recent industry growth trends around open source and Linux. Linux isn’t just geeky anymore; it increasingly plays big roles in areas such as business intelligence, IoT (supporting the trend of miniaturization), cloud computing in general and mobile.
Leading cloud services such as Google, AWS and Microsoft have set up Linux machines as well and as that trend continues already high security standards will even get better. We feel that the most exciting times for open source and Linux are ahead of us.
Linux.com: How is your company participating in that innovation?
Francesco: Doky enables complete virtualization of tools, enabling faster access and use of apps without the need to switch between cloud services or additional apps. In addition, Doky wraps that platform around a powerful collaboration layer that provides best-practice-based services in regards to email, messaging, calling, and other communication and collaboration channels. Everything we do really builds on the foundation of what Linux and open source created and the better the innovation of the community will be, the better Doky will be.
Linux.com: How has participating in the Linux and open source communities changed your company?
Francesco: Doky did not really change, as the team grew up with open source and Linux. However, as a Founder & CEO in charge of product and engineering as well, I understand that Linux and open source have a big positive impact on the culture we are building around “openness.” We are building a service with no walled gardens. We believe that an open ecosystem that innovates in a collaborative fashion will win. So openness is a key ingredient to our current and future success. We learned that trait from the Linux community.
Linux.com: Is there anything else important or upcoming that you’d like to share?
Francesco: We also realize the power of our platform and impact it can have on one of our passion themes; education. We are in the process of establishing the Doky Foundation, which offers a free platform for ‘education in need.’
As we run a service that can bring any app to anybody who has Internet or mobile access we feel we have a responsibility to make that service available wherever it can impact the world in a positive way. We partnered with Pledge1% and will announce more on this topic later in 2017. You can visit the Doky Foundation’s website here.
Learn more about Linux Foundation corporate membership and see a full list of members at https://www.linuxfoundation.org/members/join.
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