Tata Communications to provide hybrid cloud adoption via internet

Tata Communications today said it had introduced a global network platform for enhanced hybrid cloud enablement, called IZO.

According to Tata Communications IZO brings a new way of tackling the complications and challenges that businesses face in realising the potential of the cloud. For the first time, a single provider offers access to a full ecosystem of network, cloud and data centre connectivity making it simple for a business to connect and build its cloud, their way – be it private, hybrid or public.

The IZO network platform takes the public internet and uniquely engineers it for predictable routing, together with enterprise cloud connectivity and interconnected data centres.

"Bringing together a growing ecosystem of over 20 service providers reaching 85 per cent of the world's GDP, two of the largest cloud platforms - Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure - and over 50 data centres across the globe, the IZO network delivers the most comprehensive cloud enablement platform available today," Tata Communications said in a statement.

The platform comprises of IZO Internet WAN, IZO Private and IZO Public, each of which tackle a significant issue faced by enterprises managing cloud solutions.

A first of its kind, IZO Internet WAN  has partnerships with 20 service providers around the world, enabling multi-national organisations deterministic routing of traffic with guaranteed end-to-end SLAs and business standard reporting.

"Multi-national businesses will now experience faster deployment times, whilst reducing their total cost of ownership by up to 30 per cent, fostering more secure ways to capitalise on the cloud evolution," the company said.

IZO Private connects businesses to cloud service providers via private network connectivity. Through a global partnered interconnect arrangement under the AWS Direct Connect program with Amazon Web Services and Azure ExpressRoute program with Microsoft, companies now have access to a one-stop-shop for end-to-end management to ensure network performance and end-user experience.

Vinod Kumar, managing director and CEO, Tata Communications, says, ''We're taking the necessary steps towards making the Internet Fit For Business by bringing a new level of predictability and reliability to the public Internet that does not exist today. This isn't something we can do alone and we're joined in this initiative to bring about a new era of internet, by some of the world's leading ISP and cloud providers as we collaborate to achieve a common goal. Cloud, in every form, continues to transform the way businesses operate, innovate and generate revenue. Our role is to make sure that we're delivering a network that supports and enhances everybody's network cloud.''

The third element of the platform is IZO Public, which tags and prioritises content with guaranteed performance for Tata Communications enterprise customers. For businesses looking to deliver large volumes of content over the Internet, this service provides unparalleled performance, reach, and capacity ensuring a consistently good user experience.

Melanie Posey, Research Vice President at IDC, says, ''The cloud is the new IT architecture for the next-generation enterprise. However, next-generation network architectures that are similarly dynamic and scalable have been slow to emerge. Neither enterprise WANs (expensive, static, and complex) nor the public internet provide the right mix of scalability, rapid deployment capabilities, and multi-carrier reach required for secure, enterprise-grade connectivity to an ever expanding array of cloud-based IT and application resources.  Tata Communications' IZO enterprise WAN and cloud enablement platform leverages its extensive global network and the reach of its partner ecosystem to enable global organisations to harness the cloud – be it private, hybrid or public.''

The IZO network platform gives multi-national organisations the freedom to choose a cloud environment suited to their requirements with a platform backed by Tata Communications' leading global network and global partnerships. Today, over 24 per cent of the world's internet routes travel over Tata Communications' network and the company is the only Tier-1 provider that is in the top five by routes in five continents.