Savvis Launches Private Cloud Services

Savvis, an enterprise-oriented cloud services provider, has launched a set of "private" cloud services that are hosted at its U.S., U.K. and Asia data centers. They include both extra security measures and service level agreements for the off-premises and hosted but "private" enterprise cloud.

Savvis maintains 18 data centers worldwide and is a provider of the more traditional co-location services and managed hosting services as well as its new cloud services.

The Savvis Symphony Virtual Private Data Center currently has two service profiles, Essential and Balanced. Essential is a basic private data center service, with Balanced offering higher levels of support and performance. Software test and development might employ an Esssential level of service. Web hosting with its unpredictable level of traffic and server needs might employ a Balanced service. A third level, Premier, is in the planning stages and could be used for mission-critical applications, said Savvis CTO Bryan Doerr in the announcement.

"An enterprise class Virtual Private Data Center can be configured and deployed in about an hour from anywhere in the world," said Doerr. It might take 90 days to rack up the servers and build out operating systems to produce a comparable physical data center, he added.

Savvis can supply multi-tiered security, which includes firewalls and intrusion detection, for each customer, along with a range of network options. They include connectivity over the Savvis' Tier 1 IP network backbone or a secure, low-latency Application Transport Services network, known as Savvis' Multi-Protocol Label Switching-based service. Savvis can offer quality of service level guarantees with the latter, Doerr said.

Savvis is also offering a Symphony Open service where enterprise customers select virtual servers designed to meet seasonal or temporary demand for additional data center facilities. In addition, Savvis is providing a Symphony Dedicated service where the servers used for private cloud purposes are designated for a single user rather than being share. Symphony Dedicated "allows clients to tailor and scale their dedicated infrastructure at their own pace," the June 28 announcement said.

The Symphony services can be accessed and self-provisioned by customers through the SavvisStation Portal, where a drag-and-drop interface allows them to activate the server and network resources they need, Doerr said.

Savvis has 2,500 customers, including 30 of the top 100 companies in the Fortune 500, company spokesmen said. Additional information can be found at www.savvis.net and www.savvisknowscloud.com.