Companies to offer IT migration expertise and infrastructure for a seamless transition to the Cloud

London, 4 September 2012 - Interoute, owner operator of Europe's largest cloud services platform, is  partnering with worldwide IT solutions and services provider Unisys to help businesses to realise both immediate and long-term business value through with a simpler, more straightforward and more disciplined approach to cloud computing.

The initiative will combine Interoute’s Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) capability, including its Virtual Data Centre (VDC), with Unisys cloud advisory, implementation and management services portfolio.

“As the concept of cloud computing matures, more companies are keen to understand the benefits for their business. Many CIOs tell us that they are looking for the most cost-efficient way to implement cloud solutions that can be integrated with their existing IT infrastructure and easily managed,” said David Milot, managing partner for Unisys Technology Consulting and Integration Solutions (TCIS) in EMEA. “Unisys consultative services approach, combined with Interoute’s Virtual Data Centre, addresses these concerns and is a great choice for organisations who want expert support in planning, implementing, integrating and managing cloud solutions that deliver value to their business.”

Interoute’s VDC is built into the fabric of its pan-European network, enabling organisations to deploy virtual computing and storage infrastructure for their enterprise applications in a matter of minutes. The service brings simplicity and security to the enterprise cloud to ensure that, instead of having to choose between the conveniences of the public cloud or the security of a private cloud, enterprises can now have both.

The Interoute VDC is easily scalable, from just one server for one hour, to 100,000 machines across multiple countries. Its structured pay that is based on a ‘pay-for-what-you-use’ makes it as cost effective as a public cloud, but uses Interoute’s own network infrastructure to give the additional security of a private cloud.  To support compliance with European data legislation the VDC service also allows users to select between the different countries in Europe where the physical VDC infrastructure is located.

The Unisys Advisory Services for Data Centre and Cloud Transformation - a key part of the joint solution – help clients understand exactly what cloud computing is and how specific approaches can enhance their business services, easing their migration to the Interoute VDC. These services also provide strategic and financial guidance to help inventory and assess application workloads and determine which are best suited to a cloud delivery model. Additionally, Unisys CloudBuild Services provide a simple, effective methodology for planning, designing and implementing cloud computing solutions – enabling a smooth deployment while maintaining operational compatibility with existing IT resources.

Matthew Finnie, CTO, Interoute, commented: “Support to accelerate the move to cloud computing is what the industry needs right now. Some organisations want to be able to migrate with expert support and guidance, to ensure they receive optimum benefits from the cloud - including increased efficiencies and flexibility. In the past, some companies have been reluctant to move to cloud computing due to basic concerns and lack of knowledge. We’re delighted to be combining Interoute’s VDC with Unisys’ advisory and CloudBuild services to offer enterprises a complete end-to-end could migration solution which will address all those concerns, while making the process as simple and straightforward as possible.”

Caroline Chappell, Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading, said: "Interoute is a leading exponent of carrier cloud, which Heavy Reading defines as a convergence of data centre cloud with the carrier-grade wide area network. In Virtual Data Centre, Interoute has brought together the data centre and WAN connectivity to deliver higher levels of cloud security and performance at lower cost than data centre-centric cloud providers can offer. The alliance with Unisys will broaden Interoute's access to the European enterprise market at a strategic level, enabling it to evangelise the carrier cloud concept faster and more extensively."