VMware-based Verizon Business Service Facilitates Hybrid Cloud

An enhanced Verizon Business computing-as-a-service (CaaS) offering will enable enterprises that need to augment internal data center computing with public cloud resources to meet fluctuating business demands by leveraging VMware vCloud capabilities. The Verizon service complements the company's existing CaaS Plus Managed Services. With the new services, companies will be able to ramp up their computing capabilities to meet spikes in demand by exporting their applications to Verizon's data centers using native VMware tools and managing internal and cloud resources without changing IT operations or investing in additional servers.

CaaS enabled by VMware vCloud Datacenter, announced by the two companies at VMworld 2010, is a hybrid computing approach that allows enterprises to leverage existing VMware infrastructure in their private cloud data centers to port applications directly to Verizon's public cloud VMware data centers. VMware is initially partnering with Verizon Business and four other cloud service providers--BlueLock, Colt, Sing Tel and Terremark--to launch vCloud Datacenter services.

"The big thing for Verizon here is expansion of their addressable market," said Melanie Posey, IDC research director, hosting & telecom Services. "The services extend capability to customers who have systems in their own data center and can federate them Verizon's. This makes it much easier to move back and forth and is more comfortable for customers who have this internal, do-it-yourself approach." The service will likely appeal to companies that have high-transaction volume, public-facing websites in industries such as consumer package good, travel and hospitality. For example, a trial customer, Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG), is testing the service to meet peak demand for booking during holiday and vacation periods by what Verizon characterizes as "clicking a mouse" to port its applications to the cloud as needed.
 
"If an enterprise has an application they need to scale they can export their VM to Verizon through the network or private connection we supply," said Joe Crawford, Verizon Business executive director of  IT solutions. "The partnership makes this possible, instead of instead of providing resources themselves, or using new tools, changing the application or the way they operate."

VMware vCloud Datacenter Services are built on VMware vSphere and VMware vCloud Director, so virtualized workloads in internal data centers can consume the service from providers that share its common architecture and service model.