Vodafone and IBM Join Together to Offer Easy Route to the Cloud for Enterprises
The two
companies have launched a new service that makes it easier
and quicker for enterprises to move VMware workloads
between
on-premises environments and IBM Cloud
Through a
new agreement with IBM (NYSE:IBM), Vodafone announced today
that it is offering an international service that enables
enterprises to support the movement of VMware-based
workloads on a Vodafone Hosted Private Cloud to and from the
IBM Cloud. The new service means Vodafone customer scan more
easily and quickly deploy and move VMware-based workloads
with confidence, speed and scale globally, while supporting
growing data residency needs.
Working with
IBM, Vodafone is helping its clients tackle one of the most
pressing IT challenges for enterprises; moving existing
VMware workloads from on premises environments to the cloud
without incurring the cost and risk associated with
re-tooling operations, re-architecting applications and
re-designing security policies.
With over
half a million enterprises running an estimated 50 million
workloads, enterprises need fast, easy and cost effective
ways to deploy and move VMware workloads between on-premises
and cloud environments and across geographic boundaries.
The IBM
Cloud capability helps clients meet this growing demand by
extending the global footprint of Vodafone’s Hosted Private
Cloud service and helping establish a new hybrid cloud
offering for enterprises. This new service is designed to
help Vodafone enterprise customers reduce latency by
locating applications closer to users while maintaining data
within a security-rich global network.
In utilizing
VMware NSX network virtualization across Vodafone’s global
network, a single virtual data center based on VMware was
created to bridge between the Vodafone Hosted Private Cloud
and the IBM Cloud, This enables enterprises to establish
true application portability and burst capability across a
geographically diverse data Centre footprint using a single
management portal.
The Vodafone
Hosted Private Cloud solution and the IBM Cloud offers a
number of advantages including:
- With Vodafone’s
and IBM’s expertise, solutions and cloud infrastructure
enterprises can quickly manage and scale their workloads
utilizing the VMware cloud software, processes and APIs
with which they are already familiar.
- The Vodafone
network and Hosted Private Cloud capabilities will allow
customers to rapidly provision new or scale existing
workloads across 19 countries as a result of the combined
Vodafone and IBM cloud data center footprint.
- Enterprises
requiring compliance and data residency regulation are
able to move workloads easily to the appropriate geography
and are able to have greater flexibility to respond to
changes as needs evolve.
- As well as
benefitting from flexible, consumption based pricing
models and access to professional services, enterprises
can also access the combined possibilities of Vodafone
connectivity and IoT capabilities.
- Enable Vodafone
customers to tap into IBM’s hybrid cloud capabilities and
relationship with VMware to expand on the value from their
existing investments while giving them on-demand, scalable
access to infrastructure and services, including higher
value IBM services like Watson.
Responding
to the announcement, Ajay Patel, senior vice president,
Product Development, Cloud Services, VMware said, “VMware is
pleased to see Vodafone and IBM partner to empower our
mutual customers to innovate across clouds using VMware
Cross-Cloud Architecture. This new offering from Vodafone
and IBM will enable businesses to utilize a globally
consistent, common operating model for running, managing and
securing their workloads across clouds.”
Vodafone
director of Cloud and Hosting Services Greg Hyttenrauch
said, “IBM is an excellent partner for Vodafone. The
combination of our network and our VMware based Hosted
Private Cloud with the global reach of IBM’s capabilities
gives customers more flexibility, more choice and the
possibility of a true hybrid cloud. There is no doubt in my
mind that we are starting out on a long and fruitful
relationship.”
Sebastian
Krause general manager IBM Cloud Europe added, “The IBM
Cloud is bringing expanded capabilities to Vodafone by
providing its customers with quick and easy access to a
variety of higher value services across a broader
geographical footprint than ever before. Through this
collaboration, we are further helping enterprises take
advantage of the opportunity and value of cloud.”
Source: Vodafone media announcement