AT&T teams with Microsoft to provide cloud solution to enterprises

US operator AT&T has teamed up with Microsoft to offer a cloud solution allowing enterprise customers to connect to Microsoft’s cloud platform using a private network. The solution will use cloud integration technology from AT&T over a virtual private network to pair with Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform.

AT&T’s cloud integration technology, AT&T NetBond, brings networking and computing resources together and automates functions that are usually performed manually, the firm said. It allows the network and computing resources to adapt to fluctuating demands on systems that enterprise cloud users often experience. The cloud solution also takes advantage of the Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology underpinning AT&T’s VPN.

Virtualisation and & the Cloud is a key track at the Broadband World Forum, taking place on the 22nd – 24th October 2013 at the RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre, Amsterdam. Click here to download a brochure for the event and here to register for a conference pass.

The two firms claim that customers will benefit from the enterprise grade security of virtual private networking, with up to 50 per cent lower latency than the public internet, and access to cloud resources from any site using most wired or wireless devices.

“This is a game changer for businesses that have been seeking a more secure way to reap the benefits of cloud services,” said Andy Geisse, CEO at AT&T Business Solutions. “By bringing the security and performance of our virtual private network to Windows Azure, we expect to energise enterprise demand for cloud solutions.”

Microsoft and AT&T said they will address concerns regarding security and reliable performance by enabling enterprise customers to connect applications and services from their own datacentres to the Windows Azure cloud service using a highly-secure virtual private network.

Satya Nadella, executive vice president of Cloud and Enterprise for Microsoft., commented: “Through this strategic alliance with AT&T, we can reduce the barriers to entry for cloud computing by providing a more secure and reliable connectivity option for enterprise customers, accelerating the growth of cloud computing and the rapid adoption of Windows Azure.”