Adding Business Value with XaaS

 

Cloud computing and the various types of XaaS are becoming increasingly important.

It is a trend that customers (private individuals /SME/ or large enterprises) prefer a cloud-based solution rather than on-premise deployed architecture. We no longer backup our private smartphones, laptop or hard drive but prefer to store the data in the cloud. 

 

To that end, Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier has various XaaS offering. If a public option is needed, our Public Cloud Connect service links to the client’s chosen cloud provider via Deutsche Telekom’s IP Transit network, which runs over its highly protected AS3320. In addition to the Public Cloud Connect option, we also offer our Secure Cloud Connect service, a safe non-public solution for the growing number of customers wanting to connect to CSPs in Europe.  

 

As a global network provider, we offer on-demand, direct access to multiple public clouds. We are able to handle extremely large volumes of capacity, so traffic is never congested. 

 

How can telcos build partnerships to help/ensure/support the (general) XaaS ecosystem/environment/industry trend in a better way? 

 

First of all, it is crucially important to connect the relevant XaaS players / partners directly to the telco network to ensure superior quality and availability. This enables less network hops, uncongested interconnections and high traffic throughput. That is our value proposition and what we promise our customers. Hence, we are an enabler for literally all XaaS or cloud-computing offerings. These all require a reliable and fast internet connection between the customer and the provider (telco), but also a good connection between the provider (telco) or a direct leased line a direct cloud connect. 

 

 

Telcos can evolve business models to make better use of XaaS initiatives by partnering with XaaS providers. This will ensure a great end-to-end offering with benefits for both parties. There is no way around it, telcos must respond to the demand of customers requesting cloud computing services by enhancing their XaaS services. In fact, the cloud will be crucial for the implementation of many smart products. They will also support organizations with their digital transformations – in turn allowing those smart products to be quickly and efficiently launched. So XaaS initiatives and cloud-based, data-heavy services will be crucial to enabling and pushing the development of future smart technologies and products. 

 

We are particularly interested in connecting customers to an XaaS (cloud) data center using traditional technology and existing infrastructure. However, here security is an important factor.

When talking about cyber security there are three security goals that needs to be fulfilled:

• Confidentially 

• Integrity 

• Availability

 

Data in any XaaS environment needs to be encrypted at all times (end-to-end) to ensure that there are no breaches, loss of data or manipulation. VPN or direct connections will help with this.

 

An often underestimated factor is the availability of the data center itself. It is important that customers who are dependent on XaaS services for their day-to-day business processes take a close look at the availability of their internet connections and the path to the cloud data centers.