Cloud computing service launched by Virgin
Cloud computing service launched by Virgin
A new contract-free cloud computing service is to be offered to UK customers by Virgin Media Business.
The firm has joined forces with web hosting and services provider Savvis to provide the contract-free option, with companies paying for usage by the hour through a pay-as-you-go setup.
It is hoped that the lack of a contract will tempt smaller companies to look into the benefits of cloud computing and the group are aiming the cloud at enterprises with between 250 and 1,000 employees through three different service-level agreements and uptime guarantees.
Such an arrangement is designed to help firms to quickly deploy private data centres without the need for complex procurement processes, according to Mark Heraghty, Virgin Media Business's managing director.
Mr Heraghty added: “The VPDC service will allow IT managers to gain virtual computing power quickly and easily by designing and deploying their own private data centre in just a few clicks.
“They can have it up and running the same day and the set-up can then be modified as and when required, with changes being ready to go within 90 minutes.”
David Molony, analyst from Ovum, observed that while Virgin is quite late to the market, its decision is “timely” as the cloud services business is really starting to gain momentum. He qualified his statement, saying, “Ovum surveys with enterprises show that the proportion of enterprises trying out cloud-based network and IT services has increased from one-third to nearly half in the past year.”
Meanwhile, Mr Molony noted that Virgin's “high level of accreditation [and] significant hosting capacity” will work in its and its partner's favour: “Savvis extends its service reach into the UK market across a high-specification MPLS network it would have taken years to build for itself.”
Businesses looking to move services into the cloud should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network.
