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AT&T joins symantec for storage as a service offer
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AT&T joins symantec for storage as a service offer
The vendor will allow enterprise customers to use its network cloud to customize a data depot. Customers will be able to specify their storage criteria -- called user policies -- through a Web-based customer portal. The service automatically scales storage capacity up or down as needed, and users pay only for the amount they use, according to a press release.
EMC Corporation will be the technology provider for the AT&T Synaptic storage as a service platform. The two vendors have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop and market the service, the release said.
An on-demand offer, AT&T is using EMC s Atmos technology to give users the flexibility to store, distribute and retrieve data through the Internet or directly from its network cloud via a virtual private network or other transport service, enabling customers to create a virtual private storage cloud.
AT&T has plans to make the service generally available in the third quarter. The service is deployed in AT&T Internet data centers (IDCs) in the U.S. and will be accessible by customers connecting to the Web anywhere. In time, AT&T plans to add the service to select global IDCs to meet customer demand internationally.
The demand for data storage continues to grow at a staggering rate, driven by companies` need for 24x7 accesses to business critical data, said Roman Pacewicz, senior vice president of strategy and application services, AT&T Business Solutions.
The storage as a service platform is especially for businesses with fluctuating data storage requirements. It also is a fit for extended retention of data no longer needed for transactions. The data can be retrieved at any time, to any customer location, including a third-party data center, by using a variety of devices such as laptops, smart phones or other Web-enabled handheld devices.
Cloud storage holds out the promise of enabling a new generation of storage services with flexible, on-demand capabilities that address both runaway costs and a diverse combination of changing business priorities and regulatory requirements, said Adam Couture, principal research analyst with Gartner. The initial attraction has been staggering cost differential between traditional storage offerings and cloud storage. But as cloud storage matures providers will differentiate themselves in areas like security, data portability, ease of access and integration and quality of service.
It must be recalled that Symantec Corp. formally unveiled its cloud-based storage service, Norton Online Backup, marketing it as a consumer product for managing up to five PCs on a home network through a single dashboard, last month.
Although catering to a different market segment, Norton Online Backup offers continuous data protection through block-based incremental backups. Users can log in and access backed-up data from any Internet connection and manage all five PCs through a single dashboard, which will enable them to do things like tweak backup settings and perform data restores. The service automatically conducts backups during periods of inactivity or on a user-defined schedule, the company said during the launch.
With its new consumer cloud service, Symantec joins a growing storage-as-a-service community, including EMC Corp.`s Mozy unit and Carbonite Inc., which charges $49.95 for a 12-month subscription.
Source:
http://www.cxotoday.com/India/News/ATT_Joins_Symantec_for_Storage_as_a_Service_O
