New IBM-AT&T Partnership to Launch Private Cloud for Enterprises
New IBM-AT&T Partnership to Launch Private Cloud for Enterprises by UCStrategies Staff
A new partnership has formed between IBM and AT&T in order to provide a private cloud service to the enterprise class, rather than use public internet. This includes combining IBM's SmartCloud platform and AT&T's network backbone services.
IBM and AT&T will launch this new private cloud service early next year; it will let larger businesses make use of more secure and private networks in order to protect applications as they move from on-premise data centers to off-premise cloud hosting sites.
Security is the most notable feature of the partnership, and is particularly significant because businesses considering cloud adoption are mostly concerned with the protection of data resources, citing it as a key inhibitor to cloud computing adoption.
Research by the IDC has shown that $40 billion will be spent this year on public IT cloud services, and by 2016 is expected to go up to $100 billion. IBM has previously said that it hopes to make up to $7 billion in total cloud revenue by 2015.
IBM's SmartCloud Enterprise+ and AT&T's virtual private network will be used in conjunction by customers in a new secure and private cloud.
The new private network will use security protection from AT&T's virtual private network to move enterprise information or applications from on-premise data centers and wired or wireless computing devices to IBM's cloud data centers.
IBM said that if the security problems are resolved through the private cloud, the enterprise will look to strengthening their presence in the cloud.
Erich Clementi who is senior vice president of IBM Global Technology Services said, “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.”
Customers using the private cloud will also be able to access a vast range of IBM's managed services and operations can be performed in both the private and public clouds.
IBM aims to attract a large cohort of existing partners and customers, as well as new customers, with SmartCloud to use its cloud model as it battles for cloud market share with Microsoft, Amazon, Hewlett-Packard and others. (CY) Link