Telecom Lead America: AT&T and IBM have joined hands to deliver network-enabled cloud service that uses private networks.
The network-enabled cloud service will not rely on the public Internet.
AT&T and IBM will combine AT&T virtual private networking and IBM SmartCloud Enterprise+ cloud capabilities.
They will target Fortune 1000 companies globally. At present, all of the Fortune 1000 companies are currently customers of AT&T.
AT&T and IBM said the new cloud service will be launched in early 2013.
Offering security large companies will be one of the main targets of this tie-up.
A financial services company using the new service could move and manage critical customer data between its and IBM’s cloud data centers without the data ever leaving the security protections of the virtual private network.
AT&T’s technology allocates networking resources to computing resources, automating functions that are often performed manually. This allows the network and compute resources to scale or contract in tandem to support the fluctuating demand on systems that an online retailer might experience before, during and after the holiday buying season; or that a large employer might experience before, during, and after their annual employee health benefits enrollment period.
“AT&T and IBM are delivering a new, network-enabled cloud service that marries the security and speed of AT&T’s global network with the control and management capabilities of IBM’s enterprise cloud,” said Andy Geisse, CEO of AT&T Business Solutions.
“As more organizations realize that cloud can be secure, easily managed, and a key part of their business strategy, cloud will quickly evolve as a tool for innovation rather than just for infrastructure,” said Erich Clementi, senior vice president, IBM Global Technology Services.
Features of the new cloud service:
- A variety of customization options to meet specific customer needs
- Committed service-level agreements (SLAs) aligned to business and usage requirements to increase accountability for response time and availability
- More than 70 automated built-in security functions
- High levels of security extended to wired and wireless devices authenticated to the customer’s virtual private network
According to a report in InfotechLead.com, Pivotal Consultancy Services, a provider of assessment and collaborative learning solutions, has selected IBM SmartCloud Enterprise to save 40 percent of infrastructure and middleware cost over a year. Pivotal utilizes IBM SmartCloud to offer cost effective and innovative services to students and organizations via the cloud.