Colt Technology Services has introduced the latest addition to its SDN-enabled “On Demand” portfolio, Dedicated Cloud Access (DCA), which provides intelligent, secure and reliable private connectivity to the public cloud, allowing customers to bypass the internet.
The first cloud service provider to become available on the Colt On Demand platform is Microsoft Azure, through its ExpressRoute private networking offering.
Colt’s DCA On Demand supports connectivity from the Colt IQ Network into the Azure cloud platform in real time, avoiding traditional telco service delivery processes, which could take days or weeks to enable new services.
It also allows customers to flex bandwidths up and down themselves via a portal, enabling them to dynamically meet additional bandwidth demands for cloud connectivity. In line with this on-demand flexibility, customers now have the option to choose per-hour pricing plans, as well as more traditional fixed term contracts. Instant service delivery combined with the ability to flex services in line with real time demand give additional benefits for cloud-enabled businesses, while delivering access to the cloud with the same confidence, performance and security as a private LAN or WAN.
The On Demand service is initially available at Microsoft’s ExpressRoute locations in London, Dublin and Amsterdam with plans to enable existing ExpressRoute interconnects in Tokyo, Frankfurt and a brand new presence in Paris for On Demand services in 2017.
According to Rajiv Datta, Colt’s chief technology officer: “Public cloud services have long been associated with scalable, flexible capabilities, and our On Demand offering really brings the network into the cloud era. An intelligent network is an essential part of demanding enterprises’ public cloud experience and the launch of our DCA On Demand service sets a new standard for customer experience compared to existing WAN services or Internet connections. This addition to our On-Demand portfolio underlines Colt’s position of challenging the status quo of traditional providers with innovation and flexibility.”
Mikkel Riis, senior product marketing manager, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Corp. commented: “The cloud is driving transformation through new business models, easy global expansion and reach, accelerated innovation and time to market, along with an enhanced customer experience. Collaborating with Colt to bring ExpressRoute to customers is a core part of these attributes and values.”
Going forward, Colt will announce the roll-out of DCA On Demand for other leading cloud service providers, allowing enterprise customers to enjoy a consistent experience across multiple cloud platforms. More than 5,000 enterprise buildings and 200 Data Centres are currently eligible for On Demand connectivity to Microsoft Azure.
